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S 2667 117th Congress Senate Social Welfare Drug trafficking and controlled substances Food assistance and relief Poverty and welfare assistance State and local government operations

Making Essentials Available and Lawful (MEAL) Act of 2021

Introduced: August 5, 2021 Introduced by: Booker, Cory A. Democratic · New Jersey See on congress.gov
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This bill died when the 117th Congress ended
It never became law before the 117th Congress (2021–2022) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Aug 5, 2021
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Aug 5, 2021
Introduced in Senate
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Making Essentials Available and Lawful (MEAL) Act of 2021

This bill repeals a lifetime ban that prohibits individuals convicted of certain offenses related to the possession, use, or distribution of a controlled substance from receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits or assistance under programs funded by Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grants. Any state law that imposes conditions on eligibility for SNAP benefits or TANF assistance based on an individual's conviction of such an offense shall have no force or effect.

In addition, individuals who are incarcerated and scheduled to be released within 30 days shall qualify as individual households for purposes of SNAP eligibility. Under current law, unless specifically excepted, individuals residing in institutions do not constitute a household.

What's happening now August 5, 2021

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

 Related & companion bills 2
  • HR 6492 Related bill Climate Resilience Workforce Act
  • HR 2837 Identical bill Making Essentials Available and Lawful (MEAL) Act of 2021
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
 Cosponsors 8
All 8 Democratic 7 Independent 1
D
Baldwin, Tammy
Wisconsin · Aug 5, 2021
 D
Durbin, Richard J.
Illinois · Aug 5, 2021
 D
Gillibrand, Kirsten E.
New York · Aug 5, 2021
 D
Heinrich, Martin
New Mexico · Aug 5, 2021
 D
Markey, Edward J.
Massachusetts · Aug 5, 2021
 D
Padilla, Alex
California · Aug 5, 2021
 I
Sanders, Bernard
Vermont · Aug 5, 2021
 D
Smith, Tina
Minnesota · Aug 5, 2021
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 2667: Making Essentials Available and Lawful (MEAL) Act of 2021. 117th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/117-S-2667/
MLA
"S. 2667: Making Essentials Available and Lawful (MEAL) Act of 2021." 117th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/117-S-2667/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 2667, 117th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/117-S-2667/.
Markdown link
[S. 2667: Making Essentials Available and Lawful (MEAL) Act of 2021](https://openamerica.io/bill/117-S-2667/)
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