Eat Local Foods Act - Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to provide grants to states, by the beginning of each school year (beginning with the 2012-2013 school year), for use in providing school food authorities with local food credits that represent up to 10% of the total value of the commodity assistance (or cash payments in lieu thereof) that the authority would be eligible to receive for the school year.
Subtracts the value of the food credit from the amount of commodity assistance (or cash payments in lieu thereof) that a school food authority would otherwise receive.
Requires school food authorities to use their credits to purchase locally or regionally produced agricultural food products to serve in the school lunch program.
[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5806 Introduced in House (IH)]
111th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 5806
To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to create a
local food credit program.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 21, 2010
Ms. Pingree of Maine (for herself, Ms. Kilroy, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Neal
of Massachusetts, Ms. Lee of California, Mr. Blumenauer, Mr. Lujan, Mr.
Polis of Colorado, Mr. Clay, and Mr. Courtney) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to create a
local food credit program.
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 ``Eat Local Foods Act''.
SEC. 2. LOCAL FOOD CREDIT PROGRAM.
Section 6(c) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act
(42 U.S.C. 1755(c)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(3) Local food credit program.--
``(A) Establishment of program.--Beginning with the
school year ending in 2013, the Secretary shall
establish and carry out a program under which the
Secretary, not later than the beginning of each school
year, shall provide a grant to each participating State
agency to provide to each participating school food
authority under the jurisdiction of the State agency,
local food credits in an amount equal to not more than
10 percent of the total value of the commodity
assistance (or cash payments in lieu thereof) that the
authority would be eligible to receive under paragraph
(2) for such school year, in lieu of such amount of
commodity assistance (or cash payments in lieu
thereof).
``(B) Requirements for participating school food
authorities.--Each participating school food authority
shall--
``(i) use the local food credit received
under this paragraph to purchase local foods to
be served under the school lunch program in
schools under the jurisdiction of the
authority;
``(ii) keep records of purchases made with
such assistance; and
``(iii) provide such records to the
Secretary in such manner and such form as
established by the Secretary.
``(C) Authorized use of funds.--A participating
school food authority may use up to 10 percent of the
local food credit received under this paragraph for a
school year to purchase local foods to be served under
the school lunch program during the following school
year.
``(D) Minimum commodity purchases.--The amount of a
grant made under this paragraph for a school year shall
count towards the Secretary's commodity assistance or
commodity requirements under subsection (e) for such
school year.
``(E) Definitions.--For purposes of this paragraph:
``(i) Local foods.--The term `local foods'
means has the meaning given the term `locally
or regionally produced agricultural food
products' in section 310B(g)(9)(A) of the
Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7
U.S.C. 1932(g)(A)).
``(ii) Local food credit.--The term `local
food credits' means cash, letters of credit, or
another form of assistance, determined by the
Secretary.
``(iii) Participating school food
authority.--The term `participating school food
authority' means a school food authority that--
``(I) participates in the school
lunch program under this Act; and
``(II) elects to participate in the
local food credit program under this
paragraph.
``(iv) Participating state agency.--The
term `participating State agency' means a State
agency that--
``(I) participates in the school
lunch program under this Act; and
``(II) elects to participate in the
local food credit program under this
paragraph.''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H5923)
Referred to the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities.
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