[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 90 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 90

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Committee 
on Agriculture should not propose any reduction in the availability or 
amount of benefits provided under the supplemental nutrition assistance 
program (SNAP) in effect under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, and 
     that the House of Representatives should reject any proposed 
 legislation that includes any provisions that reduce the availability 
               or amount of benefits provided under SNAP.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 28, 2013

Mr. McGovern (for himself, Ms. Fudge, Ms. DeLauro, Mr. George Miller of 
 California, and Mr. Deutch) submitted the following resolution; which 
              was referred to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Committee 
on Agriculture should not propose any reduction in the availability or 
amount of benefits provided under the supplemental nutrition assistance 
program (SNAP) in effect under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, and 
     that the House of Representatives should reject any proposed 
 legislation that includes any provisions that reduce the availability 
               or amount of benefits provided under SNAP.

Whereas hunger is a serious threat to individual dignity, productivity, 
        learning, economic prosperity, health, and development;
Whereas food insecurity means that people face an ongoing struggle against 
        hunger;
Whereas 50.1 million people lived in food insecure households in 2011;
Whereas the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP), established in the 
        Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, is the nation's first line of defense 
        against hunger and food insecurity;
Whereas SNAP served more than 47.5 million individuals in October 2012;
Whereas half of all new SNAP participants receive benefits for 10 months or less 
        and 74 percent of such participants left the program entirely within 2 
        years;
Whereas the average SNAP household has income slightly less than 59 percent of 
        the applicable poverty level, and 83 percent of all benefits go to 
        households with a child, elderly individual, or disabled individual;
Whereas the SNAP benefits average less than $1.50 per individual per meal;
Whereas 83 percent of families on SNAP make less than $24,000 a year for a 
        family of 4;
Whereas the average SNAP benefit per household is approximately $267 per month;
Whereas SNAP participation rises when the economy is weak;
Whereas millions of Americans need to turn to SNAP as a way to feed themselves 
        and their families;
Whereas SNAP would have lifted 3.9 million Americans, including 1.7 million 
        children, out of poverty in 2011 if its benefits were included in the 
        official measures of income and poverty;
Whereas SNAP is an efficient public-private partnership that runs on the regular 
        channels of commerce--regular retail food stores and electronic benefit 
        transfer (EBT) systems;
Whereas SNAP achieved the highest level of overall payment accuracy in the 
        history of the program at 96.2 percent;
Whereas the national overpayment error rate, defined as the percentage of SNAP 
        benefit dollars issued in excess of the amounts for which households are 
        eligible, fell to 2.99 percent;
Whereas the national underpayment error rate, defined as the percentage of SNAP 
        benefit dollars issued that are lower than the amounts for which 
        households are eligible, was less than 1.0 percent;
Whereas every dollar in new SNAP benefits generates up to $1.79 in economic 
        activity;
Whereas each $1 billion increase in SNAP benefits is estimated to create or 
        maintain 18,000 full-time equivalent jobs, including 3,000 farm jobs;
Whereas in the 112th Congress, the Committee on Agriculture of the House of 
        Representatives reported H.R. 6083, the Federal Agriculture Reform and 
        Risk Management Act (FARRM), which proposed to reauthorize SNAP;
Whereas the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that H.R. 6083 as 
        reported would cut SNAP by $16.5 billion over 10 years;
Whereas H.R. 6083 would cut SNAP provisions for the categorical eligibility (Cat 
        El) option, for the standard utility allowance (SUA)-Low Income Home 
        Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) connection (``heat and eat''), and 
        for the State performance fund (``performance bonuses'');
Whereas Cat El, heat and eat, and performance bonuses help States provide SNAP 
        benefits to needy people through streamlined procedures that cut down on 
        red tape and minimize State administrative expenses; and
Whereas congregations, food banks, and other charities are struggling to meet 
        existing elevated need and would be unable to meet the significant 
        increase in need that would be caused by cuts in SNAP of the kinds 
        provided in H.R. 6083 as reported in the 112th Congress by the Committee 
        on Agriculture: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that 
in this Congress the Committee on Agriculture should not propose any 
reduction in the availability or amount of benefits provided under the 
supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) in effect under the 
Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, and that the House of Representatives 
should reject any proposed legislation that includes any provisions 
that reduce the availability or amount of benefits provided under SNAP.
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