Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 97.djvu/1417

 PUBLIC LAW 98-204—DEC. 2, 1983 97 STAT. 1385 Public Law 98-204 98th Congress An Act To suspend the noncash benefit requirement for the Puerto Rico nutrition assistance program, to provide States with greater flexibility in the administration of the food stamp program, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled. That effective for the period beginning January 1, 1984, and ending September 30, 1985, section 19(a)(l)(A) of the Food Stamp Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 2028(a)(l)(A)) is amended by striking out "noncash". SEC. 2. The Secretary of Agriculture shall conduct a study of the food assistance program in Puerto Rico carried out under section 19 of the Food Stamp Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 2028) which shall include (1) an assessment of its impact on the adequacy of the nutritional level of the diets of households receiving food assistance in the form of cash rather than in a noncash form, (2) an assessment of the expenditure levels for food of such households, and (3) any other factors the Secretary considers appropriate. The Secretary shall submit a final report of the findings of the study to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate no later than March 1 1985. SEC. 3.' Section 3(c) of the Food Stamp Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 2012(c)) is amended by— (1) by striking out "the limit of twelve months may be waived by the Secretary to improve the administration of the program" in the second sentence and inserting in lieu thereof "the forego- ing limits on the certification pericNd may, with the approval of the Secretary, be waived by a State ^ency for certain catego- ries of households where such waiver will improve the adminis- tration of the program"; and (2) adding at the end of clause (2) the following new sentence: "The maximum limit of twelve months for such period under the foregoing proviso may be waived by the Secretary where such waiver will improve the administration of the program.". SEC. 4. Section 5(f)(2) of the Food Stamp Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 2014(f)(2)) is amended by redesignating subparagraph (B) as subpara- graph (C), and inserting after subparagraph (A) the following new subparagraph: "(B) Household income for households that (i) are permitted to report household circumstances at specified intervals less frequent than monthly under section 6(c)(l) of this Act, (ii) have no earned income and in which all adult members are elderly or disabled members, or (iii) are any other households, other than a migrant household, not required to report monthly or at less frequent inter- vals under section 6(c)(l) of this Act, may, with the approval of the Secretary, be calculated by a State agency on a prospective basis, as provided in paragraph (3)(A) of this subsection.". SEC. 5. Section 6(c)(l) of the Food Stamp Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 2015(c)(l)) is amended by inserting after the first sentence the Dec. 2, 1983 [H.R. 4252] Puerto Rico, nutrition assistance program. Food stamp program. Study. 7 USC 2028 note. Report to congressional committees. Waiver. Household income. 7 USC 2015.

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