HB 2004

                                                PRINTER'S NO.   2554
                THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
                    HOUSE BILL
                    No. 2004
                                          Session of
                                            2025
INTRODUCED BY J. HARRIS, GREEN, GUZMAN, GIRAL, WAXMAN, CURRY,
   CEPHAS, HANBIDGE, PIELLI, KHAN, MARKOSEK, GUENST, ISAACSON,
   HARKINS, SANCHEZ, PROBST, HOHENSTEIN, FRIEL, MULLINS, HILL-
   EVANS, MALAGARI, KOSIEROWSKI, FIEDLER, DOUGHERTY, McNEILL,
   DONAHUE, KENYATTA, SCHLOSSBERG, MADDEN, SCHWEYER, McCLINTON,
   SAPPEY, FREEMAN, NEILSON, SHUSTERMAN, DAWKINS, YOUNG, SMITH-
   WADE-EL, D. WILLIAMS, OTTEN, MERSKI, SCOTT, BOYD, WEBSTER,
   O'MARA, KRUEGER, BRIGGS, FLEMING, STEELE, CEPEDA-FREYTIZ AND
   PASHINSKI, OCTOBER 30, 2025
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, OCTOBER 30, 2025
                               AN ACT
1 Establishing the Emergency SNAP Benefits Restricted Account and
2    providing for a transfer to facilitate payment of SNAP
3    benefits to recipients; and imposing duties on the Department
4    of Human Services, the Secretary of the Budget and the State
5    Treasurer.
6    The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
7 hereby enacts as follows:
8 Section 1.   Short title.
9    This act shall be known and may be cited as the Emergency
10 SNAP Benefits Plan Act.
11 Section 2.   Definitions.
12    The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
13 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
14 context clearly indicates otherwise:
15    "Department."    The Department of Human Services of the
16 Commonwealth.
1    "Secretary."   The Secretary of the Budget of the
2 Commonwealth.
3    "SNAP benefits."      Supplemental nutrition assistance provided
4 to a household for the purchase of eligible food.
5 Section 3.   Transfer.
6    (a)   Department.--The secretary, in consultation with the
7 department, shall weekly certify to the State Treasurer the
8 amount of funds necessary to offset the lack of SNAP benefits
9 money from the Federal Government to facilitate the payment of
10 SNAP benefits to recipients in this Commonwealth.
11    (b)   Emergency SNAP Benefits Restricted Account.--Upon
12 receipt of the certification under subsection (a), the State
13 Treasurer shall transfer from the interest in the Budget
14 Stabilization Fund the amount certified to a restricted account,
15 which is hereby established and shall be known as the Emergency
16 SNAP Benefits Restricted Account, in the State Treasury. The
17 money in the Emergency SNAP Benefits Restricted Account is
18 appropriated on a continuing basis to the department for the
19 purpose of providing funding to facilitate the payment of SNAP
20 benefits to recipients in this Commonwealth.
21    (c)   Transfer.--Upon receipt of any money from the Federal
22 government for the purpose of providing funding to facilitate
23 the payment of SNAP benefits to recipients in this Commonwealth
24 from November 1, 2025, until the Federal Government enacts a
25 budget, the money shall be deposited into the Emergency SNAP
26 Benefits Restricted Account and shall be transferred to the
27 Budget Stabilization Fund within 15 days from deposit.
28 Section 4.   Construction.
29    Nothing in this act shall be construed to be a loan or to be
30 a loan for which interest needs to be repaid to the State
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1 Treasury.
2 Section 5.   Effective date.
3    This act shall take effect immediately.
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