Acceptance of SNAP benefits through online transactions for certain delivery costs

Section 7(k) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2016(k)) is amended— (1) by striking on-line each place it appears and inserting online; (2) in paragraph (1), by striking paragraph (4) and inserting the requirements of this subsection; (3) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the following: (2) Requirements to accept benefits A retail food store seeking to accept benefits from recipients of supplemental nutrition assistance through online transactions shall submit to the Secretary for approval a plan that includes— (A) a method of ensuring that benefits may be used to purchase only eligible items under the supplemental nutrition assistance program; (B) a description of the method of educating participant households about the availability and operation of online purchasing; (C) adequate testing of the online purchasing option prior to implementation; (D) the provision of data, as requested by the Secretary, to analyze the impact of the project on participant access, ease of use, and program integrity; (E) recipient protections regarding privacy, ease of use, access, and support similar to the protections provided for transactions made in retail food stores; (F) except as provided in paragraph (4), a method to ensure benefits are not used to pay delivery, ordering, convenience, or other fees or charges; (G) clear notification to participating households at the time a food order is placed of any delivery, ordering, convenience, or other fee or charge associated with the food purchase; (H) a method to ensure the security of online transactions by using the most effective technology available that the Secretary considers appropriate and cost-effective and that is comparable to the security of transactions at retail food stores; and (I) any other criteria established by the Secretary.; and (4) by striking paragraph (4) and inserting the following: (4) Delivery costs Benefits may be used for the fees and charges described in paragraph (2)(F) in the case of the purchase of foods that must be delivered to, but not within, a rural hub community or outlying village in a noncontiguous State. (5) Stakeholder consultation The Secretary shall establish a formal process for consultation with State agencies, retail food stores authorized under section 9 (including retail food stores serving rural and frontier communities), electronic benefit transfer processors, consumer advocates, and other relevant stakeholders to incorporate lessons learned from online purchasing operations during the period of 2014 through 2025. (6) Report to Congress Not later than 120 days after the effective date of this paragraph, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate and the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives a report describing the consultation process under paragraph (5) and recommendations received. (7) Regulations Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this paragraph, the Secretary shall promulgate such regulations and issue such guidance as are necessary to carry out this subsection, which shall be informed by the consultation conducted under paragraph (5)..