7 USC 2027 – Appropriations and allotments
(a) Authorization of allotments; monthly reports of expenditures to Congressional committees; restriction on use of funds; nutrition education improvements
(1) To carry out this chapter, there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2023. Not to exceed one-fourth of 1 per centum of the previous year’s appropriation is authorized in each such fiscal year to carry out the provisions of section 2026 of this title, subject to paragraph (3).
Terms Used In 7 USC 2027
- Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
- Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
- Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
- Food: means (1) any food or food product for home consumption except alcoholic beverages, tobacco, hot foods or hot food products ready for immediate consumption other than those authorized pursuant to clauses (3), (4), (5), (7), (8), and (9) of this subsection, and any deposit fee in excess of the amount of the State fee reimbursement (if any) required to purchase any food or food product contained in a returnable bottle or can, regardless of whether the fee is included in the shelf price posted for the food or food product, (2) seeds and plants for use in gardens to produce food for the personal consumption of the eligible household, (3) in the case of those persons who are sixty years of age or over or who receive supplemental security income benefits or disability or blindness payments under title I, II, X, XIV, or XVI of the Social Security Act [42 U. See 7 USC 2012
- Household: means &mdash. See 7 USC 2012
- individual: shall include every infant member of the species homo sapiens who is born alive at any stage of development. See 1 USC 8
- Secretary: means the Secretary of Agriculture. See 7 USC 2012
- State: means the fifty States, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Virgin Islands of the United States, and the reservations of an Indian tribe whose tribal organization meets the requirements of this chapter for participation as a State agency. See 7 USC 2012
- Supplemental nutrition assistance program: means the program operated pursuant to this chapter. See 7 USC 2012
(2) No funds authorized to be appropriated under this chapter or any other Act of Congress shall be used by any person, firm, corporation, group, or organization at any time, directly or indirectly, to interfere with or impede the implementation of any provision of this chapter or any rule, regulation, or project thereunder, except that this limitation shall not apply to the provision of legal and related assistance in connection with any proceeding or action before any State or Federal agency or court. The President shall ensure that this paragraph is complied with by such order or other means as the President deems appropriate.
(3)(A) Of the amounts made available under the second sentence of paragraph (1), not more than $2,000,000 in any fiscal year may be used by the Secretary to make 2-year competitive grants that will—
(i) enhance interagency cooperation in nutrition education activities; and
(ii) develop cost effective ways to inform people eligible for supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits about nutrition, resource management, and community nutrition education programs, such as the expanded food and nutrition education program.
(B) The Secretary shall make awards under this paragraph to one or more State cooperative extension services (as defined in section 3103 of this title) who shall administer the grants in coordination with other State or local agencies serving low-income people.
(C) Each project shall include an evaluation component and shall develop an implementation plan for replication in other States.
(D) The Secretary shall report to the appropriate committees of Congress on the results of the projects and shall disseminate the results through the cooperative extension service system and to State human services and health department offices, local supplemental nutrition assistance program offices, and other entities serving low-income households.
(b) Limitation of value of allotments; reduction of allotments
In any fiscal year, the Secretary shall limit the value of those allotments issued to an amount not in excess of the appropriation for such fiscal year. Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, if in any fiscal year the Secretary finds that the requirements of participating States will exceed the appropriation, the Secretary shall direct State agencies to reduce the value of such allotments to be issued to households certified as eligible to participate in the supplemental nutrition assistance program to the extent necessary to comply with the provisions of this subsection.
(c) Manner of reducing allotments
In prescribing the manner in which allotments will be reduced under subsection (b) of this section, the Secretary shall ensure that such reductions reflect, to the maximum extent practicable, the ratio of household income, determined under sections 2014(d) and 2014(e) of this title, to the income standards of eligibility, for households of equal size, determined under section 2014(c) of this title. The Secretary may, in prescribing the manner in which allotments will be reduced, establish (1) special provisions applicable to persons sixty years of age or over and persons who are physically or mentally handicapped or otherwise disabled, and (2) minimum allotments after any reductions are otherwise determined under this section.
(d) Requisite action by Secretary to reduce allotments; statement to Congressional committees
Not later than sixty days after the issuance of a report under subsection (a) of this section in which the Secretary expresses the belief that reductions in the value of allotments to be issued to households certified to participate in the supplemental nutrition assistance program will be necessary, the Secretary shall take the requisite action to reduce allotments in accordance with the requirements of this section. Not later than seven days after the Secretary takes any action to reduce allotments under this section, the Secretary shall furnish the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a statement setting forth (1) the basis of the Secretary’s determination, (2) the manner in which the allotments will be reduced, and (3) the action that has been taken by the Secretary to reduce the allotments.
(e) Disposition of funds collected pursuant to claims
Funds collected from claims against households or State agencies, including claims collected pursuant to section 2016(f) 1 of this title, subsections (g) and (h) of section 2020 of this title, subsections (b) and (c) of section 2022 of this title, and section 2025(c)(1) of this title, claims resulting from resolution of audit findings, and claims collected from households receiving overissuances, shall be credited to the supplemental nutrition assistance program appropriation account for the fiscal year in which the collection occurs. Funds provided to State agencies under section 2025(c) of this title shall be paid from the appropriation account for the fiscal year in which the funds are provided.
(f) Transfer of funds
No funds appropriated to carry out this chapter may be transferred to the Office of the Inspector General, or the Office of the General Counsel, of the Department of Agriculture.
(g) Ban on recruitment and promotion activities
(1) In general
Except as provided in paragraph (2), no funds authorized to be appropriated under this chapter shall be used by the Secretary for—
(A) recruitment activities designed to persuade an individual to apply for supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits;
(B) television, radio, or billboard advertisements that are designed to promote supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits and enrollment; or
(C) any agreements with foreign governments designed to promote supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits and enrollment.
(2) Limitation
Paragraph (1)(B) shall not apply to programmatic activities undertaken with respect to benefits made under section 2014(h) of this title.
(h) Ban on recruitment by entities that receive funds
The Secretary shall issue regulations that prohibit entities that receive funds under this chapter to compensate any person for conducting outreach activities relating to participation in, or for recruiting individuals to apply to receive benefits under, the supplemental nutrition assistance program, if the amount of the compensation would be based on the number of individuals who apply to receive the benefits.