Snap Back Inaccurate SNAP Payments Act
Latest action (29 Nov 2023): Introduced
What this bill does
H.R. 6501, the "Snap Back Inaccurate SNAP Payments Act," would amend the quality-control provisions of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, which governs the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The bill eliminates the existing small-dollar tolerance level that currently excludes minor payment errors from a state's official error-rate calculations, setting that threshold to zero starting in fiscal year 2024. It also changes federal oversight of high-error states from discretionary to mandatory ("may" becomes "shall"), raises a related numerical threshold from 10 to 25, and creates a new formula that reduces a state's calculated payment error rate based on the percentage of overpayments the state successfully recoups from recipients. In addition, it adds a new requirement that state agencies administering SNAP must actively seek to recoup benefit overpayments.
The bill primarily affects state agencies that run SNAP, changing how their payment-error rates are calculated and increasing pressure on them to recover overpaid benefits, potentially reducing federal liability payments tied to error rates. It could also indirectly affect SNAP recipients who received overpayments, since states would be required to pursue recoupment.
The bill was introduced on November 29, 2023, by Rep. Randy Feenstra with Rep. Bost as a cosponsor, and referred to the House Committee on Agriculture. It has not received a vote and remains at the introductory stage; further committee action would be needed before it could advance.
Plain-English summary generated by Bill100 AI from the official record. Always verify against the source below.
Official summary
This bill was introduced on November 29, 2023, in a previous session of Congress, but it did not receive a vote.
Common questions
- What does H.R. 6501 do?
- H.R. 6501, the "Snap Back Inaccurate SNAP Payments Act," would amend the quality-control provisions of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, which governs the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The bill eliminates the existing small-dollar tolerance level that currently excludes minor payment errors from a state's official error-rate calculations, setting that threshold to zero starting in fiscal year 2024. It also changes federal oversight of high-error states from discretionary to mandatory ("may" becomes "shall"), raises a related numerical threshold from 10 to 25, and creates a new formula that reduces a state's calculated payment error rate based on the percentage of overpayments the state successfully recoups from recipients. In addition, it adds a new requirement that state agencies administering SNAP must actively seek to recoup benefit overpayments. The bill primarily affects state agencies that run SNAP, changing how their payment-error rates are calculated and increasing pressure on them to recover overpaid benefits, potentially reducing federal liability payments tied to error rates. It could also indirectly affect SNAP recipients who received overpayments, since states would be required to pursue recoupment. The bill was introduced on November 29, 2023, by Rep. Randy Feenstra with Rep. Bost as a cosponsor, and referred to the House Committee on Agriculture. It has not received a vote and remains at the introductory stage; further committee action would be needed before it could advance.
- Has H.R. 6501 become law?
- Not yet. As of 29 Nov 2023, H.R. 6501 is introduced.
- Who sponsored H.R. 6501?
- H.R. 6501 was sponsored by Rep. Randy Feenstra [R-IA4] (Republican-IA), with 0 cosponsors.
- What's the latest action on H.R. 6501?
- Introduced (29 Nov 2023).
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