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Nutrition Assistance for Puerto Rico (NAP) (スペイン語:Programa de Asistencia Nutricional) (PAN) commonly known in Puerto Rican Spanish as ''Cupones'' ((英語:''Food Stamps'')) is a federal assistance nutritional program provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) solely to Puerto Rico. It provides over $1.5 billion USD in supplemental economic resources to help just over 1 million impoverished residents cope with their nutritional needs.〔(OMB NAP assessment detail ), Question 1.2〕〔(OMB NAP assessment detail ) Statistics Table Introduction〕 It is based on, though not directly part of, the USDA's national Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.〔(OMB NAP assessment detail ) Questions 1.3, 2.6, and 4.4〕〔''Uncle Sam’s Billions'', Caribbean Business〕 Since its inception in 1982, the program has been providing low-income families living in Puerto Rico with cash benefits used for food purchases.〔 It is a collaborative effort between the USDA and the island's government, where the former provides annual federal appropriations for the Puerto Rican government to distribute individually among eligible participants. Although the methods of providing such benefits have changed over the years, the program's basic objective of helping low-income families meet their nutritional needs has remained constant. It has, however, been controversial throughout its existence. Federal reviews and assessments have revealed deficiencies in its operations and management,〔 requiring the implementation of various changes, including increased scrutiny. It has also attracted both criticism and advocacy from Puerto Rico and the United States over its effectiveness in helping poor families, and its impact on Puerto Rico's social classes and economy.〔 == History == Food stamps have been issued in the United States since World War II, but the program did not include Puerto Rico until the early 1970s, when U.S. Public Laws 91-671 of January 11, 1971 and 93-86 of November 1, 1974 partially extended the Food Stamp Program to U.S. territories. The Food Stamp program was later expanded to provide full coverage and benefits to Puerto Rico and other territories under Section 19 of the Food Stamp Act of 1977.〔(OMB NAP assessment detail ) Section 1, Question 1.1〕 By 1977, the Food Stamp Program in Puerto Rico was larger, in terms of both the percentage of the population participating and expenditures, than any of the programs operating in the 50 U.S. States, with 56% of the Puerto Rican population participating in the program.〔GAO 1978, Report No. CED-78-84〕〔FANRR-19-3, Chapter 11, pg. 286, par. 3〕 In total, it accounted for approximately 8 percent of the national program's beneficiaries, and its operations and benefits awarded accounted for 8 percent of the national program's total federal expenditures.〔 To address these issues, the 1981 Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) eliminated Puerto Rico from the national Food Stamp program and created the Nutrition Assistance Program for Puerto Rico as a block grant to provide more administrative flexibility to the Commonwealth while reducing Federal expenditures.〔FANRR-19-3, Chapter 11, pg. 286, par. 4〕〔(OMB NAP assessment detail ) Section 3, Question 3.1〕〔OMB A-133 Comp. Suppl., pg. 4-10.566-2, par. 5〕 After a year of studies and design, it commenced operations on July 1, 1982 with an annual appropriation of $825 million.〔〔(OMB NAP assessment detail ) Section 2, Question 2.6〕〔(FNS Newsroom: Fact Sheets )〕 The new block grant program differed significantly from the former Food Stamp program in three major ways.〔GAO 1992, Report No. GAO/RCED-92-114〕 First, the new NAP program was designed to distribute the benefits through physical cheques, ensuring that the benefit would be payable only to the beneficiary while at the same time reducing administrative costs,〔 since the former physical vouchers (''cupones'' in Spanish) were subject to storage and accountability problems, theft, counterfeiting and even trafficking.〔FANRR-19-3, Chapter 11, pg. 286, par. 6〕〔(OMB NAP assessment detail ), Section 1, Question 1.4〕 Second, the benefits were no longer restricted to vouchers redeemable only for food, but were provided in cash. The beneficiary could then elect to purchase a product or select services other than food.〔FANRR-19-3, Chapter 11, pg. 286, par. 7〕 Third, the overall assistance provided to Puerto Rico was limited to an annual block appropriation, requiring the Puerto Rican government to adjust its program management to allocate the funds.〔FANRR-19-3, Chapter 11, pg. 286, par. 8〕 Between 1982 and 1986, the U.S. Congress awarded $825 million annually in block grants for NAP program, and since then the appropriations have steadily increased by an estimated 3% to 4% to compensate for inflation.〔 It has surpassed $1 billion annually since the early 1990s, and increased 30% from 1993 to 2002.〔 Since fiscal year 2006, the appropriation has reached over $1.5 billion annually.〔 Over the years there has been a gradual decline in participation in the nutrition assistance program. Participation in the previous Food Stamp program was estimated at 56%, more than 1.5 million island residents, before the creation of the block grant.〔〔(OMB NAP assessment detail ), Question 4.4〕 By 1994, participation in the NAP program had decreased to 1.3 million,〔FANRR-19-3, Chapter 11, pg. 287, par. 1〕 and by 2006 it had decreased to just over 1 million.〔 While the Puerto Rican population has steadily increased throughout those periods, the percentage of the population participating in the nutrition assistance program has significantly declined.〔〔 With Puerto Rico's current population estimated at 3,944,000 residents and a current estimated NAP participation of 1 million beneficiaries,〔 the program's current participation rate is roughly 25.6%, almost half of the participation under the original Food Stamp program in 1981.〔 Since its creation, the program has received much criticism both within and outside Puerto Rico. Critics argue that, since the program provides non-taxable income without any employment requirements, recipients receive free money without incentives for work, which hinders the economic output and development of the island,〔''Trouble on Welfare Island'', The Economist, May 25, 2006〕〔Report No. GAO-06-541, Chapter 3, pg. 70, par. 3〕 especially when Puerto Rico's employment participation and unemployment rates have been consistently inferior to U.S. national levels,〔Report No. GAO-06-541, Chapter 3, pg. 69, Figure 22〕 while the average aid provided in Puerto Rico has exceeded the U.S. national average ($94 versus $74.79, respectively; 2001 estimate).〔 Because of this, Puerto Rico has been called the "welfare island".〔 People from the Dominican Republic do many of the jobs in Puerto Rico that pay too little to attract the locals.〔 However, proponents of the program argue that Puerto Rico's social condition is in far worse shape than any of the 50 U.S. states.〔Report No. GAO-06-541, Chapter 3, pg. 48, par. 1–3〕 Approximately half of the island's population lives below the U.S. Federal poverty guidelines,〔〔2000 U.S. Census〕〔(Welcome to Puerto Rico: Economy )〕 and many have difficulties in meeting their nutritional needs due to increasing inflation and economic stagnation in the island. Furthermore, the relation between the NAP program's benefits and the low employment participation and high unemployment rates has not been studied, and there is no consensus on their actual causes.〔Report No. GAO-06-541, Chapter 3, pg. 70, par. 1〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Nutrition Assistance for Puerto Rico」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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