[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 487 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 487
To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to expand the operation of
the State employment and training programs under such Act, and for
other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 25, 2021
Ms. Spanberger (for herself and Mr. Upton) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to expand the operation of
the State employment and training programs under such Act, and for
other purposes.
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 ``Revitalize and Expand SNAP Education
and Training for America's Future Act'' or the ``RESET for America's
Future Act''.
SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS.
(a) Streamlined Employment and Training Program.--The Food and
Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.) is amended--
(1) in section 6(d)(4) by inserting after subparagraph (K)
the following:
``(K-1)(i) Not later than 90 days after the
effective date of this subparagraph, the Secretary
shall issue the following streamlined guidelines for
the implementation of an employment and training
program under this subparagraph:
``(I) Guidelines that permit the State
agency to submit for full and expedited Federal
reimbursement of any costs incurred under such
program, with no match requirement, that meets
1 or more of the following:
``(aa) Activities that include an
evaluation to measure employment and
earnings outcomes for participants in
such program, with a methodology that
could, in the event that the evaluation
finds positive program impacts,
subsequently classify the program as
having a high or moderate causal
evidence rating that shows a
demonstrated capacity to improve
employment and earnings outcomes for
program participants, as defined by the
Secretary of Labor under section 3026
of Public Law 115-12.
``(bb) Activities under such
program that have already been
evaluated, and found to positively
affect employment and earnings outcomes
for program participants, with a
methodology that has a high or moderate
causal evidence rating, as defined by
the Secretary of Labor under section
3206 of Public Law 115-123.
``(cc) Activities under such
program that use at least 20 percent of
the funding allocated through such
program through a performance or
outcomes contract to pay for measurable
improvements in outcomes related to
improved employment earnings,
credential attainment, or measurable
attainment of new vocational skills for
eligible participants served, including
any reporting measures related to these
outcomes which State agencies must
track and report annually under
regulations issued by the Secretary
under this Act, or any benchmarks
clearly shown by credible research to
be highly correlated with these key
outcomes if these outcomes are measured
using administrative data validated by
a third-party evaluator if--
``(AA) any participants
eligible to participate in the
supplemental nutrition
assistance program are eligible
for such program;
``(BB) the State agency
demonstrates that the
population served by the
program under this subparagraph
is similar to the population
that participates in the
supplemental nutrition
assistance program in the local
area served with respect to
both demographics and barriers
to employment; and
``(CC) funds provided under
this subparagraph and designed
for the purposes of making
outcome-based payments may be
held by the State agency or
local agency for the purpose of
making payments required under
such contract based on a
measurable outcome, for a
period not to exceed 5 years
notwithstanding any other
provision of the law.
``(dd) Activities under such
programs that use an additional amount,
not to exceed 20 percent of the total
amount, covered by activities under
such program that meet 1 of the 3
criteria specified in items (aa)
through (cc) for purposes that may be
necessary to administer or evaluate
projects or programs permitted under
any of such criteria, or to pay for
technical assistance to better
administer or evaluate such projects or
programs, except that the maximum
allowable percentage permitted in this
item may be increased from 20 to 30
percent for providers that coordinate
and cost-share with other programs
funded under the Workforce Innovation
and Opportunity Act of 2014.
``(ii) Program participants who are eligible for
any services, or who enroll in any program or project
under this paragraph, shall remain eligible,
notwithstanding any other provision in this Act, for
not less than 6 months.
``(iii) Any State agency that receives funds under
this subparagraph shall--
``(I) as part of its current reporting
requirements, include in its report to the
Secretary details on how such funds were
allocated under this subparagraph, and make
these findings available to the public not
later than 1 year after receiving funds under
this subparagraph;
``(II) release, as part of its reporting
requirements to the Secretary, a final publicly
available report to the Secretary with--
``(aa) detailed findings on
programs funded under this subparagraph
not later than 1 year of the end of
such programs; and
``(bb) any associated evaluations
funded under this paragraph (including
measurable employment, wage, or other
relevant outcomes for programs and
services funded under this
subparagraph; and
``(III) the findings of any associated
evaluations.
``(iv) If the Secretary does not issue guidelines
by the deadline specified in clause (i), State agencies
may proactively apply for full reimbursement under this
subparagraph if they clearly demonstrate to the
Secretary and to the public how the activities for
which they request full reimbursement under this
subparagraph meet the criteria and requirements
specified in this subparagraph.
``(v) Nothing in this subparagraph shall be
construed--
``(I) to create any new reporting
requirement, compliance requirement, or other
requirement for any State agency or local
agency that implements that do not wish to
receive funds under this subparagraph and the
heightened reimbursement levels made available
under this subparagraph; or
``(II) to create a new reporting,
compliance, or other requirement for any
program, project, or service funded through the
program under this subparagraph but not funded
under this paragraph.''; and
(2) in section 16(h)(1) by adding at end the following:
``In addition to funds allocated under the preceding sentence, the
Secretary shall reserve for allocation to State agencies, to remain
available for 24 months, from funds made available for each fiscal year
under section 18(a)(1), $100,000,000 for such fiscal year for
reimbursements required under section 6(d)(4)(K-1), except that at
least $30,000,000 of such funds shall remain available for 60 months to
cover any longer-term outcome-based payments authorized under subitem
(CC) of section 6(d)(4)(K-1)(1)(i)(I)(cc).''.
(b) Reimbursement for Additional Supportive Services Supplementing
Evidence-Based, Evidence-Building or Outcomes-Based Activities.--
Section 16(h)(3) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C.
