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1 distribution (if different from said location) are inspected 2 at least twice a year by appropriate State or subdivision 3 health officials and certified by such officials as complying 4 with the State and/or subdivision health codes applicable to restaurants and similar enterprises at which food is handled. 6 (b) The State agency of each participating State shall

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assume responsibility for the certification of applicant house8 holds and for the distribution of food allotments. There 9 shall be kept such records as may be necessary to ascertain 10 whether the program is being conducted in compliance with the provisions of this Act and the regulations issued pursu

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ant to this Act. Such records shall be available for inspection

and audit at any reasonable time and shall be preserved for 14 such period of time, not in excess of three years, as may be 15 specified in regulations issued by the Secretary.

16 (c) Participating States or participating political sub17 divisions thereof shall not decrease welfare. grants or other 18 similar aid extended to any person or persons as a conse19 quence of such person's or persons' participation in benefits 20 made available under the food distribution program.

21 (d) The State agency of each State shall submit for

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approval a plan of operation specifying the manner in which 23 such State intends to conduct such program. Such plan of

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operation shall provide, among such other provisions as may

by regulation be required, the following: (1) for the use of

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1 the eligibility standards promulgated by the Secretary under 2 section 3 of this Act and the certification procedures speci3 fied in subsection (a) (2) above; (2) safeguards which re4 strict the use of disclosure of information obtained from ap5 plicant households to persons directly connected with the 6 administration or enforcement of the provisions of this Act

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or the regulations issued pursuant to this Act or to State or 8 local prosecuting attorneys; (3) that the State agency shall 9 undertake to inform low-income households concerning the

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availability and benefits of the food distribution program 11 and encourage the participation of all eligible households, 12 with use of bilingual materials and personnel wherever neces

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sary; (4) for the granting of a fair hearing and a prompt 14 determination thereafter to any household aggrieved by the action of a State agency under any provision of its plan of operation as it affects the participation of such household

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in the food distribution program in accordance with the procedures set forth in the regulations issued pursuant to the

Food Stamp Act of 1964, as amended, and (5) for the sub20 mission of such reports and other information as may from

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time to time be required.

(e) After the lapse of ninety days from the approval

of this Act, if a month should occur in the course of the

operation of the food distribution program in any subdivision

in which the number of persons participating in the program

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1 is less than one-half of the number of persons in that pro2 gram subdivision who are from households whose annual 3 income is below the poverty level as determined by the 4 Secretary in consultation with the Secretary of Health, Edu5 cation, and Welfare (which number shall be determined 6 annually on the basis of the most recent available data from 7 the Secretary of Commerce), the Secretary shall directly 8 administer such program in such subdivision or administer 9 such program through any appropriate Federal, State, or 10 county agency or through any public agency or private non11 profit organization approved by the Secretary. When the 12 Secretary administers a food distribution program through 13 a public agency or private nonprofit organization, he shall 14 require the public agency or private nonprofit organization 15 to observe all the appropriate provisions of this Act and 16 regulations issued pursuant thereto.

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COOPERATION WITH DISTRIBUTING AGENCIES

SEC. 8. (a) The Secretary shall pay each distributing 19 agency an amount equal to all of the operating expenses in20 curred by the distributing agency in administering the food 21 distribution program, including, but not limited to, the cost 22 of determining the eligibility of households, of transporting 23 the food to be distributed from the points at which it is 24 received from the Secretary to the locations at which it is 25 distributed to recipient households (including the cost of

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1 delivering such food to the homes of recipient households 2 composed entirely of persons sixty years of age or over 3 and/or persons who are too physically or mentally handi4 capped to travel to the distribution location for the purpose 5 of carrying such food to their homes), of storing such food 6 in warehouses under such conditions as may be necessary 7 to meet the distribution requirements prescribed in section 8 5(b) of this Act, and of taking the action required under 9 the provisions of section 7 (d) (3) of this Act. In no event 10 shall funds be used to pay any portion of such expenses if 11 reimbursement or payment thereof is claimed or made avail12 able from any other Federal source.

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(b) In addition to funds appropriated or otherwise 14 available under any other provision of law, the Secretary 15 is authorized to use for the fiscal year 1973 the sum of 16 $75,000,000 and for each fiscal year thereafter the sum of 17 $100,000,000 in funds from section 32 of the Act of August 18 24, 1935 (7 U.S.C. 612c), to carry out the provisions of 19 subsection (a).

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