[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 16]
[House]
[Pages 22825-22826]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              EXTENDING FUNDS FOR COMMUNITY FOOD PROJECTS

  Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
Senate bill (S. 3597) to provide that funds allocated for community 
food projects for fiscal year 2008 shall remain available until 
September 30, 2009.
  The Clerk read the title of the Senate bill.
  The text of the Senate bill is as follows:

                                S. 3597

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. COMMUNITY FOOD PROJECTS.

       (a) Technical Correction.--Section 4406(a)(7) of the Food, 
     Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-234; 122 
     Stat. 1902) is amended by striking ``Food and Nutrition Act 
     of 2008'' and inserting ``Food Stamp Act of 1977''.
       (b) Allocation of Funds.--Funds allocated under section 
     25(b) of the Food Stamp Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 2034(b)) for 
     fiscal year 2008 shall remain available until September 30, 
     2009, to fund proposals solicited in fiscal year 2008.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Baca) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on 
S. 3597.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 3597. I thank my colleagues in 
the Senate. I thank my colleague Mr. Goodlatte, as well as Mr. Harkin, 
for introducing this legislation. I introduced its House counterpart, 
H.R. 6981.
  This bill is, quite simply, a technical fix of the 2008 farm bill.
  I want to thank all of my colleagues for their cooperation in 
bringing this technical fix to the floor. With its passage, we will 
ensure the fiscal year 2008 funding for a very nutritional program, the 
Community Food Projects.
  Due to an unintended error in title IV of the farm bill, we 
mistakenly limited USDA's authority to award grants under this program 
in this fiscal year. This same fix was passed by unanimous consent in 
the Senate, and CBO has scored this bill at zero.

[[Page 22826]]

  Community Food Projects is a forward-thinking grant program that 
encourages innovative local efforts to expand the availability of 
affordable and healthful foods. This program is critical to those who 
live in both urban and rural areas who may not have regular access to 
nutritional foods needed to raise a healthy family.
  I urge my colleagues to voice their support for healthy families and 
vote ``yes'' on S. 3597.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I thank my colleague, the subcommittee chairman, as well as Chairman 
Peterson, for their work, along with others on this side of the aisle, 
and join them in supporting S. 3597.
  This bill makes a technical correction to the Nutrition title of the 
2008 farm bill. This measure will ensure funds allocated for Community 
Food Projects in fiscal year 2008 remain available through fiscal year 
2009. Without this correction, valuable grant funding will be lost.
  S. 3597 will allow the U.S. Department of Agriculture to carry this 
funding forward to provide grants that help communities respond to 
local nutrition issues.
  Because of the importance of this funding and the value that 
communities find in utilizing these funds to help people in need, 
providing food for them, I urge my colleagues to support S. 3597.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, again, I want to encourage support for the 
Community Food Projects. This is a valuable grant. This is a technical 
error that was done. I thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. 
Goodlatte) for his support in this bipartisan effort. This is a 
correction of a technical error.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Baca) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the Senate bill, S. 3597.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the Senate bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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