[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 123 (Thursday, July 17, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S4458]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. REED (for himself and Mr. Justice):
  S. 2338. A bill to amend the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to 
establish the Strengthening Local Food Security Program, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, today I am introducing the Strengthening 
Local Food Access Act with my colleague from West Virginia, Mr. 
Justice. Our bipartisan bill would create a grant program for State and 
Tribal governments to procure local foods for distribution to nearby 
hunger relief and school meal programs.
  Local food systems that connect farmers and fishermen directly to the 
people they feed can be a real economic driver for communities. These 
local networks not only support the growth of local farmers and small 
businesses; they also ensure that food is readily available even when 
there is a breakdown in the broader food supply chain due natural 
disaster, transportation disruption, or disease. This bill would 
strengthen these local food systems by creating a market for producers 
to provide nutritious local food to children and those in need.
  Indeed, the Strengthening Local Food Access Act would support local 
food systems by helping States and Tribes purchase food from producers 
within their geographic bounds or within 400 miles of the final 
delivery destination, for distribution to nearby feeding programs and 
for use in school meals.
  This is a win-win-win. First, the bill supports local economic 
development by providing local producers with access to the hunger 
relief market. By establishing a new, reliable stream of orders for 
small local growers and harvesters, the bill will give these businesses 
the financial security to invest and further expand. Second, the bill 
strengthens our domestic agriculture supply chain by investing in local 
food distribution, in turn helping build local businesses that support 
durable and resilient local food systems. Third, the Strengthening 
Local Food Access Act would help combat food insecurity and improve 
food access by providing fresh, nutritious, local food to underserved 
communities and school feeding programs.
  I am pleased that the bill is supported by the National Association 
of State Departments of Agriculture NASDA, National Farmers Union, and 
the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. And in Rhode Island, 
the bill is supported by the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, Farm 
Fresh Rhode Island, and the Rhode Island Food Policy Council. I hope 
that my colleagues will join me in supporting this legislation and in 
working to include it in the farm bill.
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