,i #aagth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #dhg ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,january #be1 #bjba ,ms4 ,spanberger 7for herself and ,mr4 ,upton7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,agriculture ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,food and ,nutrition ,act of #bjjh to expand the operation of the ,state employment and training programs under such ,act1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,revitalize and ,expand ,,snap ,education and ,training for ,america's ,future ,act or the ,,reset for ,america's ,future ,act4 #b4 ,amendments 7a7 ,streamlined employment and training program ,the ,food and ,nutrition ,act of #bjjh 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #bjaa et seq47 is amended-- 7#a7 in section #f7;d77#d7 by inserting after subparagraph 7,k7 the following3 7,k-#a7 7i7 ,not later than #ij days after the effective date of this subparagraph1 the ,secretary shall issue the following streamlined guidelines for the implementation of an employment and training program under this subparagraph3 7,i7 ,guidelines that permit the ,state agency to submit for full and expedited ,federal reimbursement of any costs incurred under such program1 with no match requirement1 that meets #a or more of the following3 7aa7 ,activities that include an evaluation to measure employment and earnings outcomes for participants in such program1 with a methodology that could1 in the event that the evaluation finds positive program impacts1 subsequently classify the program as having a high or moderate causal evidence rating that shows a demonstrated capacity to improve employment and earnings outcomes for program participants1 as defined by the ,secretary of ,labor under section #cjbf of ,public ,law #aae-ab4 7bb7 ,activities under such program that have already been evaluated1 and found to positively affect employment and earnings outcomes for program participants1 with a methodology that has a high or moderate causal evidence rating1 as defined by the ,secretary of ,labor under section #cbjf of ,public ,law #aae-abc4 7cc7 ,activities under such program that use at least #bj percent of the funding allocated through such program through a performance or outcomes contract to pay for measurable improvements in outcomes related to improved employment earnings1 credential attainment1 or measurable attainment of new vocational skills for eligible participants served1 including any reporting measures related to these outcomes which ,state agencies must track and report annually under regulations issued by the ,secretary under this ,act1 or any benchmarks clearly shown by credible research to be highly correlated with these key outcomes if these outcomes are measured using administrative data validated by a third-party evaluator if-- 7,,aa7 any participants eligible to participate in the supplemental nutrition assistance program are eligible for such program2 7,,bb7 the ,state agency demonstrates that the population served by the program under this subparagraph is similar to the population that participates in the supplemental nutrition assistance program in the local area served with respect to both demographics and barriers to employment2 and 7,,cc7 funds provided under this subparagraph and designed for the purposes of making outcome-based payments may be held by the ,state agency or local agency for the purpose of making payments required under such contract based on a measurable outcome1 for a period not to exceed #e years notwithstanding any other provision of the law4 7dd7 ,activities under such programs that use an additional amount1 not to exceed #bj percent of the total amount1 covered by activities under such program that meet #a of the #c criteria specified in items 7aa7 through 7cc7 for purposes that may be necessary to administer or evaluate projects or programs permitted under any of such criteria1 or to pay for technical assistance to better administer or evaluate such projects or programs1 except that the maximum allowable percentage permitted in this item may be increased from #bj to #cj percent for providers that coordinate and cost-share with other programs funded under the ,workforce ,innovation and ,opportunity ,act of #bjad4 7ii7 ,program participants who are eligible for any services1 or who enroll in any program or project under this paragraph1 shall remain eligible1 notwithstanding any other provision in this ,act1 for not less than #f months4 7iii7 ,any ,state agency that receives funds under this subparagraph shall-- 7,i7 as part of its current reporting requirements1 include in its report to the ,secretary details on how such funds were allocated under this subparagraph1 and make these findings available to the public