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H.R. 1276: Closing the Meal Gap Act of 2017

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H.R. 1276: Closing the Meal Gap Act of 2017

115th Congress · introduced 2017-03-01 · Agriculture and Food · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Nutrition.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2017-03-01 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. Adams, Alma S. [D-NC-12] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Nutrition. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Closing the Meal Gap Act of 2017

Plain summary

Closing the Meal Gap Act of 2017 This bill amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to revise the requirements for calculating Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program) benefits. The bill increases the minimum SNAP benefit and requires benefits to be calculated using a low-cost food plan. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) must determine the requirements for the low-cost food plan, which is the diet required to feed a family of four, consisting of: a man and a woman 19-50 years of age, a child 6-8 years of age, and a child 9-11 years of age. USDA must make adjustments to the plan to account for household size, changes in the cost of the diet, and the costs of food in specified areas. The bill revises the amounts authorized for nutrition assistance block grants for Puerto Rico and American Samoa and requires the amounts to be modified based on adjustments to the low-cost food plan. The bill modifies the requirements for calculating household income to determine SNAP eligibility by: (1) authorizing a standard medical expense deduction for households containing an elderly or disabled member, and (2) eliminating the cap on the deduction for excess shelter expenses. The bill exempts from SNAP work requirements able-bodied adults without dependents who are not offered a position in a SNAP Employment and Training Program.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Closing the Meal Gap Act of 2017

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Adams, Alma S. [D-NC-12] · 117 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

James P. McGovern (D-MA), Rosa L. DeLauro (D-CT), Dwight Evans (D-PA), Stacey E. Plaskett (D-VI), Suzan K. DelBene (D-WA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Rick Larsen (D-WA), Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY), Donald Norcross (D-NJ), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Hakeem S. Jeffries (D-NY), Mark Takano (D-CA), Judy Chu (D-CA), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA), André Carson (D-IN), Seth Moulton (D-MA), Katherine M. Clark (D-MA), William R. Keating (D-MA), Adam Smith (D-WA), Salud O. Carbajal (D-CA), John Garamendi (D-CA), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Grace Meng (D-NY), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Julia Brownley (D-CA), Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-GA), Chellie Pingree (D-ME) and 57 more.

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Adams, Alma S. [D-NC-12] reported raising $483,375 (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (2)
Authorization
A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Bill
A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong115-hr1276 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115