[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9581 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 9581
To establish a pilot program in the Department of Agriculture providing
certain households with a monthly payment to purchase produce, to study
the effect of such payments, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 2, 2026
Ms. Jayapal (for herself, Ms. Adams, Ms. Barragan, Mr. Deluzio, Mr.
Figures, Mrs. Hayes, Ms. Norton, Ms. Salinas, Mr. Smith of Washington,
and Mr. Thanedar) introduced the following bill; which was referred to
the Committee on Agriculture
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish a pilot program in the Department of Agriculture providing
certain households with a monthly payment to purchase produce, to study
the effect of such payments, 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 ``Fresh Bucks for Fresh Produce Act''.
SEC. 2. FRESH BUCKS PILOT PROGRAM.
(a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall establish
and implement a program, to be known as the Fresh Bucks Pilot Program,
to award grants to States for the purpose of providing monthly payments
to connect households with produce in their communities.
(b) Applications.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this
section, a State shall submit to the Secretary an application at such
time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary
may require. At minimum, the application shall include a plan by the
State to reach low-access areas and expand retailer participation (such
as through the use of mobile markets, delivery models, and partnerships
with community organizations or clinics).
(c) Selection.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish and make
publicly available a description of the criteria that the
Secretary will use in evaluating applications submitted under
subsection (b).
(2) Preference.--In awarding grants under this section, the
Secretary shall give preference to applications that prioritize
food insecure communities.
(3) Geographic diversity.--In awarding grants under this
section, the Secretary shall ensure that a grant is awarded to
at least 1 State in each of the following regions:
(A) The Pacific Northwest region.
(B) The Northeast region.
(C) The Western region.
(D) The Midwest region.
(E) The Southern region.
(d) Use of Funds.--A State receiving a grant under this section may
only use the grant to establish and implement a program (in this
section referred to as a ``State program'') to make the monthly
payments described in subsection (f), including--
(1) associated administrative costs, such as--
(A) hiring staff;
(B) coordinating with community-based
organizations;
(C) contracting with electronic benefits transfer
card providers;
(D) acquiring and using necessary technology
systems (such as card processors); and
(E) marketing and participant materials that are
culturally relevant, plain-language, and offered in
multiple languages;
(2) providing technical and implementation assistance
(including in the form of financial assistance) to eligible
retailers; and
(3) collecting and reporting to the Secretary the data
described in subsection (h)(2).
(e) Components of State Programs.--In administering a State
program, a State, in consultation with the Secretary, shall develop and
implement the following:
(1) Household eligibility guidelines for the receipt from
the State of the monthly payments described in subsection (f),
which shall require that--
(A) in order to receive a payment from the State
under the State program, a household shall submit to
the State an application;
(B) only 1 such application may be submitted per
household; and
(C) a household is eligible to submit such an
application only if the household makes 80 percent or
less of the area median income (as determined by the
Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of
Housing and Urban Development).
(2) Households receiving benefits under the SNAP program
shall be deemed to meet the income requirement described in
paragraph (1)(C). A State shall--
(A) incorporate an opt-in or auto-enrollment
mechanism with respect to such households; and
(B) minimize the amount of additional paperwork
required for such households.
(3) An application for the receipt from the State of the
monthly payments described in subsection (f) that is short,
low-barrier, and mobile-friendly.
(4) The avoidance of duplicative verification where States
already have income data (such as through the SNAP program,
Medicaid, or child care subsidies programs).
(5) Strong guardrails to reduce churn, including
establishing clear timelines, simple renewal, grace periods,
and strong customer support.
(6) The use of electronic benefits transfer card technology
for the disbursement of the monthly payments described in
subsection (f).
(7) The provision of technical assistance to eligible
retailers.
(f) Monthly Payments to Households.--
(1) In general.--In administering a State program, a State
shall make payments to eligible households, on a recurring
monthly basis, to purchase qualifying food from eligible
retailers.
(2) Amount; duration.--A payment under this subsection
shall be $60 and may only be used during a 30-day period.
(3) Supplement not supplant.--A payment under this
subsection shall supplement, not supplant, other benefits
received by eligible households.
(4) Methods of payments.--In making payments under this
subsection, a State may use existing disbursement methods for
other programs (such as an electronic benefits transfer card).
(g) Consultation With Local Groups.--In administering a grant under
this section, a State shall work in consultation with local community-
based organizations and health clinics to reach households most
impacted by food insecurity.
(h) Study and Report.--
(1) Study.--The Secretary shall conduct a study to assess
the effectiveness and outcomes of the Fresh Bucks Pilot
Program.
(2) Data.--In conducting the study under paragraph (1), the
Secretary shall collect from States receiving grants under this
section the following data with respect to eligible households
receiving payments:
(A) Average household size, income, and other
demographics.
(B) Average amount of payments used per month.
(C) Household food security before and after
participation.
(D) Daily fruit and vegetable consumption.
(E) Where households spent payments.
(F) Barriers to access, such as--
(i) distance to eligible retailers;
(ii) transportation constraints;
(iii) eligible retailer density and hours;
and
(iv) the availability and price of
qualifying foods.
(G) Number of eligible households on a waitlist to
receive payments.
(H) Such other data as the Secretary determines
appropriate.
(3) Initial report.--Not earlier than 6 months after the
date of enactment of this Act, but not later than 12 months
after such date of enactment, the Secretary shall submit to
Congress a report that describes the initial results of the
study under paragraph (1).
(4) Final report.--Not later than 5 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a
report that describes the final results of the study under
paragraph (1). Such report shall include a recommendation
regarding the feasibility of continuing the Fresh Bucks Pilot
Program and expanding the number of participating States or the
amount of monthly payments.
(i) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Eligible household.--The term ``eligible household''
means a household that meets the income requirement described
in subsection (e)(1)(C).
(2) Eligible retailer.--The term ``eligible retailer''
means--
(A) a farmers market;
(B) an independent grocer;
(C) a farm stand;
(D) a supermarket; and
(E) such other retailers as the Secretary
determines appropriate.
(3) Household.--
(A) In general.--The term ``household'' means a
group of 1 or more individuals living together who
customarily purchase food and prepare meals for
consumption together at home.
(B) Special rule.--For the purposes of this
paragraph, an individual who has not attained the age
of 18 and who is attending an institution of higher
education (as defined in section 101 of the Higher
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)) shall be deemed
to be part of the household of the individual's parents
or caregivers.
(4) Qualifying food.--The term ``qualifying food'' means--
(A) any fresh, frozen, or dried fruit or vegetable
with no added fat, sugar, or salt;
(B) an herb; and
(C) a plant start that grows a food described in
subparagraph (A).
(5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Agriculture.
(6) SNAP program.--The term ``SNAP program'' means the
supplemental nutrition assistance program under the Food and
Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.).
(7) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the several
States, the District of Columbia, and the territories and
possessions of the United States.
(j) Termination.--The Fresh Bucks Pilot Program shall terminate on
the date that is 5 years after the date of enactment of this Act.
<all>