Rosen Co-Sponsors Bill to Support SNAP, Combat Food Insecurity During COVID-19 Pandemic

Press Release

U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV), a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), announced her co-sponsorship of the Expanding SNAP Options Act of 2020 Act. This bill would work to address the growing problem of food insecurity in the United States by expanding online SNAP purchasing in all states and creating an online portal to increase low-income Americans' access to SNAP.

"Food insecurity is a critical issue in Nevada and across our country that has only been made worse by the coronavirus pandemic," said Senator Rosen. "Before the coronavirus crisis began, nearly 400,000 Nevadans were in need of food assistance, including over 130,000 children. During this pandemic, the number of people struggling to find food has only increased. This legislation will work to address food insecurity in Nevada and across our nation by expanding families' access to online SNAP purchasing, putting healthy foods on Nevadans' tables with the click of a button, regardless of financial barriers. I will continue working in Congress to find common-sense solutions that protect the health and well-being of Nevadans."

BACKGROUND: The Expanding SNAP Options Act of 2020 (S. 4202), legislation introduced by Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), would:

Require the Secretary of Agriculture to implement online SNAP purchasing in all states,
Provide $25 million to develop and maintain a secure, easy-to-use online and app-based portal for EBT redemption to support smaller retailers in offering products for online SNAP purchasing,
And provide $75 million for the creation of a USDA Technical Assistance Center to facilitate online purchasing and use of the portal for smaller retailers, direct-to-consumer farmers, and farmers' markets, and provide public information about which local vendors participate in SNAP online purchasing,

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