[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6477 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6477

  To include lead poisoning prevention and mitigation education as a 
  purpose of the education and obesity prevention program carried out 
   under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 23, 2018

  Ms. Moore introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                        Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To include lead poisoning prevention and mitigation education as a 
  purpose of the education and obesity prevention program carried out 
   under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, and for other purposes.

    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 ``SNAP-Ed Fights Lead Act of 2018''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) The nutrition education and obesity prevention program 
        carried out under section 28 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 
        2008 as amended by this Act (in this Act referred to as SNAP-
        Ed) is designed to improve the likelihood that individuals 
        eligible to participate in the supplemental nutrition 
        assistance program (popularly known as SNAP) will make healthy 
        food choices within a limited budget and choose physically 
        active lifestyles while supporting the role of SNAP in 
        addressing food insecurity among low-income Americans.
            (2) Federal SNAP-Ed guidance encourages States to target 
        their SNAP-Ed efforts to women and then children in households 
        that participate in SNAP.
            (3) The Secretary of Agriculture encourages States to 
        develop SNAP-Ed policies and activities that address the 
        highest priority nutrition problems and needs of the target 
        audience.
            (4) Given its target audience, SNAP-Ed can play a role in 
        reaching and mitigating the consequence of elevated blood lead 
        levels in children who remain at the greatest risk for lead 
        poisoning by educating individuals on a healthy diet that can 
        help combat lead exposure.
            (5) According to the Department of Agriculture, foods rich 
        in iron, calcium and vitamin C have been shown to help limit 
        the absorption of lead by the body. Research indicates that the 
        body absorbs lead faster when the stomach is empty.
            (6) As part of its response to the lead crisis in Flint, 
        Michigan, the Department of Agriculture promoted nutrition 
        education messages through Federal nutrition program providers, 
        community-based partner organizations and farmers' markets on 
        important foods to consume to mitigate lead absorption. 
        However, more can be done to use SNAP-Ed to help children and 
        their families who are affected by lead poisoning.
            (7) In 2014 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
        estimated that 535,000 children in the United States had blood 
        lead levels at or above 5 micrograms per deciliter which is the 
        measure used to identify children with blood lead levels that 
        are much higher than most children's levels. Of these, 150,000 
        had levels at or greater than 10 micrograms per deciliter. Low-
        income and minority children make up a disproportionate number 
        of these cases.
            (8) It is critical that the Federal Government continue to 
        promote the use of SNAP-Ed funding for activities that increase 
        education about and access to foods rich in nutrients key to 
        combatting lead exposure.

SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS.

