H.R. 7522: Improving Access to Nutrition Act of 2026

Under current law, many adults on SNAP get three months of benefits in any 36-month period. To keep them longer, you have to work, volunteer, or be in a training program for at least 80 hours a month, and prove it.

H.R. 7522 deletes that rule, so SNAP eligibility for these adults would no longer depend on a monthly hours count. Income limits, asset tests, and SNAP's general work registration rules stay in place.

The gap between passing and failing can be small. Work 19 hours a week for four weeks and you log 76 hours, four short of the line. For someone on unpredictable shifts, one slow month can start the countdown.

The bill's findings argue the rule does not reduce poverty, that health problems are a leading reason people fall short, and that the reporting burden drives eligible people off the program. Supporters of work requirements counter that the rule keeps SNAP tied to employment and holds down costs.

The bill also tidies up laws built around the time limit. A special pot of training money for states that guarantee work slots to these adults goes away, and references in the Work Opportunity Tax Credit and federal workforce law are removed.

Nothing changes overnight. Most provisions take effect 180 days after enactment, and benefits issued before then stay under the old rules.