[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11190]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         FINI PROGRAM SHOULD BE REAUTHORIZED IN NEXT FARM BILL

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, as chairman of the 
Nutrition Subcommittee, I rise today to speak about an important 
program that gives SNAP participants access to more fruits and 
vegetables.
  SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, helps provide 
low-income families with the resources they need to consume more 
nutritious food. The Agriculture Act of 2014 created the Food 
Insecurity Nutrition Incentive program, or FINI, which provided $100 
million to support produce incentive programs around the country for 
SNAP participants.
  This means SNAP benefits could be used at farmers' markets, grocery 
stores, and other farmer-to-consumer retailers serving rural and urban 
communities.
  Mr. Speaker, the FINI program is successful in achieving the 
established goal of encouraging SNAP households to consume fresh, 
healthy produce. More than 74 percent of shoppers reported that they 
were eating more produce.
  As the Agriculture Committee works to develop the next farm bill, I 
know the FINI program should be reauthorized. The benefits of this 
program are twofold: it supports local American farmers and provides 
more Americans with quality food. That is what I call made in America.

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