NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF STATE LEGISLATURES
NCSL Capitol to Capitol
State-federal legislation news and updates from NCSL.
Aug. 11, 2026
This week: The farm bill stalls over concerns about proposed SNAP cost-shift delays and the period for states to comply with the food program’s error rate requirements. A Senate committee advances the Kids Online Safety Bill without provisions that would preempt state authority.
WASHINGTON WATCH: WHAT STATES NEED TO KNOW
Farm Bill Stalls as States Continue Push for SNAP Cost-Shift Delay
The Senate Agriculture Committee failed to advance the 2026 Farm Bill last week on an 11-10 party-line vote, largely due to disagreements over SNAP cost-sharing provisions, which shift a portion of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program financing from the federal government to individual states. The committee is expected to revisit the bill after Congress returns from its August recess. Because the vote was exceptionally close and two Republican committee members were absent, the outcome could change when the committee reconvenes.
Following enactment last year of the One Big Beautiful Bill, NCSL joined a coalition of national organizations representing elected leaders in urging Congress to delay the SNAP state cost-sharing provisions by two years. The request sought to provide all states the same amount of time to improve payment error rates before the new requirements take effect, addressing concerns that states with the highest error rates received additional implementation time under the new law.
One potential vehicle for providing that relief was this year’s farm bill (HR 7567). While the House-passed bill did not include a delay to either the SNAP administrative or benefit cost-sharing provisions, Senate Agriculture Committee leaders proposed postponing the benefit cost shift by one year, leaving the administrative cost shift unchanged and modifying the criteria governing which states qualify for a longer implementation period. Congress could also consider a SNAP delay through other legislative vehicles later this year.
►HR 1 - An act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of H. Con. Res. 14. (CRS)
►Farm Bill 2.0 (U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee)
►HR 7567 (Congress)
STATE-FED AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
State Authority Preserved in Latest Kids Safety Legislation | The bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act advanced unanimously out of committee and now heads to the full Senate for consideration. Both proposals establish a federal floor rather than a ceiling for online child safety protections. The absence of sweeping preemptions preserves the ability of states to continue serving as laboratories of democracy and to enact stronger protections when warranted by local needs and emerging technologies.
While the bills are similar, they take different approaches.The Senate version retains the central “duty of care” provision, which would require covered platforms to take steps to prevent and mitigate a range of harms to minors, including risks associated with addictive platform design and harmful content. By contrast, the House version replaced the duty of care standard with a requirement that platforms maintain “reasonable policies, practices and procedures” to address certain harms.
► Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) (CRS)
► Kids Internet and Digital Safety (KIDS) Act (CRS)
► NCSL Expresses Concern with Children's Online Safety and Privacy Package (NCSL)
NCSL’s State-Federal Summit Session Resources
► Supreme Court of Nearly One Mind in Recent First Amendment Rulings
► Prediction Markets Raise New Questions for States and Tribes
► It’s Give and Take in Effort to Balance State and Federal Authority
► The Godfather of AI Warns About Its Perils, Praises Its Promise
► BEAD Aims to Bring High-Speed Internet to All Americans by 2030
Other News
► Prediction Markets Put State Gambling Laws to the Test (NCSL video)
► 3 Trends in State Regulation of Data Center Water Use (NCSL)
📅 Upcoming NCSL Events
Virtual Events
Aug. 12 | Do Data Centers Deliver? Lessons Learned from Seasoned Tax Incentive Evaluators
Aug. 25 | When Models Meet Reality: The Limits of Economic Modeling Tools
About Capitol to Capitol
Capitol to Capitol was established in 1994 to provide up-to-date information on important federal legislation. NCSL is committed to enhancing the role of states and state legislatures in the federal system.
