[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2504 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2504

To require the Secretary of Agriculture to streamline applications from 
 farmers to be vendors under certain nutrition programs, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 26, 2023

   Ms. Smith (for herself, Mr. Fetterman, Mr. Booker, Mr. Brown, Mr. 
  Wyden, Mr. Welch, and Ms. Klobuchar) introduced the following bill; 
  which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, 
                        Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the Secretary of Agriculture to streamline applications from 
 farmers to be vendors under certain nutrition programs, 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 ``Enabling Farmers to Benefit from 
Processing Nutrition Programs Act of 2023''.

SEC. 2. STREAMLINING APPLICATIONS FOR FARMERS.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Covered nutrition program.--The term ``covered 
        nutrition program'' means--
                    (A) the supplemental nutrition assistance program 
                established under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 
                U.S.C. 2011 et seq.);
                    (B) the senior farmers' market nutrition program 
                established under section 4402 of the Farm Security and 
                Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 3007);
                    (C) the special supplemental nutrition program for 
                women, infants, and children established by section 17 
                of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786), 
                including the farmers' market nutrition program under 
                that program; and
                    (D) the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program 
                established under section 4405 of the Food, 
                Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 7517), 
                as practicable with respect to the activities carried 
                out by the Secretary under subsections (b) and (c).
            (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Agriculture.
    (b) Streamlined Application Process.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish a 
        streamlined application process--
                    (A) for direct marketing farmers and ranchers to 
                apply to be vendors under each of the covered nutrition 
                programs; and
                    (B) by--
                            (i) developing a single application that a 
                        direct marketing farmer or rancher may use to 
                        apply to each of the covered nutrition 
                        programs; or
                            (ii) developing an information sharing 
                        system that--
                                    (I) shares the information of a 
                                direct marketing farmer or rancher who 
                                is approved as an authorized vendor 
                                under a covered nutrition program with 
                                each of the other covered nutrition 
                                programs; and
                                    (II) deems that direct marketing 
                                farmer or rancher as a prequalified 
                                eligible vendor for those other covered 
                                nutrition programs.
            (2) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the 
        Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate 
        and the Committee on Agriculture of the House of 
        Representatives a report describing progress made in carrying 
        out paragraph (1).
    (c) Streamlined Processing of Benefits.--The Secretary shall 
establish a streamlined process for direct marketing farmers and 
ranchers that are vendors under any of the covered nutrition programs 
to process benefits under those programs through the use of 
standardized technology, such as a single piece of equipment or a 
mobile application.

SEC. 3. SUPPORT FOR WIRELESS AND MOBILE EQUIPMENT FOR CERTAIN ENTITIES.

    Section 7(f)(2) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 
2016(f)(2)) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as subparagraph (D); 
        and
            (2) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the following:
                    ``(C) Requirement.--The Secretary shall ensure that 
                equipment or systems made available to entities 
                described in clauses (i) and (ii) of subparagraph (B) 
                by a State agency or an implementing partner of a State 
                agency is appropriate for the entity, including, with 
                respect to farmers markets and other direct-to-consumer 
                markets, wireless or mobile processing equipment and 
                technology systems.''.
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