Puerto Rico Nutrition Assistance Fairness Act

Puerto Rico Nutrition Assistance Fairness Act

This bill sets out a process to enable Puerto Rico to participate as a state in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Under current law, a state receives SNAP funding based on the number of participating households in the state whereas Puerto Rico receives a block grant to fund its nutrition assistance program.

The bill requires Puerto Rico to submit to the Department of Agriculture (USDA) a plan of operation to transition away from the consolidated block grant program to SNAP. USDA must provide appropriate training and technical assistance to enable Puerto Rico to formulate such plan.

The Puerto Rico Nutrition Assistance Fairness Act, also known as Bill 118 hr 253, is a piece of legislation introduced in the US Congress. The purpose of this bill is to address disparities in nutrition assistance programs between Puerto Rico and the mainland United States.

Currently, residents of Puerto Rico receive significantly less federal funding for nutrition assistance programs compared to residents of the mainland US. This bill aims to rectify this imbalance by providing additional funding to Puerto Rico for its nutrition assistance programs.

Specifically, the Puerto Rico Nutrition Assistance Fairness Act would increase the amount of funding provided to Puerto Rico under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to ensure that residents of the territory have access to the same level of assistance as those in the mainland US. Supporters of the bill argue that it is necessary to address the high levels of poverty and food insecurity in Puerto Rico, and that providing equal access to nutrition assistance programs is a crucial step in improving the overall well-being of the territory's residents. Opponents of the bill may argue that increasing funding for nutrition assistance programs in Puerto Rico could be costly for the federal government, and that other solutions should be explored to address the issue of food insecurity in the territory. Overall, the Puerto Rico Nutrition Assistance Fairness Act is a bipartisan effort to address disparities in nutrition assistance programs between Puerto Rico and the mainland US, and to ensure that all residents of the US have access to the support they need to lead healthy and secure lives.