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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 5675 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 5675
To require that certain notifications and certifications relating to
WIC be available to members of the Armed Forces undergoing a permanent
change of station, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 30, 2026
Mr. Heinrich (for himself, Mr. Kim, Mr. Kaine, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr.
Blumenthal, Ms. Rosen, Ms. Baldwin, Ms. Duckworth, and Mr.
Hickenlooper) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require that certain notifications and certifications relating to
WIC be available to members of the Armed Forces undergoing a permanent
change of station, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Nutrition Continuity for Military
Families Act of 2026''.
SEC. 2. WIC AVAILABILITY FOR MEMBERS UNDERGOING A PERMANENT CHANGE OF
STATION.
(a) Notification of Potential WIC Eligibility.--
(1) Notification required.--In the case of a covered member
of the Armed Forces, the Secretary of Defense shall notify such
covered member with respect to the potential eligibility of
such covered member to participate in the special supplemental
nutrition program for women, infants, and children established
under section 17 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C.
1786).
(2) Timing of notification.--The Secretary of Defense shall
notify a covered member of the Armed Forces under paragraph
(1)--
(A) to the maximum extent practicable, not later
than 30 days before the applicable mandatory report
date of such covered member; or
(B) as soon as practicable after an applicable
permanent change of station order is issued to such
covered member.
(3) Covered member of the armed forces defined.--In this
subsection, the term ``covered member of the Armed Forces''
means an enlisted member of the Armed Forces who--
(A) is undergoing a permanent change of station;
(B)(i) has 1 or more dependents under the age of 5;
or
(ii) is pregnant or has a spouse that is pregnant;
and
(C)(i) is serving an initial term of enlistment;
(ii) is serving in a pay grade of E-4 or below; or
(iii) has completed less than 10 years of service
as a member of the Armed Forces and is serving in a pay
grade of E-5 or E-6.
(b) State Agency Treatment.--Section 17(d) of the Child Nutrition
Act of 1966 (7 U.S.C. 1786(d)) is amended--
(1) by striking ``(d)(1) Participation'' and inserting the
following:
``(d) Eligible Participants.--
``(1) In general.--Participation''; and
(2) in paragraph (2)--
(A) by striking ``(2)(A) The Secretary'' and
inserting the following:
``(2) Income eligibility standards.--
``(A) In general.--The Secretary'';
(B) in subparagraph (A), by indenting clauses (i)
through (iii), and any subclauses therein,
appropriately;
(C) by indenting subparagraph (B), and any clauses
and subclauses therein, appropriately;
(D) by indenting subparagraph (D) appropriately;
and
(E) by adding at the end the following:
``(E) State agency treatment of active duty
members.--
``(i) Definition of covered member of the
armed forces.--In this subparagraph, the term
`covered member of the armed forces' means a
member of the armed forces (as defined in
section 101(a) of title 10, United States Code)
who--
``(I) is serving an initial term of
enlistment;
``(II) is serving in a pay grade of
E-4 or below; or
``(III) has completed less than 10
years of service as a member of the
armed forces and is serving in a pay
grade of E-5 or E-6.
``(ii) Issuance of verification of
certification card.--A State agency shall issue
a Verification of Certification card to a
covered member of the armed forces at the time
of certification or recertification of the
covered member of the armed forces in the
program under this section.
``(iii) Permanent change of station.--In
the case of a covered member of the armed
forces who is a participant in the program
under this section and undergoing a permanent
change of station, a State agency shall, during
the period beginning on the first day of that
permanent change of station and ending on the
date on which the certification period in which
that first day occurs expires--
``(I) treat that individual and
every participant who is a member of
the family of that individual as
presumptively eligible to participate
in the program; and
``(II) provide to that individual
and each such family member a
Verification of Certification card that
is effective for that period.
``(iv) Transfer of certification
requirements.--The requirements under section
246.7(k) of title 7, Code of Federal
Regulations (or a successor regulation), shall
apply to every participant who is a member of a
family in which there is a covered member of
the armed forces.''.
(c) WIC Offices at Military Installations.--Not later than 180 days
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall
ensure that each military installation is staffed at least 3 days per
week by appropriate military personnel, as determined by the Secretary,
to provide to members of the Armed Forces information relating to the
special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children
established under section 17 of that Act (42 U.S.C. 1786), including
information relating to--
(1) the notification required under subsection (a); and
(2) the mandatory reassessment required under subparagraph
(E) of section 17(d)(2) of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (7
U.S.C. 1786(d)(2)), as added by subsection (b).
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