[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7571 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7571
To amend the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 with respect to
the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program and the sustainability
of such program, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 13, 2026
Mr. Crawford (for himself and Mr. Nunn of Iowa) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 with respect to
the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program and the sustainability
of such program, 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 ``GusNIP Expansion Act of 2026''.
SEC. 2. IMPROVING THE FINANCING OF THE GUS SCHUMACHER NUTRITION
INCENTIVE PROGRAM.
(a) Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive Grants.--Section 4405(b) of
the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 7517(b)) is
amended--
(1) in paragraph (1), by amending subparagraph (C) to read
as follows:
``(C) Federal share.--
``(i) In general.--Except as provided in
clause (ii) and subparagraph (D)(iii), the
Federal share of the cost of carrying out an
activity under this subsection shall not exceed
50 percent of the total cost of the activity.
``(ii) Waiver for persistent poverty
areas.--The Secretary may waive the application
of clause (i) in the case of an activity
carried out--
``(I) in a county that, during the
preceding 30-year period has had a
population of which greater than or
equal to 20 percent of such population
are living in poverty (as measured by
the most recent decennial censuses and
most recent Small Area Income and
Poverty Estimates of the Bureau of the
Census); or
``(II) in a census tract with
poverty rate of at least 20 percent
during the preceding 30-year period as
measured by the most recent 5-year data
series available from The American
Community Survey of the Bureau of the
Census.''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(3) Cooperative agreements to scale statewide incentive
programs.--
``(A) In general.--For the purposes of scaling
existing incentive programs under paragraphs (1) and
(2), the Secretary shall establish cooperative
agreements between--
``(i) eligible entities and Food and
Nutrition Service or the National Institute of
Food and Agriculture (or both); and
``(ii) either--
``(I) a State SNAP agency; or
``(II) a non-profit or local
government in partnership with a State
SNAP agency.
``(B) Criteria.--Each agreement entered into
pursuant to this paragraph--
``(i) shall--
``(I) be for a duration of at least
4 years;
``(II) include a requirement that
any project carried out pursuant to the
agreement be subject to the criteria
and priorities under paragraphs (1) and
(2); and
``(III) require that before the end
of the agreement, at least 90 percent
of the funds received pursuant to the
agreement are spent on redeemed
incentives at the eligible retailer;
and
``(ii) may only be entered in to with an
entity that previously received a grant under
this subsection.
``(C) Priority.--The Secretary shall prioritize
cooperative agreements--
``(i) in the same manner as projects under
paragraph (2); and
``(ii) that work in a variety of retail
settings, including independent retailers and
farmers markets.''.
(b) Produce Prescription Program.--Section 4405(c) of the Food,
Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 7517(c)) is amended--
(1) by amending paragraph (1) to read as follows:
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish--
``(A) a pilot grant program under which the
Secretary shall award grants to eligible entities to
conduct projects that demonstrate and evaluate the
impact of the projects on--
``(i) the improvement of dietary health
through increased consumption of fruits and
vegetables;
``(ii) the reduction of individual and
household food insecurity; and
``(iii) the reduction in healthcare use and
associated costs; and
``(B) a grant program described in subparagraph (A)
that has a demonstrated ability to expand clinical
research on the value of delivering the program through
clinical practice.'';
(2) in paragraph (3), by adding at the end the following:
``(C) Criteria.--
``(i) Seeding infrastructure grants.--The
Secretary shall establish criteria for awarding
grants under paragraph (1)(A) that--
``(I) study previously unknown
facts about the program design;
``(II) establish or validate best
practices; or
``(III) establish infrastructure
that aids community health centers and
independent produce retail outlets.
``(ii) Expansion grants.--The Secretary
shall establish criteria for awarding grants
under paragraph (1)(B) that have--
``(I) a minimum intervention cohort
of 300 patients;
``(II) a matched group or have
demonstrated the ability to scale when
delivered through clinical practice;
and
``(III) an intervention duration of
12 months or longer.''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(6) Range of awards.--The amount of a grant awarded--
``(A) under subsection (c)(1)(A) shall be not less
than $100,000 and not more than $400,000; and
``(B) under subsection (c)(1)(B) shall be not less
than $1,000,000 and not more than $2,500,000.
``(7) Report.--Not later than 3 years after the date of the
enactment of the GusNIP Expansion Act of 2026, the Secretary,
in consultation with the Comptroller General of the United
States, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the
Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services, and any other relevant agency head shall conduct a
study and issue recommendations on how to transition payment
for the produce prescription program to health insurance
programs not later than 10 years after the date of the
enactment of the GusNIP Expansion Act of 2026.
``(8) Review panel.--Not later than 1 year after the date
of enactment of the GusNIP Expansion Act of 2026, the Secretary
shall establish a review panel to review grant applications
under this subsection.''.
(c) Funding.--Section 4405(f) of the Food, Conservation, and Energy
Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 7517(f)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``2023'' and inserting
``2031'';
(2) in paragraph (2)--
(A) in subparagraph (F), by striking ``and'' at the
end;
(B) in subparagraph (G), by striking ``and each
fiscal year thereafter.'' and inserting ``; and''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(H) $57,500,000 for fiscal years 2027 through
2031; and
``(I) $56,000,000 for fiscal year 2032 and each
fiscal year thereafter.''; and
(3) in paragraph (3)--
(A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by
striking ``2023'' and inserting ``2031'';
(B) in subparagraph (A), by striking the semicolon
and inserting: ``--
``(i) 50 percent of such funds shall be
used for pilot grants described in subsection
(c)(1)(A); and
``(ii) 50 percent of such funds shall be
used for grant programs described in subsection
(c)(1)(B);'';
(C) in subparagraph (C)--
(i) in clause (i), by striking ``and'' at
the end;
(ii) in clause (ii), by striking the period
at the end and inserting ``; and''; and
(iii) by adding at the end the following:
``(iii) $12,000,000 for each of the fiscal
years 2027 through 2031; and''; and
(D) by adding at the end the following:
``(D) the Secretary shall use 80 percent of
remaining funds for cooperative agreements under
subsection (b) of this section.''.
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