S.Amdt. 3357

SA 3357. Mr. CARPER 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:
At the end of subtitle A of title IV, add the following:

SEC. 41__. DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM FOR LOW-COST FOOD PLAN.

Section 17 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C.
2026) (as amended by section 4108) is amended by adding at
the end the following:
``(n) Demonstration Program for Low-cost Food Plan.--
``(1) Definition of low-cost food plan.--
``(A) In general.--In this subsection, the term `low-cost
food plan' means the diet required to feed a family of 4
persons, consisting of a man and a woman age 19 through 50
years old, a child age 6 through 8 years old, and a child age
9 through 11 years old, at a cost that is in the second
quartile of food expenditures for those families in the
United States, as determined by the Secretary.
``(B) Adjustments.--In determining the diet under
subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall--
``(i) make household-size adjustments (based on the
unrounded cost of the diet), taking into account economies of
scale;
``(ii) make cost adjustments in the diet for the State of
Hawaii and the urban and rural parts of the State of Alaska
to reflect the cost of food in the State of Hawaii and urban
and rural parts of the State of Alaska;
``(iii) make cost adjustments in the separate low-cost food
plans for Guam and the United States Virgin Islands to
reflect the cost of food in those States, which shall not
exceed the cost of food in the 50 States and the District of
Columbia; and
``(iv) on October 1, 2018, and each October 1 thereafter--

``(I) adjust the cost of the diet to reflect the cost of
the diet in the preceding June; and
``(II) round the cost determined under subclause (I) to the
nearest lower dollar increment.

``(2) Establishment.--
``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall carry out a
demonstration program under which the value of the allotment
issued to eligible households under the supplemental
nutrition assistance program shall be equal to the cost to
those households of the low-cost food plan, reduced by an
amount equal to 30 percent of the income of the household, as
determined in accordance with subsections (d) and (e) of
section 5, rounded to the nearest lower whole dollar.
``(B) Minimum allotment.--In the case of a household of 1
or 2 persons, the minimum allotment shall be 8 percent of the
cost of the low-cost food plan for a household containing 1
member, as determined by the Secretary under section 3,
rounded to the nearest whole dollar increment.
``(3) Selection.--In consultation with State agencies, the
Secretary shall select not fewer than 4 areas to participate
in the demonstration program under this subsection.
``(4) Evaluation.--The Secretary shall conduct an
independent evaluation, using rigorous evaluation standards
(including random assignment and control groups), to evaluate
the impact on health and nutrition of using the low-cost food
plan in lieu of the thrifty food plan.
``(5) Report.--Not later than 3 years after the date of
enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall submit to
Congress a report that describes--
``(A) the results of the demonstration program under this
subsection;
``(B) any additional costs or savings to the supplemental
assistance nutrition program as a result of the demonstration
program under this subsection; and
``(C) any additional costs or savings to State and Federal
health care programs as a result of the demonstration program
under this subsection.''.
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