In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice invites the general public and other public agencies to comment on this proposed information collection. This collection is an extension, with change, of a currently approved collection associated with waiver request and reporting by state agencies to operate a Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to temporarily provide food assistance to households following a disaster.

This collection is for providing SNAP households advance or concurrent notice of state agency action to store unused SNAP benefits offline due to three or more months of account inactivity and for those households to seek reinstatement of benefits prior to permanent expungement. Additionally, this collection is for providing SNAP households advance or concurrent notice prior to the state agency expunging unused SNAP benefits from the household's Electronic Benefit Transfer account due to nine months of account inactivity.

This notice informs the public of the annual adjustments to the levels of monthly benefits in the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children (Summer EBT) Program. These adjustments reflect changes in the Thrifty Food Plan, as required under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act.

This proposed rule would update the method for calculating the Thrifty Food Plan cost adjustment for Hawaii to incorporate food prices from throughout the state of Hawaii rather than from Honolulu alone.

This final rule amends SNAP regulations for calculating standard utility allowances (SUAs) and expands allowable shelter expenses to include basic internet costs. The rule also finalizes updates to the treatment of Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program payments. 

This final rule revises regulations for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), and USDA Foods disaster response regulations. This final rule makes improvements in USDA’s food distribution programs.

FNS recently released a new report on SNAP household characteristics for fiscal year (FY) 2022.

The proposed rule would revise SNAP regulations to standardize the methodology for calculating standard utility allowances. 

This final rule implements Section 4018 of the Agricultural Act of 2014. Section 4018 created new limitations on the use of federal funds authorized in the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, as amended (FNA), for SNAP promotion and outreach activities. 

By Sasha McNair, Governmental Affairs Specialist, Food and Nutrition Service