Closing the Meal Gap Act of 2019

This bill revises the requirements for calculating Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program) benefits.

Specifically, the bill

• increases the minimum SNAP benefit and requires that benefits be calculated using a low-cost food plan (i.e., the diet required to feed a family of four);
• directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to determine the requirements for the low-cost food plan;
• requires USDA to 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;
• revises the amounts authorized for nutrition assistance block grants for Puerto Rico and American Samoa and requires that the amounts be modified based on adjustments to the low-cost food plan;
• modifies the requirements for calculating household income to determine SNAP eligibility by authorizing a standard medical expense deduction for households containing an elderly or disabled member and eliminating the cap on the deduction for excess shelter expenses; and
• revises eligibility requirements under SNAP for certain students enrolled in institutions of higher education.