,,ii  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #fgg  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the
 ,,united ,,states  ,march #f1 #bjai    
,mr4 ,sanders 7for himself1 ,mr4        
,merkley1 ,mr4 ,blumenthal1 ,mrs4       
,gillibrand1 ,ms4 ,warren1 ,ms4 ,harris1
 ,mr4 ,markey1 ,mr4 ,booker1 ,mr4       
,wyden1 ,mr4 ,menendez1 and ,mr4        
,durbin7 introduced the following bill2 
which was read twice and referred to the
 ,committee on ,agriculture1 ,nutrition1
 and ,forestry  ,a ,,bill  ,to amend the
 ,food and ,nutrition ,act of #bjjh to  
provide for the participation of ,puerto
 ,rico1 ,american ,samoa1 and the       
,commonwealth of the ,northern ,mariana 
,islands in the supplemental nutrition  
assistance program1 and for other       
purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,equitable          
,nutrition ,assistance for the          
,territories ,act of #bjai4  #b4        
,participation of ,puerto ,rico1        
,american ,samoa1 and the ,northern     
,mariana ,islands in supplemental       

nutrition assistance program  7a7 ,in   
general  7#a7 ,definitions ,section #c  
of the ,food and ,nutrition ,act of     
#bjjh 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #bjab7 is amended-- 
7,a7 in subsection 7r71 by inserting the
 ,commonwealth of ,puerto ,rico1        
,american ,samoa1 the ,commonwealth of  
the ,northern ,mariana ,islands1 after  
,guam12 and  7,b7 in subsection 7u77#c71
 by inserting the ,commonwealth of      
,puerto ,rico1 ,american ,samoa1 the    
,commonwealth of the ,northern ,mariana 
,islands1 after ,guam14  7#b7 ,eligible 
households ,section #e of the ,food and 
,nutrition ,act of #bjjh 7#g ,u4,s4,c4  
#bjad7 is amended-- 7,a7 in subsection  
7b71 in the first sentence1 by inserting
 the ,commonwealth of ,puerto ,rico1    
,american ,samoa1 the ,commonwealth of  
the ,northern ,mariana ,islands1 after  
,guam12  7,b7 in subsection 7c77#a71 by 
striking and ,guam1 and inserting ,guam1
 the ,commonwealth of ,puerto ,rico1    
,american ,samoa1 and the ,commonwealth 
of the ,northern ,mariana ,islands12 and

  7,c7 in subsection 7e7--  7i7 in      
paragraph 7#a77;,a71 by inserting the   
,commonwealth of ,puerto ,rico1         
,american ,samoa1 the ,commonwealth of  
the ,northern ,mariana ,islands1 after  
,hawaii1 each place it appears2 and     
7ii7 in paragraph 7#f77;,b71 in the     
matter preceding clause 7i71 by         
inserting the ,commonwealth of ,puerto  
,rico1 ,american ,samoa1 the            
,commonwealth of the ,northern ,mariana 
,islands1 after ,guam14  7#c7 ,effective
 date  7,a7 ,in general ,the amendments 
made by this subsection shall be        
effective with respect to the           
,commonwealth of ,puerto ,rico1         
,american ,samoa1 or the ,commonwealth  
of the ,northern ,mariana ,islands1 as  
applicable1 on the date described in    
subparagraph 7,b7 if the ,secretary of  
,agriculture submits to ,congress a     
certification under subsection 7f77#c7  
of section #ai of the ,food and         
,nutrition ,act of #bjjh 7#g ,u4,s4,c4  
#bjbh7 7as added by subsection 7b774    

7,b7 ,date described ,the date referred 
to in subparagraph 7,a7 is1 with respect
 to the ,commonwealth of ,puerto ,rico1 
,american ,samoa1 or the ,commonwealth  
of the ,northern ,mariana ,islands1 the 
date established by the ,commonwealth of
 ,puerto ,rico1 ,american ,samoa1 or the
 ,commonwealth of the ,northern ,mariana
 ,islands1 respectively1 in the         
applicable plan of operation submitted  
to the ,secretary of ,agriculture under 
subsection 7f77#a77;,a7 of section #ai  
of the ,food and ,nutrition ,act of     
#bjjh 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #bjbh7 7as added by 
subsection 7b774  7b7 ,transition of    
,puerto ,rico1 ,american ,samoa1 and the
 ,northern ,mariana ,islands to         
supplemental nutrition assistance       
program ,section #ai of the ,food and   
,nutrition ,act of #bjjh 7#g ,u4,s4,c4  
#bjbh7 is amended by adding at the end  
the following3  7f7 ,transition of      
,puerto ,rico1 ,american ,samoa1 and the
 ,northern ,mariana ,islands to         
supplemental nutrition assistance       

