Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Keeping Families Fed Act of 2023”.
Keeping Families Fed Act of 2023
A BILL
To amend section 2202 of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act to extend for 1 year the availability of certain flexible benefits under the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP).
Sec. 2 Findings
The Congress finds the following:
After February 2023 the emergency nutrition assistance benefits provided under the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) authorized by the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 ended, resulting in a benefit cut for every SNAP recipient household in the 32 States then providing the emergency benefits.
According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, every recipient household in those States now receives at least $95 reduction in SNAP benefits a month, and some households see reductions of $250 a month or more. The average household receives $90 a month less in emergency SNAP benefits.
The ending of emergency allotments after February 2023 was required by an Act enacted in December 2022 that provided only 2 months for State agencies that administer SNAP and for SNAP recipients to prepare for a stark reduction in benefits. More resources and guidance for the end of the emergency SNAP benefits would have allowed the State agencies and SNAP recipients to better prepare for a benefit reduction and better prevent the hunger cliff caused by benefit reductions.
Sec. 3 Amendment
Section 2302(d) of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (7 U.S.C. 2011 note; Public Law 116–127) is amended by inserting before the period at the end the following:
Sec. 4 Strategy plan
Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall develop, and submit to the Congress, a strategy plan for State agencies that administer the supplemental nutrition assistance program under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to provided resources and guidance for public awareness, and preparation for the end, of the extended emergency program benefits authorized by the amendment made by section 3.