119th Congress Agriculture and Food
S. 3842: 21st Century WIC Act of 2026
Introduced
- Introduced (completed)
- Passed Senate (not reached)
- Passed House (not reached)
- To the President (not reached)
- Became law (not reached)
Summary
This bill permanently allows individuals to remotely certify their eligibility for, and receive benefits through, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
Specifically, the bill requires that a state agency allow an individual seeking a WIC certification, recertification, or a nutritional risk evaluation to do so by phone or through video teleconference, in addition to the in-person option.
A state agency has 90 days to collect data for a nutritional risk evaluation for a remotely certified individual. Further, a state agency may consider an applicant who meets the income eligibility standards to be temporarily eligible on an interim basis to participate in the program and may certify the individual for immediate participation without waiting for a nutritional risk evaluation.
Read the full summary
The bill also allows states to provide benefits on WIC electronic benefit transfer cards through mail or remote issuance instead of requiring participants to pick up or reload benefits in person at a WIC office.
Further, the Department of Agriculture must report to Congress about the use of remote technologies and other digital tools in the WIC program.
Currently, individuals are generally required to be physically present to certify their WIC eligibility and receive benefits, with exceptions. The Food and Nutrition Service has temporarily waived these requirements and allowed remote certification and benefits using authorities that were originally provided by laws that were enacted to address COVID-19.
Written by the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.
Roll calls
No roll call votes have been held on this bill.
Amendments
No amendments were offered to this bill.
Cosponsors
- Kirsten Gillibrand D-NYOriginal
Who scored on this bill
- 1Roger Marshall SponsorDrew cross-party cosponsors, introduced2 events+6
See all scorers and every scoring event
Introductions and cosponsorships count toward weekly caps and show no points.
Other bills by Roger Marshall
- S. 2403: Retire through Ownership Act
- S. 2355: Patients Deserve Price Tags Act
- S. 3799: Healthy Start Reauthorization Act of 2026
- S. 222: Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025
- S.J.Res. 42: Disapproval of Food and Nutrition Service rule: Application of Bostock v. Clayton County to Program Discrimination Complaint Processing-Policy Update
- S.J.Res. 9: Disapproval of United States Fish and Wildlife Service rule: Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Lesser Prairie-Chicken; Threatened Status with Section 4(d) Rule for the Northern Distinct Population Segment and Endangered Status for the Southern Distinct Population Segment
History
- Introduced in the Senate by Roger Marshall.
Show the full action history (2 actions)
- Introduced in Senate
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.