not later than #a year after receiving funds under this subparagraph2 7,,ii7 release1 as part of its reporting requirements to the ,secretary1 a final publicly available report to the ,secretary with-- 7aa7 detailed findings on programs funded under this subparagraph not later than #a year of the end of such programs2 and 7bb7 any associated evaluations funded under this paragraph 7including measurable employment1 wage1 or other relevant outcomes for programs and services funded under this subparagraph2 and 7,,iii7 the findings of any associated evaluations4 7iv7 ,if the ,secretary does not issue guidelines by the deadline specified in clause 7i71 ,state agencies may proactively apply for full reimbursement under this subparagraph if they clearly demonstrate to the ,secretary and to the public how the activities for which they request full reimbursement under this subparagraph meet the criteria and requirements specified in this subparagraph4 7v7 ,nothing in this subparagraph shall be construed-- 7,i7 to create any new reporting requirement1 compliance requirement1 or other requirement for any ,state agency or local agency that implements that do not wish to receive funds under this subparagraph and the heightened reimbursement levels made available under this subparagraph2 or 7,,ii7 to create a new reporting1 compliance1 or other requirement for any program1 project1 or service funded through the program under this subparagraph but not funded under this paragraph4 2 and 7#b7 in section #af7;h77#a7 by adding at end the following3 ,in addition to funds allocated under the preceding sentence1 the ,secretary shall reserve for allocation to ,state agencies1 to remain available for #bd months1 from funds made available for each fiscal year under section #ah7;a77#a71 #ajj1jjj1jjj for such fiscal year for reimbursements required under section #f7;d77#d77,k-#a71 except that at least #cj1jjj1jjj of such funds shall remain available for #fj months to cover any longer-term outcome-based payments authorized under subitem 7,,cc7 of section #f7;d77#d77,k-#a77a77;i77,i77cc74 4 7b7 ,reimbursement for additional supportive services supplementing evidence-,based1 evidence-,building or outcomes-,based activities ,section #af7;h77#c7 of the ,food and ,nutrition ,act of #bjjh 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #bjbe7;h77#c77 is amended-- 7#a7 by striking to #ej per centum and inserting the following3 to-- 7,a7 #ej percent 1 and 7#b7 by striking paragraph 7#a77;,f71 except and inserting the following3 paragraph 7#a77;,f72 or 7,b7 #ajj percent of the total amount of payments made or costs incurred by the ,state agency in connection with transportation costs and other expenses reasonably necessary and directly related to participation in-- 7i7 an employment and training program described in section #f7;d77#d77,k-#a72 and 7ii7 an employment and training program described in section 7#f77;d77#d77,k7 if such program provides the activities described in subitem 7aa71 7bb71 or 7cc7 of section #f7;d77#d77,k-#a72 for the period beginning on the effective date of this subparagraph and ending on the date the public health emergency declaration by the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services under section #cai of the ,public ,health ,service ,act based on an outbreak of coronavirus disease #bjai 7,,covid-#ai7 is lifted or #b years after the effective date of this subparagraph1 whichever is later4 4 7c7 ,use of ,federal funding streams count as matching funds ,to increase alignment ,section #af7;h77#b7 of the ,food and ,nutrition ,act of #bjjh 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #bjbe7;h77#b77 is amended-- 7#a7 by inserting 7i7 after 7#b71 and 7#b7 by adding at end the following3 7ii7 7,i7 ,effective during the period beginning on the effective date of this clause and ending on ,september #cj1 #bjbc1 a ,state agency incurs costs in carrying out such program during a fiscal year that exceed the amount allocated to the ,state agency under paragraph 7#a7 for such fiscal year1 then ,in carrying out such program such ,state may contribute additional funds obtained from other sources1 including ,federal1 ,state1 or private funds1 on the condition that the use of the contributions is permissible under ,federal law4 7,,ii7 ,the ,state agency shall submit a report to the ,secretary containing information to identify each source of ,federal funds contributed under subclause 7,,ii74 such report shall include details on how the provider will partner with other local and ,state entities funded by the ,federal program in question that is being counted toward the match requirement to do the following-- 7aa7 improve measurable outcomes for program participants2 7bb7 streamline service delivery1 co-locate