[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 108 (Wednesday, June 27, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4686-S4687]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 3344. Mr. INHOFE (for himself and Mr. Kennedy) submitted an
amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 3224 proposed by Mr.
Roberts (for himself and Ms. Stabenow) 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:
Strike subtitle A of title IV and insert the following:
Subtitle A--Nutrition Assistance Block Grant Program
SEC. 4001. NUTRITION ASSISTANCE BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--For each of fiscal years 2019 through
2028, the Secretary shall establish a nutrition assistance
block grant program under which the Secretary shall make
annual grants to each participating State that establishes a
nutrition assistance program in the State and submits to the
Secretary annual reports under subsection (d).
(b) Requirements.--As a requirement of receiving grants
under this section, the Governor of each participating State
shall certify that the State nutrition assistance program
includes--
(1) work requirements;
(2) mandatory drug testing;
(3) verification of citizenship or proof of lawful
permanent residency of the United States; and
(4) limitations on the eligible uses of benefits that are
at least as restrictive as the limitations in place for the
supplemental nutrition assistance program established under
the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.) as
of [May 31, 2012].
(c) Amount of Grant.--For each fiscal year, the Secretary
shall make a grant to each participating State in an amount
equal to the product of--
(1) the amount made available under section 4002 for the
applicable fiscal year; and
(2) the proportion that--
(A) the number of legal residents in the State whose income
does not exceed 100 percent of the poverty line (as defined
in section 673 of the Community Services Block Grant Act (42
U.S.C. 9902), including any revision required by that
section) applicable to a family of the size involved; bears
to
(B) the number of such individuals in all participating
States for the applicable fiscal year, based on data for the
most recent fiscal year for which data is available.
(d) Annual Report Requirements.--
(1) In general.--Not later than January 1 of each year,
each State that receives a grant under this section shall
submit to the Secretary a report that shall include, for the
year covered by the report--
(A) a description of the structure and design of the
nutrition assistance program of the State, including the
manner in which residents of the State qualify for the
program;
(B) the cost the State incurs to administer the program;
(C) whether the State has established a rainy day fund for
the nutrition assistance program of the State; and
(D) general statistics about participation in the nutrition
assistance program.
(2) Audit.--Each year, the Comptroller General of the
United States shall--
(A) conduct an audit on the effectiveness of the
nutritional assistance block grant program and the manner in
which each participating State is implementing the program;
and
(B) not later than June 30, submit to the appropriate
committees of Congress a report describing--
(i) the results of the audit; and
(ii) the manner in which the State will carry out the
supplemental nutrition assistance program in the State,
including eligibility and fraud prevention requirements.
(e) Use of Funds.--
(1) In general.--A State that receives a grant under this
section may use the grant in any manner determined to be
appropriate by the State to provide nutrition assistance to
the legal residents of the State.
(2) Availability of funds.--Grant funds made available to a
State under this section shall--
[[Page S4687]]
(A) remain available to the State for a period of 5 years;
and
(B) after that period, shall--
(i) revert to the Federal Government to be deposited in the
Treasury and used for Federal budget deficit reduction; or
(ii) if there is no Federal budget deficit, be used to
reduce the Federal debt in such manner as the Secretary of
the Treasury considers appropriate.
SEC. 4002. FUNDING.
(a) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this section--
(1) for fiscal year 2019, $33,750,000,000;
(2) for fiscal year 2020, $34,500,000,000;
(3) for fiscal year 2021, $35,800,000,000;
(4) for fiscal year 2022, $37,100,000,000;
(5) for fiscal year 2023, $38,800,000,000;
(6) for fiscal year 2024, $40,000,000,000;
(7) for fiscal year 2025, $42,000,000,000;
(8) for fiscal year 2026, $43,200,000,000;
(9) for fiscal year 2027, $45,000,000,000; and
(10) for fiscal year 2028, $46,300,000,000.
(b) Adjustment to Discretionary Spending Limits.--Section
251(b)(2) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit
Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 901(b)(2)) is amended by adding
at the end the following:
``(G) Nutrition assistance block grant program.--If a bill
or joint resolution making appropriations for a fiscal year
is enacted that specifies an amount for the nutrition
assistance block grant program established under section
4001(a) of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, then the
adjustments for that fiscal year shall be the additional new
budget authority provided in that bill or joint resolution
for that block grant program.''.
SEC. 4003. REPEALS.
(a) In General.--Effective September 30, 2018, the Food and
Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.) is repealed.
(b) Repeal of Mandatory Funding.--
(1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of
law, effective September 30, 2018, the supplemental nutrition
assistance program established under the Food and Nutrition
Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.) (as in effect prior to
that date) shall cease to be a program funded through direct
spending (as defined in section 250(c) of the Balanced Budget
and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 900(c))
prior to the amendment made by paragraph (2)).
(2) Direct spending.--Effective September 30, 2018, section
250(c)(8) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit
Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 900(c)(8)) is amended--
(A) in subparagraph (A), by adding ``and'' at the end;
(B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``; and'' at the end
and inserting a period; and
(C) by striking subparagraph (C).
(3) Entitlement authority.--Effective September 30, 2018,
section 3(9) of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment
Control Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 622(9)) is amended--
(A) by striking ``means--'' and all that follows through
``the authority to make'' and inserting ``means the authority
to make'';
(B) by striking ``; and'' and inserting a period; and
(C) by striking subparagraph (B).
(4) Other direct spending.--Effective September 30, 2018,
section 1026(5) of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment
Control Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 691e(5)) is amended--
(A) in subparagraph (A), by adding ``and'' at the end;
(B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``; and'' at the end
and inserting a period; and
(C) by striking subparagraph (C).
(c) Relationship to Other Law.--Any reference in this Act,
an amendment made by this Act, or any other Act to the
supplemental nutrition assistance program shall be considered
to be a reference to the nutrition assistance block grant
program under this subtitle.
SEC. 4004. BASELINE.
Notwithstanding section 257 of the Balanced Budget and
Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 907), the
baseline shall assume that, on and after September 30, 2018,
no benefits shall be provided under the supplemental
nutrition assistance program established under the Food and
Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.) (as in effect
prior to that date).
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