RESTORE Act of 2025
The RESTORE Act of 2025 would change how the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) treats people with drug offenses. It amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) to align SNAP eligibility with eligibility for State programs funded under TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), rather than relying on a separate SNAP-specific qualification. It also prohibits states from imposing SNAP eligibility restrictions based on a conviction for a controlled-substance offense and expands the SNAP household rule to include incarcerated individuals scheduled for release within 30 days. In short, the bill aims to remove barriers tied to drug offenses that currently limit SNAP access and to facilitate reentry by counting certain soon-to-be-released individuals as household members.
Key Points
- 1Changes SNAP eligibility to be tied to a State TANF program (part A of title IV of the Social Security Act), rather than to a separate or more restrictive SNAP framework.
- 2Replaces existing SNAP-related provisions that may penalize individuals with drug offenses, by striking and rewriting specified subsections to focus on TANF-based assistance.
- 3Prohibits any State law or policy that conditions SNAP eligibility on a conviction for a controlled-substance offense from having force or effect.
- 4Expands the definition of “household” under SNAP to include incarcerated individuals who are scheduled to be released within 30 days, potentially allowing them to receive SNAP benefits or be counted in household eligibility as they approach release.
- 5The act uses the short title “Re-Entry Support Through Opportunities for Resources and Essentials Act of 2025” (RESTORE Act) and frames these changes as support for re-entry and essential resources.