Legal Authority

ATTACHMENT 1- Legal Authority

Section 4032, AGRICULTURE ACT OF 2014 (THE 2014 FARM BILL)

SEC. 4032. ANNUAL STATE REPORT ON VERIFICATION OF SNAP

PARTICIPATION.

(a) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date

specified by the Secretary during the 180-day period beginning

on the date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter,

each State agency that carries out the supplemental nutrition assistance

program established under the Food and Nutrition Act of

2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.) shall submit to the Secretary a report

containing sufficient information for the Secretary to determine

whether the State agency has, for the most recently concluded

fiscal year preceding that annual date, verified that the State

agency in that fiscal year—

(1) did not issue benefits to a deceased individual; and

(2) did not issue benefits to an individual who had been

permanently disqualified from receiving benefits.

(b) PENALTY FOR NONCOMPLIANCE.—For any fiscal year for

which a State agency fails to comply with subsection (a), the Secretary

shall impose a penalty that includes a reduction of up to

50 percent of the amount that would be otherwise payable to

the State agency under section 16(a) of the Food and Nutrition

Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2025(a)) with respect to that fiscal year.

(c) REPORT OF PILOT PROGRAM TO TEST PREVENTION OF DUPLICATE

PARTICIPATION.—Not later than 90 days after the completion

in multiple States of a temporary pilot program to test the detection

and prevention of duplicate participation by beneficiaries of the

supplemental nutrition assistance program established under the

Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.), the Secretary

shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of

Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and

Forestry of the Senate a report assessing the feasibility, effectiveness,

and cost for the expansion of the pilot program nationwide.