[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 108 (Wednesday, June 27, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4657-S4658]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 3274. Mr. TILLIS (for himself and Mr. Burr) submitted an amendment 
intended to be proposed by him to the bill H.R. 2, to provide for the 
reform and continuation of agricultural and other programs of the 
Department of Agriculture through fiscal year 2023, and for other 
purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       In section 4104, add at the end the following:
       (e) Mobile Technologies.--Section 7(h)(14) of the Food and 
     Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2016(h)(14)) is amended--
       (1) by striking subparagraph (A) and inserting the 
     following:
       ``(A) In general.--Subject to subparagraph (B), the 
     Secretary shall authorize the use of mobile technologies for 
     the purpose of accessing supplemental nutrition assistance 
     program benefits.'';
       (2) in subparagraph (B)--
       (A) by striking the heading and inserting ``Demonstration 
     projects on access of benefits through mobile technologies'';
       (B) by striking clause (i) and inserting the following:
       ``(i) Demonstration projects.--Before authorizing the 
     implementation of subparagraph (A) in all States, the 
     Secretary shall approve not more than 5 demonstration project 
     proposals submitted by State agencies that will pilot the use 
     of mobile technologies for supplemental nutrition assistance 
     program benefits access.'';
       (C) in clause (ii)--
       (i) in the heading, by striking ``Demonstration projects'' 
     and inserting ``Project requirements'';
       (ii) in the matter preceding subclause (I)--

       (I) by striking ``retail food store'' the first place it 
     appears and inserting ``State agency''; and
       (II) by striking ``that includes--'' and inserting ``that--
     ''; and

[[Page S4658]]

       (iii) by striking subclauses (I), (II), (III), and (IV), 
     and inserting the following:

       ``(I) provides recipients protections with respect to 
     privacy, ease of use, household access to benefits, and 
     support similar to the protections provided under existing 
     methods;
       ``(II) ensures that all recipients, including recipients 
     without access to mobile payment technology and recipients 
     who shop across State borders, have a means of benefit 
     access;
       ``(III) requires retail food stores, unless exempt under 
     subsection (f)(2)(B), to bear the costs of acquiring and 
     arranging for the implementation of point-of-sale equipment 
     and supplies for the redemption of benefits that are accessed 
     through mobile technologies, including any fees not described 
     in paragraph (13);
       ``(IV) requires that foods purchased with benefits issued 
     under this section through mobile technologies are purchased 
     at a price not higher than the price of the same food 
     purchased by other methods used by the retail food store, as 
     determined by the Secretary;
       ``(V) ensures adequate documentation for each authorized 
     transaction, adequate security measures to deter fraud, and 
     adequate access to retail food stores that accept benefits 
     accessed through mobile technologies, as determined by the 
     Secretary;
       ``(VI) provides for an evaluation of the demonstration 
     project, including an evaluation of household access to 
     benefits; and
       ``(VII) meets other criteria as established by the 
     Secretary.'';

       (D) by striking clause (iii) and inserting the following:
       ``(iv) Date of project approval.--The Secretary shall 
     solicit and approve the qualifying demonstration projects 
     required under subparagraph (B)(i) not later than January 1, 
     2020.''; and
       (E) by inserting after clause (ii) the following:
       ``(iii) Priority.--The Secretary may prioritize 
     demonstration project proposals that would--

       ``(I) reduce fraud;
       ``(II) encourage positive nutritional outcomes; and
       ``(III) meet such other criteria as determined by the 
     Secretary.''; and

       (3) in subparagraph (C)(i)--
       (A) by striking ``2017'' and inserting ``2022''; and
       (B) by inserting ``requires further study by way of an 
     extended pilot period or'' after ``States'' the second place 
     it appears.
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