Requires the Department of Human Services to operate a pilot program, subject to approval by the United States Department of Agriculture, to prohibit the purchase of foods of minimal nutritional value or foods with a high sodium, sugar or fat content using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.

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83rd OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2025 Regular Session
Senate Bill 1018
Sponsored by Senator HAYDEN
SUMMARY
The following summary is not prepared by the sponsors of the measure and is not a part of the body thereof subject
to consideration by the Legislative Assembly. It is an editor’s brief statement of the essential features of the
measure as introduced. The statement includes a measure digest written in compliance with applicable readability
standards.
Digest: The Act tells DHS to start a pilot program to ban using SNAP benefits to buy unhealthy
foods. (Flesch Readability Score: 71.0).
Requires the Department of Human Services to operate a pilot program, subject to approval by
the United States Department of Agriculture, to prohibit the purchase of foods of minimal nutri-
tional value or foods with a high sodium, sugar or fat content using Supplemental Nutrition Assist-
ance Program benefits.
Declares an emergency, effective on passage.
A BILL FOR AN ACT
Relating to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits; and declaring an emergency.
Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:
SECTION 1.
(1) As used in this section:
(a) “Foods of minimal nutritional value” includes soda water, water ices, chewing gum,
hard candy, jellies and gums, marshmallow candies, fondant, licorice, spun candy and
candy-coated popcorn.
(b) “Jellies and gums” means a mixture of carbohydrates that are combined to form a
stable gelatinous system of jelly-like character and are generally flavored and colored, such
as gum drops, jelly beans and jellied and fruit-flavored slices.
(c) “Spun candy” means a product that is made from sugar that has been boiled at a high
temperature and spun at a high speed in a special machine.
(d) “Water ices” has the meaning given that term in 21 C.F.R. 135.160.
(2) Subject to the approval of the United States Department of Agriculture under 7 U.S.C.
2026 or other appropriate legal authority, the Department of Human Services shall operate
a four-year pilot program in which recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
benefits are prohibited from using the benefits to purchase:
(a) Foods of minimal nutritional value; or
(b) Foods, as determined by the Department of Human Services in collaboration with the
United States Department of Agriculture, for which the per-serving sodium, sugar or fat
content exceeds the nutrition guidelines established by the United States Department of
Agriculture.
SECTION 2.
(1) The Department of Human Services shall submit to the United States
Department of Agriculture a request for approval of the pilot program described in section
1 of this 2025 Act no later than 90 days after the effective date of this 2025 Act.
(2) The Department of Human Services shall report to the Legislative Assembly, during
the 2026 regular legislative session, on the status of the request for approval and, if approval
has been granted, the status of the pilot program.
NOTE:Matter in boldfaced type in an amended section is new; matter [ italic and bracketed] is existing law to be omitted.
New sections are in boldfaced type.
LC 4040
SB 1018
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SECTION 3.
This 2025 Act being necessary for the immediate preservation of the public
peace, health and safety, an emergency is declared to exist, and this 2025 Act takes effect
on its passage.
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