# 119-s-4836: SNAP Staffing Flexibility Act of 2026

119-s-4836, SNAP Staffing Flexibility Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Ricketts, Pete [R-NE] (R-NE); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-07-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4836
- As of: 2026-07-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-4836
- Congress: 119
- Title: SNAP Staffing Flexibility Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-06-18
- Sponsor: Sen. Ricketts, Pete [R-NE] (R-NE)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Agriculture and Food
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-07-11

## Summary

**Allows state SNAP agencies to hire contractors to clear temporary certification backlogs while protecting program integrity.** This bill would authorize State agencies to use contractors to perform SNAP certification and related State agency functions during temporary staffing shortages, with limits to prevent gaming, delays, or displacement of merit-based State personnel. - Families and applicants may see faster SNAP application processing during emergencies, seasonal surges, or staffing backlogs. - State agencies could use temporary contractor capacity to eliminate backlogs, subject to cost reasonableness reviews and compliance with established contracting rules. - Contractors must be integrated into a blended government workforce and cannot supplant merit-based State employees. - States must notify the Secretary and the public and submit an annual report to Congress describing measures taken, delays, data used, and any recommended changes.

## Provisions PRIA read

- Contractors to speed SNAP decisions: benefit, low. This bill would let a State SNAP agency hire contractors to help certify applicants or perform other SNAP functions when applications surge or the agency cannot process them on time. Covered reasons would include a pandemic or health emergency, seasonal surges, temporary staffing shortages, and wea…

## Related bills

- 119-s-4668: Protect College Sports Act of 2026
- 119-s-2828: Child Care Modernization Act of 2025
- 119-s-4952: Protecting American Taxpayers Act
- 119-s-4378: Protecting American Taxpayers Act
- 119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act
- 119-s-4065: STAND with Taiwan Act of 2026

## Sources
- [119-s-4836 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4836)

## Related
- [119-s-4668: Protect College Sports Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4668)
- [119-s-2828: Child Care Modernization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2828)
- [119-s-4952: Protecting American Taxpayers Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4952)
- [119-s-4378: Protecting American Taxpayers Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4378)
- [119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1748)
- [119-s-4065: STAND with Taiwan Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4065)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4836 (as of 2026-07-11).