118 HR 9538 IH: Local Procurement Act U.S. House of Representatives 2024-09-11 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

I118th CONGRESS2d SessionH. R. 9538IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESSeptember 11, 2024Ms. DeLauro introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on AgricultureA BILLTo amend the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to establish certain requirements for meat, poultry, fruit, and vegetable purchases by the Department of Agriculture, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Local Procurement Act.

2.

Requirements for meat, poultry, fruit, and vegetable purchases by Department of Agriculture

(a)

Clerical amendments

(1)

Short title

The Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 is amended, in the undesignated matter preceding subtitle A (7 U.S.C. 1621 et seq.), by striking This title and inserting the following:

200.

Short title

This title

.(2)

Declaration of policy

Section 202 of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1621) is amended by striking the section designation and all that follows through hereby declares in the first sentence and inserting the following:

201.

Declaration of policy

Congress declares

.(b)

Duties of Secretary relating to agricultural products

Section 203 of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1622) is amended by striking the section designation and all that follows through Agriculture is directed in the matter preceding subsection (a) and inserting the following:

202.

Requirements for meat, poultry, fruit, and vegetable purchases by Department of Agriculture

(a)

Meat and poultry

Notwithstanding any other provision of law (including regulations), effective beginning on the date of enactment of the Local Procurement Act, in purchasing any meat or poultry agricultural product pursuant to a purchasing authority of the Department of Agriculture, the Secretary of Agriculture (referred to in this Act as the Secretary) shall, to the maximum extent practicable, purchase such an agricultural product that bears a Product of USA or Made in the USA label, as described in the final rule of the Food Safety and Inspection Service entitled Voluntary Labeling of FSIS-Regulated Products With U.S.-Origin Claims (89 Fed. Reg. 19470 (March 18, 2024)).(b)

Fruits and vegetables

Notwithstanding any other provision of law (including regulations), effective beginning on the date of enactment of the Local Procurement Act, in purchasing any fruit or vegetable agricultural product pursuant to a purchasing authority of the Department of Agriculture, the Secretary shall, to the maximum extent practicable, purchase such an agricultural product that is grown in—(1)the State in which the agricultural product will be delivered; or(2)a State adjacent to the State described in paragraph (1).(c)

Contract awards

(1)

Selection criteria

In entering into contracts for the purchase of any meat, poultry, fruit, or vegetable agricultural product, the Secretary shall establish and utilize selection criteria for consideration of whether a contract proposal offers the Federal Government the overall best value, without limiting evaluation factors to—(A)lowest price; or(B)highest technical rating.(2)

Priority

In entering into contracts for the purchase of any meat, poultry, fruit, or vegetable agricultural product, the Secretary shall give priority to purchasing from vendors that source meat, poultry, fruit, or vegetable agricultural products, as applicable, from small and mid-sized farms.

203.

Duties of Secretary relating to agricultural products

The Secretary is directed

.