[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4969 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4969

To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to restore and standardize 
 work requirements for able-bodied adults enrolled in the supplemental 
  nutrition assistance program and limit participation to 5 years for 
                          able-bodied adults.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 27, 2023

 Mr. Burlison (for himself and Mr. Brecheen) introduced the following 
        bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to restore and standardize 
 work requirements for able-bodied adults enrolled in the supplemental 
  nutrition assistance program and limit participation to 5 years for 
                          able-bodied adults.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Ending the Cycle of Dependency Act 
of 2023''.

SEC. 2. MODIFICATION OF WORK REQUIREMENT EXEMPTIONS FOR ABLE-BODIED 
              ADULTS IN THE SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

    Section 6(o)(3) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 
2015(o)(3)) is amended to read as follows:
            ``(3) Exception.--Paragraph (2) shall not apply to an 
        individual if the individual is--
                    ``(A) under 18 or over 65 years of age;
                    ``(B) medically certified as physically or mentally 
                unfit for employment;
                    ``(C) a parent or other member of a household with 
                primary responsibility for a dependent child under 6 
                years of age;
                    ``(D) otherwise exempt under subsection (d)(2); or
                    ``(E) a pregnant woman.''.

SEC. 3. REPEALING WAIVER OF GEOGRAPHIC WORK REQUIREMENTS IN THE 
              SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

    Section 6(o)(4) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 
2015(o)(4)) is repealed.

SEC. 4. ELIMINATING NO GOOD CAUSE WORK REQUIREMENTS EXCEPTIONS IN THE 
              SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

    Section 6(o)(6) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 
2015(o)(6)) is repealed.

SEC. 5. STANDARDIZING WORK REQUIREMENT AGE LIMIT RULES IN THE 
              SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

    Section 6(d)(1)(A) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 
2015(d)(1)(A)) is amended to read as follows:
                    ``(A) In general.--No physically and mentally fit 
                individual over the age of 15 and under the age of 65 
                shall be eligible to participate in the supplemental 
                nutrition assistance program if the individual--
                            ``(i) refuses, at the time of application 
                        and every 12 months thereafter, to register for 
                        employment in a manner prescribed by the 
                        Secretary;
                            ``(ii) refuses without good cause to 
                        participate in an employment and training 
                        program established under paragraph (4), to the 
                        extent required by the State agency;
                            ``(iii) refuses without good cause to 
                        accept an offer of employment, at a site or 
                        plant not subject to a strike or lockout at the 
                        time of the refusal, at a wage not less than 
                        the higher of--
                                    ``(I) the applicable Federal or 
                                State minimum wage; or
                                    ``(II) 80 percent of the wage that 
                                would have governed had the minimum 
                                hourly rate under section 6(a)(1) of 
                                the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 
                                (29 U.S.C. 206(a)(1)) been applicable 
                                to the offer of employment;
                            ``(iv) refuses without good cause to 
                        provide a State agency with sufficient 
                        information to allow the State agency to 
                        determine the employment status or the job 
                        availability of the individual;
                            ``(v) voluntarily and without good cause--
                                    ``(I) quits a job; or
                                    ``(II) reduces work effort and, 
                                after the reduction, the individual is 
                                working less than 30 hours per week; or
                            ``(vi) fails to comply with section 20.''.

SEC. 6. STANDARDIZING WORK REQUIREMENT EXEMPTIONS IN THE SUPPLEMENTAL 
              NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

    Section 6(d)(2) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 
2015(d)(2)) is amended to read as follows:
            ``(2) A person who otherwise would be required to comply 
        with the requirements of paragraph (1) of this subsection shall 
        be exempt from such requirements if he or she is (A) currently 
        subject to and complying with a work registration requirement 
        under title IV of the Social Security Act, as amended (42 
        U.S.C. 602), or the Federal-State unemployment compensation 
        system, in which case, failure by such person to comply with 
        any work requirement to which such person is subject shall be 
        the same as failure to comply with that requirement of 
        paragraph (1); (B) a parent or other member of a household with 
        primary responsibility for the care of a dependent child under 
        6 years of age; (C) a bona fide student enrolled at least half 
        time in any recognized school, training program, or institution 
        of higher education (except that any such person enrolled in an 
        institution of higher education shall be ineligible to 
        participate in the supplemental nutrition assistance program 
        unless he or she meets the requirements of subsection (e) of 
        this section); (D) a regular participant in a drug addiction or 
        alcoholic treatment and rehabilitation program; (E) employed a 
        minimum of thirty hours per week or receiving weekly earnings 
        which equal the minimum hourly rate under the Fair Labor 
        Standards Act of 1938, as amended (29 U.S.C. 206(a)(1)), 
        multiplied by thirty hours; or (F) a person between the ages of 
        sixteen and eighteen who is not a head of a household or who is 
        attending school, or enrolled in an employment training 
        program, on at least a half-time basis.''.

SEC. 7. LIFETIME BENEFIT LIMIT FOR ABLE-BODIED ADULTS IN THE 
              SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

    Section 6 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2015) is 
amended by adding a new subsection to read as follows:
    ``(t) No Assistance for Able-Bodied Enrollees for More Than 5 
Years.--
            ``(1) In general.--No member of a household shall be 
        eligible to participate who resides in a household that 
        includes an individual who has participated for 60 months 
        (whether or not consecutive).
            ``(2) Minor child exception.--In determining the number of 
        months for which an individual participated, the State shall 
        disregard any month for which such assistance was provided with 
        respect to the individual and during which the individual was--
                    ``(A) a minor child; and
                    ``(B) not the head of a household or married to the 
                head of a household.
            ``(3) Additional exceptions.--Paragraph (1) shall not apply 
        to an individual if the individual is--
                    ``(A) under 18 or over 64 years of age;
                    ``(B) medically certified as physically or mentally 
                unfit for employment;
                    ``(C) a parent or other member of a household with 
                primary responsibility for a dependent child under 6 
                years of age; or
                    ``(D) a pregnant woman.''.

SEC. 8. REPEALING SUSPENSION OF WORK REQUIREMENTS DUE TO COVID-19 FOR 
              ABLE-BODIED ADULTS WITHOUT DEPENDENTS IN THE SUPPLEMENTAL 
              NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

    Section 2301 of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (P.L. 
116-127, division B, title III, section 2301) is repealed.
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