An Act establishing the Emergency SNAP Benefits Restricted Account and providing for a transfer to facilitate payment of SNAP benefits to recipients; and imposing duties on the Department of Human Services, the Secretary of the Budget and the State Treasurer.

PRINTER'S NO. 2554
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. 2004
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY J. HARRIS, GREEN, GUZMAN, GIRAL, WAXMAN, CURRY,
CEPHAS, HANBIDGE, PIELLI, KHAN, MARKOSEK, GUENST, ISAACSON,
HARKINS, SANCHEZ, PROBST, HOHENSTEIN, FRIEL, MULLINS, HILL-
EVANS, MALAGARI, KOSIEROWSKI, FIEDLER, DOUGHERTY, McNEILL,
DONAHUE, KENYATTA, SCHLOSSBERG, MADDEN, SCHWEYER, McCLINTON,
SAPPEY, FREEMAN, NEILSON, SHUSTERMAN, DAWKINS, YOUNG, SMITH-
WADE-EL, D. WILLIAMS, OTTEN, MERSKI, SCOTT, BOYD, WEBSTER,
O'MARA, KRUEGER, BRIGGS, FLEMING, STEELE, CEPEDA-FREYTIZ AND
PASHINSKI, OCTOBER 30, 2025
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, OCTOBER 30, 2025
AN ACT
Establishing the Emergency SNAP Benefits Restricted Account and
providing for a transfer to facilitate payment of SNAP
benefits to recipients; and imposing duties on the Department
of Human Services, the Secretary of the Budget and the State
Treasurer.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Short title.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the Emergency
SNAP Benefits Plan Act.
Section 2. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Department." The Department of Human Services of the
Commonwealth.
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"Secretary." The Secretary of the Budget of the
Commonwealth.
"SNAP benefits." Supplemental nutrition assistance provided
to a household for the purchase of eligible food.
Section 3. Transfer.
(a) Department.--The secretary, in consultation with the
department, shall weekly certify to the State Treasurer the
amount of funds necessary to offset the lack of SNAP benefits
money from the Federal Government to facilitate the payment of
SNAP benefits to recipients in this Commonwealth.
(b) Emergency SNAP Benefits Restricted Account.--Upon
receipt of the certification under subsection (a), the State
Treasurer shall transfer from the interest in the Budget
Stabilization Fund the amount certified to a restricted account,
which is hereby established and shall be known as the Emergency
SNAP Benefits Restricted Account, in the State Treasury. The
money in the Emergency SNAP Benefits Restricted Account is
appropriated on a continuing basis to the department for the
purpose of providing funding to facilitate the payment of SNAP
benefits to recipients in this Commonwealth.
(c) Transfer.--Upon receipt of any money from the Federal
government for the purpose of providing funding to facilitate
the payment of SNAP benefits to recipients in this Commonwealth
from November 1, 2025, until the Federal Government enacts a
budget, the money shall be deposited into the Emergency SNAP
Benefits Restricted Account and shall be transferred to the
Budget Stabilization Fund within 15 days from deposit.
Section 4. Construction.
Nothing in this act shall be construed to be a loan or to be
a loan for which interest needs to be repaid to the State
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Treasury.
Section 5. Effective date.
This act shall take effect immediately.
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