[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3072 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3072

To provide for the establishment of the Local Food for Healthy Families 
                                Program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 9, 2013

  Mr. Kildee introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and 
 Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
   each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the 
                jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide for the establishment of the Local Food for Healthy Families 
                                Program.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Local Food for Healthy Families Act 
of 2013''.

SEC. 2. LOCAL FOOD FOR HEALTHY FAMILIES PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment of Program.--The Secretary of Agriculture 
(hereinafter in this Act referred to as the Secretary unless the 
context specifies otherwise) shall establish the Local Food for Healthy 
Families Program for the purpose of making grants to certain entities 
to carry out projects to provide incentives to low-income families 
receiving supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits to 
purchase fruits and vegetables.
    (b) Administrative Costs.--Not more than 10 percent of the funds 
made available to carry out this Act for a fiscal year may be used by 
the Secretary to administer, evaluate, and monitor this Act for such 
fiscal year.
    (c) Advisory Committee.--The Secretary shall convene an advisory 
committee composed of representatives of organizations that have prior 
experience implementing local fruit and vegetable incentive programs to 
advise him on the design of the Local Food for Healthy Families 
Program.

SEC. 3. ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.

    (a) Applications.--Subject to subsection (b), to be eligible to 
receive a grant to carry out a project under this Act, the following 
entities may submit to the Secretary an application that contains such 
information and assurances, at such time and in such form, as the 
Secretary may require by rule:
            (1) Private nonprofit entities.
            (2) Agricultural cooperatives.
            (3) Producer networks or associations.
            (4) Community health organizations.
            (5) Public benefit corporations.
            (6) Economic development cooperatives.
            (7) Farmers' markets.
            (8) Community supported agriculture programs.
            (9) Buying clubs.
            (10) Retail food stores that participate in the 
        supplemental nutrition assistance program.
            (11) State, local, or tribal agencies.
    (b) Required Assurance.--An application submitted under subsection 
(a) shall include an assurance that the applicant will impose on 
recipients of incentives under this Act the same terms and conditions 
that apply to purchases made by individuals using supplemental 
nutrition assistance program benefits.

SEC. 4. PRIORITY.

    In making grants under section 2, the Secretary shall give priority 
to eligible entities that--
            (1) are located in underserved communities,
            (2) provide locally produced fruits and vegetables,
            (3) maximize the share of funds used for direct incentives 
        to participants,
            (4) use direct-to-consumer sales marketing,
            (5) demonstrate a track record of designing and 
        implementing successful nutrition incentive programs that 
        connect low-income consumers and agricultural producers,
            (6) develop innovative linkages between for-profit and 
        nonprofit organizations, and
            (7) address other criteria as established by the Secretary.

SEC. 5. MATCHING FUNDS REQUIREMENT.

    (a) Federal Share of Costs.--Not more than 50 percent of the cost 
of any project for which a grant is made under section 2 may be paid 
with Federal funds.
    (b) Non-Federal Share of Costs.--An eligible entity that applies 
for a grant under section 2 shall agree to provide not less than 50 
percent of the cost of the project for which application is submitted 
from non-Federal sources, except that--
            (1) an eligible entity that is a nonprofit entity may value 
        in cash or in-kind (fairly evaluated) its share of the cost of 
        such project, and
            (2) an eligible entity that is a for-profit entity may 
        value only in cash (and may not include services of an 
        employee, including salaries paid or expenses covered by the 
        employer) its share of the cost of such project.

SEC. 6. INDEPENDENT EVALUATIONS.

    The Secretary shall provide for an independent evaluation of each 
project for which a grant is made under this Act. Such evaluation 
shall--
            (1) measure the impact of such project on--
                    (A) improving the nutrition and health status of 
                families that participate in projects carried out under 
                this Act, and
                    (B) increasing the quantity of fruits and 
                vegetables purchased by such families, and
            (2) use rigorous methodologies capable of producing 
        scientifically valid information regarding the effectiveness of 
        such project.

SEC. 7. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND RELATED INFORMATION.

    (a) Technical Assistance.--In carrying out this Act, the Secretary 
may provide technical assistance regarding the operation of the Local 
Food for Healthy Families Program to entities that request such 
information.
    (b) Sharing Information.--The Secretary may provide for sharing of 
information concerning the operation of the Local Food for Healthy 
Families Program, the operation of projects carried out under such 
program, and the issues arising from such program and such projects, 
with and among--
            (1) governmental, for-profit, and nonprofit groups, and the 
        public through publications, conferences, and other appropriate 
        forums, and
            (2) researchers, practitioners, and other interested 
        persons.

SEC. 8. TREATMENT OF FUNDS.

    (a) In General.--The value of any incentive provided under this Act 
to a participating family shall not be considered income or resources 
for any purpose under any Federal, State, or local law.
    (b) No Limitation on Benefits.--A grant made available under this 
Act shall not be used to carry out any project that limits the use of 
benefits provided under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 
2011 et seq.) or any other Federal nutrition law.
    (c) Household Allotment.--Incentives provided under this Act to 
families that receive supplemental nutrition assistance program 
benefits shall not--
            (1) be considered to be part of such benefits; or
            (2) be used in the collection or disposition of claims 
        under section 13 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 
        U.S.C. 2022).

SEC. 9. APPROPRIATION OF FUNDS.

    Out of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, the 
Secretary of the Treasury shall transfer to the Secretary to carry out 
the Local Food for Healthy Families Program $20,000,000 for each of the 
fiscal years 2014 through 2018.
                                 <all>