[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4185 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4185

     To amend the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 to provide 
additional agricultural products for distribution by emergency feeding 
                 organizations; and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 15, 2023

   Ms. Schrier (for herself, Ms. Bonamici, Mr. Casten, Mr. Smith of 
 Washington, and Ms. DelBene) introduced the following bill; which was 
                referred to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To amend the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 to provide 
additional agricultural products for distribution by emergency feeding 
                 organizations; 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 ``Expanding Access To Healthy Foods 
from Local Farmers Act'' or the ``EAT Healthy Foods from Local Farmers 
Act''.

SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS.

    (a) Purchase of Priority Agricultural Products.--Section 203D of 
the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 (7 U.S.C. 7507) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a) by inserting ``or that State agencies 
        purchase using funds made available under subsection (d),'' 
        after ``distribution,'',
            (2) in subsection (b) by inserting ``or purchased'' after 
        ``donated'',
            (3) by striking subsection (c),
            (4) in subsection (d)--
                    (A) by striking ``(d)'' and inserting ``(c)'', and
                    (B) in paragraph (2)--
                            (i) in subparagraph (A) by striking 
                        ``subparagraphs (B) and (C)'' and inserting 
                        ``subparagraph (B)'',
                            (ii) by striking subparagraph (B), and
                            (iii) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as 
                        subparagraph (B), and
            (5) by inserting after subsection (c) the following:
    ``(d) Projects for States To Purchase Certain Commodities From 
Eligible Entities.--
            ``(1) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    ``(A) Project.--The term `project' means the 
                purchase of priority agricultural products from 
                eligible entities, and the distribution of those 
                products to needy persons through emergency feeding 
                organizations under subsection (a).
                    ``(B) Priority agricultural product.--The term 
                `priority agricultural product' means a fruit, 
                vegetable, dairy, meat, seafood, grain, poultry, or 
                other commodity food product, available for sale by 
                eligible entities and that States determine to be 
                appropriate for distribution through emergency feeding 
                organizations and culturally or religiously relevant to 
                the local communities that will distribute the 
                products.
                    ``(C) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' 
                means any of the following small businesses that is a 
                grower, packer, processor, distributor, food-hub, or a 
                cooperative, and that--
                            ``(i) is--
                                    ``(I) underserved, including women-
                                owned or veteran-owned; or
                                    ``(II) composed of, or sources 
                                agricultural products from, beginning 
                                farmers, or small or mid-sized farms 
                                that are structured as family farms;
                            ``(ii) can deliver the priority 
                        agricultural products to emergency feeding 
                        organizations selected by the State as being 
                        most in need of the products; and
                            ``(iii) that is committed to serving 
                        communities in need and forging strong 
                        relationships with emergency feeding 
                        organizations, public agencies, and Tribal 
                        governments through a project, as determined by 
                        the State.
            ``(2) Federal funding for projects.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Subject to subparagraph (C) and 
                paragraph (4), using funds made available under 
                paragraph (5), the Secretary may provide funds to 
                States to pay for the costs of carrying out a project.
                    ``(B) Guidance.--Not later than 180 days after the 
                date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
                issue guidance to States--
                            ``(i) to carry out this section;
                            ``(ii) to inform States of their 
                        allocations under paragraph (3);
                            ``(iii) to encourage States to partner with 
                        a wide range of emergency feeding organizations 
                        to reach communities in need, including those 
                        disproportionately impacted by food insecurity; 
                        and
                            ``(iv) to inform States of public reporting 
                        requirements and minimum project performance 
                        standards, as developed by the Secretary.
                    ``(C) Allocation.--
                            ``(i) Eligibility for allocation.--The 
                        Secretary shall allocate funds made available 
                        under paragraph (5) based on the formula in 
                        effect under section 214(a), among States that 
                        submit a State plan of operation for a project 
                        that includes--
                                    ``(I) a list of eligible entities 
                                and emergency feeding organizations in 
                                the State that will operate the project 
                                in partnership with the State agency;
                                    ``(II) at the option of the State, 
                                a list of priority agricultural 
                                products located in the State that are 
                                available for purchase and transport to 
                                emergency feeding organizations to 
                                identify which foods may be included in 
                                the project;
                                    ``(III) a time line of when the 
                                project will begin operating; and
                                    ``(IV) a plan to comply with the 
                                standards set out in subparagraph 
                                (B)(iv).
                            ``(ii) Reallocation.--If the Secretary 
                        determines that a State will not expend all the 
                        funds allocated to the State under clause (i), 
                        the Secretary shall reallocate the unexpended 
                        funds to other eligible States.
                            ``(iii) Report.--Each State that receives 
                        funds allocated under this subparagraph shall 
                        submit to the Secretary financial reports on a 
                        regular basis describing the use of the funds.
            ``(3) Project purposes.--A State may only use Federal funds 
        received under paragraph (2) for a project the purposes of 
        which are--
                    ``(A) to maintain and improve food and agricultural 
                supply chain resiliency;
                    ``(B) to provide food to individuals in need; and
                    ``(C) to build relationships between the State, 
                eligible entities and emergency feeding organizations 
                through the purchase of food.
            ``(4) Cooperative agreements.--
                    ``(A) In general.--A State agency that carries out 
                a project using Federal funds received under this 
                subsection may enter into cooperative agreements with 
                State agencies of other States under section 203B(d) to 
                maximize the use of commodities purchased under the 
                project.
                    ``(B) Submission.--Not later than 15 days after 
                entering into a cooperative agreement under clause (i), 
                a State agency shall submit such agreement to the 
                Secretary.
            ``(5) Funding.--There is authorized to be appropriated to 
        the Secretary to carry out this subsection $50,000,000 for each 
        of fiscal years 2024 through 2028, to remain available until 
        the end of the respective subsequent fiscal year.
            ``(6) Reporting.--Not later than 4 years after the 
        effective date of this subsection, the Secretary shall submit 
        to the Committee of Agriculture of the House of Representatives 
        and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of 
        the Senate a report containing--
                    ``(A) an evaluation of the effectiveness of this 
                subsection in providing nutritious food to individuals 
                in need, improving agricultural supply chain 
                resiliency, and expanding economic opportunity for 
                eligible entities; and
                    ``(B) recommendations for the implementation of 
                this subsection to improve nutrition outcomes.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 202A(b)(5) of the Emergency Food 
Assistance Act of 1983 (7 U.S.C. 7503(b)(5)) is amended by striking 
``donated commodities received under section 203D(d)'' and inserting 
``commodities donated under subsection (c), or purchased under 
subsection (d), of section 203D''.

SEC. 3. INTRADEPARTMENTAL COORDINATION.

    (a) Working Group.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall create a 
cross-agency working group within the office of the Secretary to work 
with relevant agencies and organizations of the Department of 
Agriculture and with stakeholders to review and reconsider how all 
Department procurement of priority agricultural products can be 
directed to support a wider range of agricultural producers and 
agricultural product distributors in a manner that meets the 
Department's overarching goals of nutrition security, greater access to 
culturally or religiously relevant foods for individuals and 
households, resilient local and regional food systems, rural job 
creation, and reversal of the concentration of the ownership of the 
resources for the production and distribution of agricultural products.
    (b) Annual Report.--The working group established under subsection 
(a) shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and 
Forestry of the Senate, an annual report describing the working group's 
accomplishments, suggestions, and recommendations for administrative 
actions and proposed legislation relating to the activities of such 
group under such subsection.
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