[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3655 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3655

  To provide funding for targeted purchases of qualified agricultural 
 products from producers that rely on local agricultural food markets 
             affected by COVID-19, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 7, 2020

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To provide funding for targeted purchases of qualified agricultural 
 products from producers that rely on local agricultural food markets 
             affected by COVID-19, 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 ``Farmers-Feeding-Families Coronavirus 
Response Act''.

SEC. 2. TARGETED PURCHASES OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Emergency food assistance program.--The term 
        ``emergency food assistance program'' means the emergency food 
        assistance program established under the Emergency Food 
        Assistance Act of 1983 (7 U.S.C. 7501 et seq.).
            (2) Qualified agricultural product.--The term ``qualified 
        agricultural product'' means a specialty crop, dairy product, 
        meat product, or poultry product--
                    (A) that was packaged, marketed, intended to be 
                harvested, or harvested for sale--
                            (i) to commercial or food service 
                        industries; or
                            (ii) through direct-to-consumer, direct-to-
                        institution, direct-to-retail, direct-to-
                        restaurant, or direct-to-store marketing 
                        channels, including local and regional food 
                        enterprises such as food hubs, agricultural 
                        cooperatives, and producer associations; and
                    (B) for which decreased demand exists due to the 
                Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), as determined by 
                the Secretary.
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Agriculture.
    (b) Targeted Purchases.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall use not less than 
        $300,000,000 of the amounts appropriated under section 32 of 
        the Act of August 24, 1935 (7 U.S.C. 612c), to purchase 
        qualified agricultural products to provide to food assistance 
        programs, including the emergency food assistance program.
            (2) Qualified agricultural products purchased.--In carrying 
        out paragraph (1), the Secretary shall use--
                    (A) not less than $100,000,000 to purchase 
                specialty crops;
                    (B) not less than $100,000,000 to purchase dairy; 
                and
                    (C) not less than $100,000,000 to purchase meat and 
                poultry products, including eggs.
            (3) Direct market products.--In carrying out paragraph (1), 
        the Secretary shall, to the maximum extent practicable, use not 
        less than 10 percent of the amount made available under that 
        paragraph to purchase qualified agricultural products that 
        would otherwise be sold through direct-to-consumer, direct-to-
        institution, direct-to-retail, or direct-to-restaurant 
        marketing channels.
            (4) Consultation.--If applicable, the Administrator of the 
        Agricultural Marketing Service shall consult with the 
        Administrator of the Food and Nutrition Service in determining 
        which qualified agricultural products to purchase pursuant to 
        this subsection.
    (c) State Purchasing Funds.--
            (1) In general.--In addition to the amounts used under 
        subsection (b), the Secretary shall use not less than 
        $200,000,000 of the amounts appropriated under section 32 of 
        the Act of August 24, 1935 (7 U.S.C. 612c), to allocate to 
        States, in accordance with paragraph (2), to use for the 
        procurement of additional food products to support State food 
        assistance programs.
            (2) Allocation of funds.--The Secretary shall allocate 
        amounts to States under paragraph (1) according to the formula 
        described in section 251.3(h) of title 7, Code of Federal 
        Regulations (or successor regulations), as applied for fiscal 
        year 2020.
            (3) State agency fund recipient.--Amounts allocated to a 
        State under this subsection shall be provided to the State 
        agency responsible for distributing commodities pursuant to a 
        State plan under the emergency food assistance program.
            (4) Use of funds.--A State shall use funds allocated under 
        this subsection only--
                    (A) to purchase qualified agricultural products--
                            (i) to donate to food assistance programs 
                        in the State; or
                            (ii) to transfer directly to an eligible 
                        recipient agency (as defined in section 201A of 
                        the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 (7 
                        U.S.C. 7501));
                    (B) to purchase, lease, or otherwise acquire 
                vehicles, including refrigerated vehicles, or other 
                equipment to carry out activities relating to 
                procurement and distribution of qualified agricultural 
                products;
                    (C) to reimburse travel costs relating to 
                procurement of qualified agricultural products at the 
                per mile rate established by the Commissioner of the 
                Internal Revenue Service; and
                    (D) to reimburse costs relating to preparing, 
                storing, and transporting qualified agricultural 
                products, including transportation to or between 
                eligible recipient agencies, as well as delivery to 
                end-consumers.
            (5) Direct market support in-state.--Each State shall, to 
        the maximum extent practicable, use not less than 10 percent of 
        the amount allocated to the State under this subsection to 
        purchase crops and products that would otherwise be sold 
        through direct-to-consumer, direct-to-institution, direct-to-
        retail, or direct-to-restaurant marketing channels.
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