services1 align services across programs1 streamline service delivery for program participants1 or make it easier for program participants eligible for multiple programs to participate in cost-sharing across those programs for services in which they are enrolled2 and 7cc7 otherwise partner with other entities in the area to improve program performance management4 4 7d7 ,full reimbursement of ,state-,level data costs ,to facilitate improved employment and training program enrollment1 interprogram alignment1 performance management1 and other purposes ,section #af7;h77#d7 of the ,food and ,nutrition ,act of #bjjh 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #bjce7;h77#d77 is amended-- 7#a7 by striking ,funds and inserting 7,a7 ,except as provided in subparagraph 7,b71 funds1 and 7#b7 by adding at end the following3 7,b7 ,the ,secretary shall also reimburse each ,state agency in an amount equal to #ajj percent of the total amount of payments made or costs incurred by the ,state agency to build1 modernize or improve ,state and local data systems or data processes related to the supplemental nutrition assistance program and employment1 and to enrollment and eligibility for training programs carried out under this ,act1 for any of the following purposes if the personal identifiable information of program participants is not compromised or made less secure in the process and if the security of such systems is in no way compromised and if such costs are counted toward total allowable indirect maximum costs related to administering the program that a ,state may claim under guidance issued by the ,secretary3 7i7 ,to make it easier to track program and participant outcomes4 7ii7 ,to make it easier to increase system interoperability with other ,federal1 ,state1 and local data systems such that program participants can be more easily matched and served across related workforce and training programs1 for the purposes of better aligning and coordinating service delivery across programs4 7iii7 ,to make establishing employment and training participant eligibility measurably easier1 faster1 or more user-friendly for local providers4 7iv7 ,a combination of any of the purposes described in clauses 7i7 through 7iii74 4 #c4 ,report to the ,congress ,the ,secretary of ,agriculture shall commission a detailed and thorough national assessment of the employment and training programs carried out under the ,food and ,nutrition ,act of #bjjh1 consulting with experts1 program providers1 ,state and local stakeholders1 and individuals with relevant lived experience across the country to determine what is working well1 what is not working well1 and to develop a strategy for continuous improvement1 and shall report to the ,congress on the ,secretary's findings not later than ,september #cj1 #bjbb1 with a follow up assessment based on continuous feedback and learning not later than ,september #cj1 #bjbd4 ,such report shall include findings and recommendations on the following topics3 7#a7 ,strategies to more rigorously measure the impact of such program4 7#b7 ,strategies to improve the measurable impact of such programs on key outcomes1 including employment1 earnings and economic self-sufficiency outcomes for participants1 and reporting measures related to these outcomes that ,states are required to track and report annually under regulations issued by the ,secretary under such ,act4 7#c7 ,strategies to increase alignment and coordination between ,,snap ,e,t and other ,federal workforce development programs1 including in particular those funded and authorized under the ,workforce ,innovation and ,training ,act 7,,wioa7 of #bjad1 the ,strengthening ,career and ,technical ,education for the #bast ,century ,act 7,perkins ,v7 of #bjah1 and other relevant ,federal programs4 7#d7 ,an assessment specifically of the amendments made by this ,act1 in particular the effect of allowing ,states and providers to use other ,federal funding to satisfy the matching requirement applicable to such program 7including how widespread this allowable use of other ,federal funds has been used1 whether and how that use has worked to incentivize local providers to coordinate programming effectively with other workforce and training providers funded through other ,federal programs and with other providers of relevant supportive services1 and the likely impact over time of extending that provision of law74 7#e7 ,an assessment in particular of other provisions of the such amendments that will terminate in #bjbc1 and how such other amendments were implemented by ,states1 local governments1 and providers4 7#f7 ,an assessment of how many providers of such programs are opting into the heightened reimbursement authorized under other provisions of the such amendments4