This part rewrites how the food aid plan is priced. It ties the plan to a 2021 report. It sets a share of the four-person amount for each family size. It raises the cost each October 1 with a price index. A fresh look at the plan may not raise its cost.
“The term `thrifty food plan' means the diet required to feed a family of 4 persons consisting of a man and a woman ages 20 through 50, a child ages 6 through 8, and a child ages 9 through 11”
The section strikes subsection (u) of section 3 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2012) and inserts a new one. The new definition ties the thrifty food plan to the items and quantities of food in the Department of Agriculture report entitled Thrifty Food Plan, 2021, and each successor report updated under the subsection, subject to three conditions: the market baskets may only be changed under paragraph (4), the cost is the basis for uniform allotments for all households whatever their actual composition, and the cost may only be adjusted in accordance with the subsection.
What the document actually says
“The term `thrifty food plan' means the diet required to feed a family of 4 persons consisting of a man and a woman ages 20 through 50, a child ages 6 through 8, and a child ages 9 through 11”
That sentence, in plain words
The plan is the food a family of four needs. That family is a man, a woman, and two kids. The kids are ages 6 to 8 and 9 to 11.
What this is about
The law ties the plan to a 2021 report. That report lists the foods and how much of each. The cost sets the aid for every home, whatever the home looks like.
No action is recorded against this proposal. That is not evidence that none has been taken, and nobody has yet read it against the record. See what the tracker does not yet cover.
The document says “shall”Who acts: Secretary of AgricultureHow: statuteSec. 10101 in the PDF
What the document says
“The Secretary shall make household adjustments using the following ratios of household size as a percentage of the maximum 4-person allotment:”
The section fixes the ratios in statute: 30 percent for a one-person household, 55 percent for two, 79 percent for three, 100 percent for four, 119 percent for five, 143 percent for six, 158 percent for seven and 180 percent for eight. A household of nine or more adds 22 percent per person, and that additional percentage may not total more than 200 percent.
What the document actually says
“The Secretary shall make household adjustments using the following ratios of household size as a percentage of the maximum 4-person allotment:”
That sentence, in plain words
The Secretary must set aid by family size. The four-person amount is the base. Each other size gets a share of it.
What this is about
A one-person home gets 30 percent of the base. A five-person home gets 119 percent. Homes of nine or more add 22 percent per person.
No action is recorded against this proposal. That is not evidence that none has been taken, and nobody has yet read it against the record. See what the tracker does not yet cover.
The document says “shall”Who acts: Secretary of AgricultureHow: statuteSec. 10101 in the PDF
What the document says
“on October 1, 2025, and on each October 1 thereafter, adjust the cost of the thrifty food plan to reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers”
The section requires the Secretary to make cost adjustments in the thrifty food plan for Hawaii and for the urban and rural parts of Alaska to reflect the cost of food there, to make cost adjustments in the separate plans for Guam and the Virgin Islands of the United States without exceeding the cost of food in the 50 States and the District of Columbia, and on October 1, 2025 and each October 1 after to adjust the cost by the change in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the most recent 12-month period ending in June.
What the document actually says
“on October 1, 2025, and on each October 1 thereafter, adjust the cost of the thrifty food plan to reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers”
That sentence, in plain words
Each October 1 the cost of the plan is raised. It moves with a price index kept by the labor agency.
What this is about
The index tracks what city shoppers pay. The law uses the 12 months that end in June. Hawaii, Alaska, Guam and the Virgin Islands get their own price fix.
No action is recorded against this proposal. That is not evidence that none has been taken, and nobody has yet read it against the record. See what the tracker does not yet cover.
The document says “shall not”Who acts: Secretary of AgricultureHow: statuteSec. 10101 in the PDF
What the document says
“Cost neutrality.--The Secretary shall not increase the cost of the thrifty food plan based on a re-evaluation under this paragraph.”
The section provides that not earlier than October 1, 2027 the Secretary may re-examine the market baskets of the thrifty food plan based on current food prices, food composition data, consumption patterns and dietary guidance, and that the Secretary shall not increase the cost of the plan based on such a re-examination.
What the document actually says
“Cost neutrality.--The Secretary shall not increase the cost of the thrifty food plan based on a re-evaluation under this paragraph.”
That sentence, in plain words
The Secretary may not raise the cost of the plan after a fresh look at it.
What this is about
A fresh look may not start before October 1, 2027. It may weigh food prices and what people eat. It may not lead to a bigger cost.
No action is recorded against this proposal. That is not evidence that none has been taken, and nobody has yet read it against the record. See what the tracker does not yet cover.
Each distinct thing the section does: the new definition of the thrifty food plan, the fixed ratios by household size, the cost adjustments for Hawaii, Alaska, Guam and the Virgin Islands and the yearly price index adjustment, and the limits on re-evaluating the market baskets.
The three conforming amendments in subsection (b), which change cross references from section 3(u)(4) to section 3(u)(3) in three other sections of the same Act, are not recorded as separate proposals.
The section works by amending section 3 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, which is not indexed here, so a reader following that citation will find the older wording until this one is applied.
