NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM IN PUERTO RICO.

SEC. 1762. NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM IN PUERTO RICO. (a) Policy of Congress.— It is the policy of Congress that citizens of the United States who reside in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico should be safeguarded against hunger and treated on an equitable and fair basis with other citizens under Federal nutritional programs. (b) Funding Levels.— Subparagraph (A) of section 19(a)(1) (7 U.S.C. 2028(a)(1)(A)) is amended to read as follows: “(A) From the sums appropriated under this Act, the Secretary shall, subject to the provisions of this section, pay to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico $974,000,000 for fiscal year 1991, $1,013,000,000 for fiscal year 1992, $1,051,000,000 for fiscal year 1993, $1,091,000,000 for fiscal year 1994, and $1,133,000,000 for fiscal year 1995, to finance 100 percent of the expenditures for food assistance104 STAT. 3805 provided to needy persons and 50 percent of the administrative expenses related to the provision of the assistance.”. (c) Study of Nutritional Needs of Puerto Ricans.— The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study of— (1) the nutritional needs of the citizens of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, including— (A) the adequacy of the nutritional level of the diets of members of households receiving assistance under the nutrition assistance program and other households not currently receiving the assistance; (B) the incidence of inadequate nutrition among children and the elderly residing in the Commonwealth; (C) the nutritional impact of restoring the level of nutritional assistance provided to households in the Commonwealth to the level of the assistance provided to other households in the United States; and (D) such other factors as the Comptroller General considers appropriate; and (2) the potential alternative means of providing nutritional assistance in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, including— (A) the impact of restoring the Commonwealth to the food stamp program; (B) increasing the benefits provided under the nutrition assistance program to the aggregate value of food stamp coupons that would be distributed to households in the Commonwealth if the Commonwealth were to participate in the food stamp program; and (C) the usefulness of adjustments to standards of eligibility and other factors appropriate to the circumstances of the Commonwealth comparable to those adjustments made under the Food Stamp Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.) for Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, and the Virgin Islands of the United States. (d) Report of Findings.— Not later than August 1, 1992, the Comptroller General shall submit a final report on the findings of the study required under subsection (c) to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate.