“To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to provide employment and training data grants, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section establishes a competitive grant program authorizing the Secretary of Agriculture to award grants to state agencies to create and strengthen longitudinal administrative databases and resources for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) employment and training (E&T) programs (i.e., to improve program quality, reduce burden, advance equity, protect privacy, and enhance transparency). Grants prioritize (1) states without prior awards or with greatest data infrastructure needs, (2) effectiveness in fulfilling SNAP E&T statutory purposes, (3) coordination and co-enrollment with programs such as the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, (4) contributions to state linked longitudinal data systems, (5) non-Federal matching funds, (6) research and improvement activities, and (7) other Secretary-determined priorities; grant data must meet specified privacy and security standards and supplement—not supplant—other funds. Of funds available under Food and Nutrition Act section 18, $15 million is authorized annually for FY2026 through FY2030, with up to 20% reserved for technical assistance; the Secretary must report to Congress starting three years after enactment, detailing grants awarded, uses, and impacts on E&T effectiveness.
This section directs the Comptroller General of the United States, not later than one year after funds are made available to carry out section 5(o) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2014(o))—which authorizes Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) employment and training (E&T) programs—to (1) review implementation of such section, including co-enrollment strategies using linked and integrated data, best practices for coordinating and braiding funds to improve E&T programs, and the impact of data exchange agreements on participant and provider outcomes; (2) develop recommendations to the Secretary of Agriculture on changes to improve such data grants; and (3) submit a report on the findings and recommendations to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and the House Committee on Agriculture.