[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3605 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3605

  To amend the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004 to provide 
 specialty crop block grants to fund State food banks and food access 
                               networks.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 5, 2020

Mrs. Gillibrand introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
   referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004 to provide 
 specialty crop block grants to fund State food banks and food access 
                               networks.

    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 ``Food Bank Access to Farm Fresh 
Produce Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR STATE FOOD BANKS AND FOOD ACCESS NETWORKS.

    Section 101 of the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004 (7 
U.S.C. 1621 note; Public Law 108-465) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (5) as 
                subparagraphs (A), (B), (C), (D), and (F), 
                respectively, and indenting appropriately;
                    (B) in subparagraph (D) (as so redesignated), by 
                striking ``and'' at the end;
                    (C) by inserting after subparagraph (D) (as so 
                redesignated) the following:
                    ``(E) by assisting State food banks and food access 
                networks in accordance with paragraph (2); and'';
                    (D) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A) (as so 
                redesignated), by striking ``Using the funds'' and 
                inserting the following:
            ``(1) In general.--Using the funds''; and
                    (E) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(2) Grants for food banks and food access networks.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Not later than 30 days after the 
                date of enactment of the Food Bank Access to Farm Fresh 
                Produce Act of 2020, the Secretary shall make grants 
                under paragraph (1) to States in accordance with 
                subparagraph (B) to disburse funds in the form of 
                grants to eligible entities described in subparagraph 
                (C).
                    ``(B) Grants to states.--To carry out subparagraph 
                (A), notwithstanding subsections (d) through (g), the 
                Secretary shall award a grant to the State department 
                of agriculture in each of the 20 States that have 
                produced the highest quantity of specialty crops during 
                the most recent 3-year period.
                    ``(C) Eligible entities described.--The eligible 
                entities referred to in subparagraph (A) are State food 
                banks and food access networks that--
                            ``(i) the applicable State department of 
                        agriculture determines are qualified to receive 
                        a grant under that subparagraph; and
                            ``(ii) purchase specialty crops directly 
                        from farmers in the State and not--
                                    ``(I) through packers, repackers, 
                                shippers, or brokers; or
                                    ``(II) at terminal markets.
                    ``(D) Use of funds.--A grant received by an 
                eligible entity under subparagraph (A) may be used 
                only--
                            ``(i) to procure and distribute specialty 
                        crops;
                            ``(ii) to purchase, lease, or otherwise 
                        acquire vehicles, including refrigerated 
                        vehicles, or other equipment to carry out 
                        activities related to procurement and 
                        distribution of specialty crops;
                            ``(iii) to pay for the cost of additional 
                        personnel;
                            ``(iv) to pay for travel relating to 
                        procurement of specialty crops; and
                            ``(v) to pay for preparation, storage, and 
                        transportation of specialty crops, including 
                        delivery to end-consumers.'';
            (2) in subsection (c)--
                    (A) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) as 
                subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively, and indenting 
                appropriately;
                    (B) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A) (as so 
                redesignated), by striking ``Notwithstanding subsection 
                (b),'' and inserting the following:
            ``(1) In general.--Notwithstanding subsection (b), and 
        except as provided in paragraph (2),''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(2) Grants for food banks and food access networks.--
        Notwithstanding subsection (b), the amount of a grant received 
        by a State under subsection (a)(2) shall be not less than 
        $100,000,000.''; and
            (3) in subsection (l)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), in the matter preceding 
                subparagraph (A), by inserting ``except for grants made 
                under subsection (a)(2),'' before ``using--''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) Emergency funding for grants for food banks and food 
        access networks.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Out of amounts in the Treasury 
                not otherwise appropriated, the Secretary of the 
                Treasury shall transfer to the Secretary $8,000,000,000 
                to award grants under subsection (a)(2), to remain 
                available until expended.
                    ``(B) Receipt and acceptance.--The Secretary shall 
                be entitled to receive, shall accept, and shall use to 
                award grants under subsection (a)(2) the amount 
                transferred under subparagraph (A), without further 
                appropriation.
                    ``(C) Emergency designation.--
                            ``(i) In general.--The amounts provided by 
                        this paragraph are designated as an emergency 
                        requirement pursuant to section 4(g) of the 
                        Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 (2 U.S.C. 
                        933(g)).
                            ``(ii) Designation in senate.--In the 
                        Senate, this paragraph is designated as an 
                        emergency requirement pursuant to section 
                        4112(a) of H. Con. Res. 71 (115th Congress), 
                        the concurrent resolution on the budget for 
                        fiscal year 2018.''.
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