2025(h)(3)) is amended--
(1) by striking ``to 50 per centum'' and inserting the
following:
``to--
``(A) 50 percent'', and
(2) by striking ``paragraph (1)(F), except'' and inserting
the following:
``paragraph (1)(F); or
``(B) 100 percent of the total amount of payments
made or costs incurred by the State agency in
connection with transportation costs and other expenses
reasonably necessary and directly related to
participation in--
``(i) an employment and training program
described in section 6(d)(4)(K-1); and
``(ii) an employment and training program
described in section (6)(d)(4)(K) if such
program provides the activities described in
subitem (aa), (bb), or (cc) of section
6(d)(4)(K-1);
for the period beginning on the effective date of this
subparagraph and ending on the date the public health
emergency declaration by the Secretary of Health and
Human Services under section 319 of the Public Health
Service Act based on an outbreak of coronavirus disease
2019 (COVID-19) is lifted or 2 years after the
effective date of this subparagraph, whichever is
later.''.
(c) Use of Federal Funding Streams Count as Matching Funds To
Increase Alignment.--Section 16(h)(2) of the Food and Nutrition Act of
2008 (7 U.S.C. 2025(h)(2)) is amended--
(1) by inserting ``(i)'' after ``(2)'', and
(2) by adding at end the following:
``(ii)(I) Effective during the period beginning on the
effective date of this clause and ending on September 30, 2023,
a State agency incurs costs in carrying out such program during
a fiscal year that exceed the amount allocated to the State
agency under paragraph (1) for such fiscal year, then In
carrying out such program such State may contribute additional
funds obtained from other sources, including Federal, State, or
private funds, on the condition that the use of the
contributions is permissible under Federal law.
``(II) The State agency shall submit a report to the
Secretary containing information to identify each source of
Federal funds contributed under subclause (II). such report
shall include details on how the provider will partner with
other local and State entities funded by the Federal program in
question that is being counted toward the match requirement to
do the following--
``(aa) improve measurable outcomes for program
participants;
``(bb) streamline service delivery, co-locate
services, align services across programs, streamline
service delivery for program participants, or make it
easier for program participants eligible for multiple
programs to participate in cost-sharing across those
programs for services in which they are enrolled; and
``(cc) otherwise partner with other entities in the
area to improve program performance management.''.
(d) Full Reimbursement of State-Level Data Costs To Facilitate
Improved Employment and Training Program Enrollment, Interprogram
Alignment, Performance Management, and Other Purposes.--Section
16(h)(4) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2035(h)(4)) is
amended--
(1) by striking ``Funds'' and inserting ``(A) Except as
provided in subparagraph (B), funds'', and
(2) by adding at end the following:
``(B) The Secretary shall also reimburse each State agency in an
amount equal to 100 percent of the total amount of payments made or
costs incurred by the State agency to build, modernize or improve State
and local data systems or data processes related to the supplemental
nutrition assistance program and employment, and to enrollment and
eligibility for training programs carried out under this Act, for any
of the following purposes if the personal identifiable information of
program participants is not compromised or made less secure in the
process and if the security of such systems is in no way compromised
and if such costs are counted toward total allowable indirect maximum
costs related to administering the program that a State may claim under
guidance issued by the Secretary:
``(i) To make it easier to track program and participant
outcomes.
``(ii) To make it easier to increase system
interoperability with other Federal, State, and local data
systems such that program participants can be more easily
matched and served across related workforce and training
programs, for the purposes of better aligning and coordinating
service delivery across programs.
``(iii) To make establishing employment and training
participant eligibility measurably easier, faster, or more
user-friendly for local providers.
``(iv) A combination of any of the purposes described in
clauses (i) through (iii).''.
SEC. 3. REPORT TO THE CONGRESS.
The Secretary of Agriculture shall commission a detailed and
thorough national assessment of the employment and training programs
carried out under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, consulting with
experts, program providers, State and local stakeholders, and
individuals with relevant lived experience across the country to
determine what is working well, what is not working well, and to
develop a strategy for continuous improvement, and shall report to the
Congress on the Secretary's findings not later than September 30, 2022,
with a follow up assessment based on continuous feedback and learning
not later than September 30, 2024. Such report shall include findings
and recommendations on the following topics:
(1) Strategies to more rigorously measure the impact of
such program.
(2) Strategies to improve the measurable impact of such
programs on key outcomes, including employment, earnings and
economic self-sufficiency outcomes for participants, and
reporting measures related to these outcomes that States are
required to track and report annually under regulations issued
by the Secretary under such Act.
(3) Strategies to increase alignment and coordination
between SNAP E&T and other Federal workforce development
programs, including in particular those funded and authorized
under the Workforce Innovation and Training Act (WIOA) of 2014,
the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st
Century Act (Perkins V) of 2018, and other relevant Federal
programs.
(4) An assessment specifically of the amendments made by
this Act, in particular the effect of allowing States and
providers to use other Federal funding to satisfy the matching
requirement applicable to such program (including how
widespread this allowable use of other Federal funds has been
used, whether and how that use has worked to incentivize local
providers to coordinate programming effectively with other
workforce and training providers funded through other Federal
programs and with other providers of relevant supportive
services, and the likely impact over time of extending that
provision of law).
(5) An assessment in particular of other provisions of the
such amendments that will terminate in 2023, and how such other
amendments were implemented by States, local governments, and
providers.
(6) An assessment of how many providers of such programs
are opting into the heightened reimbursement authorized under
other provisions of the such amendments.
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