program  7#a7 ,submission of plan by    
,puerto ,rico1 ,american ,samoa1 and the
 ,northern ,mariana ,islands  7,a7      
,submission and review of plan of       
operation ,if a ,state agency is        
designated by the ,commonwealth of      
,puerto ,rico1 ,american ,samoa1 or the 
,commonwealth of the ,northern ,mariana 
,islands 7referred to in this subsection
 as a governmental entity7 and submits  
to the ,secretary a request to          
participate in the supplemental         
nutrition assistance program and a plan 
of operation under section #aa          
7including a date on which the          
governmental entity will begin to       
participate in the supplemental         
nutrition assistance program71 the      
,secretary shall determine whether that 
governmental entity and ,state agency   
satisfy the requirements that would     
apply under this ,act for approval of   
that plan if the governmental entity    
were one of the several ,states4  7,b7  
,determination by ,secretary  7i7       

,approval ,the ,secretary shall approve 
a plan of operation under subparagraph  
7,a7 if the governmental entity and     
,state agency satisfy the requirements  
described in that subparagraph4  7ii7   
,disapproval ,if the ,secretary does not
 approve a plan of operation under      
subparagraph 7,a71 the ,secretary shall 
provide to the governmental entity a    
statement that describes each           
requirement that is not satisfied by the
 plan4  7#b7 ,approval of retail food   
stores ,if the ,secretary approves a    
plan of operation under paragraph       
7#a77;,b77i71 the ,secretary shall      
accept from retail food stores located  
in the applicable governmental entity   
applications under section #i for       
approval to participate in the          
supplemental nutrition assistance       
program4  7#c7 ,submission of           
certification to ,congress ,the         
,secretary shall submit to ,congress a  
certification that a governmental entity
 qualifies to participate in the        

supplemental nutrition assistance       
program as if the governmental entity   
were a ,state if the ,secretary--  7,a7 
approves the plan of operation under    
paragraph 7#a77;,b77i72 and  7,b7       
approves the applications under         
paragraph 7#b7 of a number of retail    
food stores located in the governmental 
entity requesting to participate in the 
supplemental nutrition assistance       
program that would be sufficient to     
satisfy the requirements of this ,act if
 the governmental entity were one of the
 several ,states4  7#d7 ,cash benefits  
provided in ,puerto ,rico ,as part of a 
plan of operation submitted under       
paragraph 7#a77;,a71 the ,commonwealth  
of ,puerto ,rico may submit to the      
,secretary a request to provide benefits
 under the supplemental nutrition       
assistance program in the form of cash4 
7#e7 ,family ,market ,program in ,puerto
 ,rico ,as part of a plan of operation  
submitted under paragraph 7#a77;,a71    
notwithstanding subsection 7g71 the     

,secretary shall allow the ,commonwealth
 of ,puerto ,rico to continue to carry  
out1 under the supplemental nutrition   
assistance program1 the ,family ,market 
,program established under this section4
  7g7 ,termination of effectiveness     
7#a7 ,in general ,subsections 7a7       
through 7e7 shall cease to be effective 
with respect to the ,commonwealth of    
,puerto ,rico1 ,american ,samoa1 or the 
,commonwealth of the ,northern ,mariana 
,islands1 as applicable1 on the date    
described in paragraph 7#b7 if the      
,secretary submits to ,congress a       
certification under subsection 7f77#c74 
7#b7 ,date described ,the date referred 
to in paragraph 7#a7 is1 with respect to
 the ,commonwealth of ,puerto ,rico1    
,american ,samoa1 or the ,commonwealth  
of the ,northern ,mariana ,islands1 the 
date established by the ,commonwealth of
 ,puerto ,rico1 ,american ,samoa1 or the
 ,commonwealth of the ,northern ,mariana
 ,islands1 respectively1 in the         
applicable plan of operation submitted  

to the ,secretary under subsection      
7f77#a77;,a74  4  7c7 ,authorization of 
appropriations ,there are authorized to 
be appropriated to the ,secretary of    
,agriculture to carry out this section  
and the amendments made by this section 
such sums as are necessary for each     
fiscal year1 to remain available until  
expended4