    (a) Purpose.--Section 28(b) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 
(7 U.S.C. 2036a(b)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``The Secretary shall ensure that such program includes messaging and 
education about the foods that can reduce the impact of elevated blood 
lead levels in children, especially in areas where the health risk to 
children is highest.''.
    (b) State Nutrition Education Plan.--Section 28(c)(2) of the Food 
and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2036a(c)(2)) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (B)--
                    (A) by amending clause (i) to read as follows:
                            ``(i) present valid and data-driven needs 
                        assessments of the nutrition, physical 
                        activity, and obesity prevention needs of the 
                        target population;'';
                    (B) in clause (ii) by striking ``and'' at the end;
                    (C) in clause (iii) by striking the period at the 
                end and inserting a semicolon;
                    (D) redesignating clauses (ii) and (iii) as clauses 
                (iii) and (iv), respectively;
                    (E) by inserting after clause (i) the following:
                            ``(ii) identify the use of funding for 
                        evidence-based State or local projects that 
                        meet those needs;'';
                    (F) by adding at the end the following:
                            ``(v) demonstrate and follow evidence-based 
                        strategies for effective nutrition education 
                        and obesity prevention;
                            ``(vi) include a comprehensive statewide 
                        community needs assessment, pursuant to Federal 
                        guidelines that include public comments, to 
                        ensure funded activities have the greatest 
                        impact on the targeted populations; and
                            ``(vii) to the maximum extent practicable, 
                        ensure that funds received under this section 
                        are expended and targeted to provide nutrition 
                        education and obesity prevention services in 
                        areas in the State in proportion to the 
                        population of eligible individuals residing in 
                        such areas.''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(D) Approval of nutrition education state plan.--
                After conducting a thorough review of the State 
                nutrition education plan, the Secretary shall have 
                exclusive authority to approve or disapprove such plan 
                if it satisfies the requirements of this paragraph. The 
                Secretary shall approve such plan only if the Secretary 
                determines that implementation of such plan will--
                            ``(i) advance the Federal purposes of SNAP-
                        Ed to help targeted populations make healthy 
                        food choices, mitigate lead poisoning, and 
                        promote physical activity;
                            ``(ii) a substantial likelihood of 
                        achieving program objectives;
                            ``(iii) require the funded projects to be 
                        age-appropriate, culturally appropriate, and 
                        linguistically appropriate for the target 
                        population;
                            ``(iv) satisfactorily measure, monitor, and 
                        evaluate the effectiveness of authorized 
                        projects;
                            ``(v) use funds received to carry out such 
                        plan (and associated funds) to direct nutrition 
                        education and obesity prevention services to 
                        serve areas in the State that have the highest 
                        concentration of eligible individuals; and
                            ``(vi) effectively provide nutrition 
                        education and obesity prevention services 
                        through projects identified based on a thorough 
                        statewide community needs assessment that 
                        involves public and stakeholder feedback and 
                        that identifies areas and populations in the 
                        State with the greatest need for interventions.
                    ``(E) Transparency.--Not later than 15 days after 
                the Secretary approves a nutrition education State plan 
                (or a modification of such plan), the Secretary shall 
                publish the approved plan (or the approved modification 
                of the approved plan), including the date of approval, 
                on the website of the Department of Agriculture.''.
    (c) Use of Funds.--Section 28(c) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 
2008 (7 U.S.C. 2036a(c)) is amended--
            (1) in the heading by inserting ``, Lead Mitigation,'' and 
        after ``Services''; and
            (2) in paragraph (3)(A)(iii) by inserting ``including to 
        address elevated blood lead levels in children'' before the 
        period at the end.

SEC. 4. REPORT BY COMPTROLLER GENERAL.

    Not later than 90 days after the effective date of this section, 
the Comptroller General shall begin to conduct an assessment of how 
each of the States allocates funds received for projects under section 
28 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2036a) and the 
extent to which such funds are currently used for lead mitigation 
activities. Such assessment shall include an evaluation of--
            (1) whether the State allocation of such funds to local 
        projects aligns with geographic areas with the highest 
        populations of low-income individuals and households that 
        participate in SNAP;
            (2) whether there is a substantial likelihood that the 
        SNAP-Ed objectives of the State SNAP-Ed plan will be achieved 
        with funds received for SNAP-Ed;
            (3) whether there is effective Federal oversight of 
        implementation of such plan to ensure that Federal funds are 
        being used to achieve such objectives;
            (4) the extent to which such funds will be used under such 
        plan to carry out lead poisoning mitigation and education 
        projects and the extent to which SNAP-Ed benefits will be 
        targeted to those at high risk for lead poisoning;
            (5) the extent to which funds are currently being used 
        under section 28 of such Act to carry out lead poisoning 
        mitigation and education projects and the extent to which 
        program benefits are targeted to those at high risk for lead 
        poisoning; and
            (6) the effectiveness of the process used by States to 
        solicit public and stakeholder input into the development of 
        the State agency plan, including how that input is used to 
        ensure the plan addresses the most pressing nutrition education 
        needs in the State.

SEC. 5. EFFECTIVE DATES.

    (a) General Effective Date.--Except as provided in subsection (b), 
this Act shall take effect 180 days after the date of the enactment of 
this Act.
    (b) Effective Date of Amendments.--Section 3 shall take effect on 
October 1, 2020.
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