American Farmers, Food Banks, and Families Act of 2020

American Farmers, Food Banks, and Families Act of 2020

This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish the position of Domestic Agriculture Supply Chain Administrator.

The Administrator must

• carry out activities in the interest of assisting farmers in entering their products into the domestic market;
• act as a liaison to connect farmers with food banks, schools, grocers, restaurants, and nonprofit organizations to expand domestic market access for organizations that are in need of agricultural products;
• identify barriers, either regulatory or legal, that prevent or inhibit farmers from entering their products into the domestic market through food distribution networks or other entities; and
• make recommendations to USDA regarding the means by which to remove such barriers.

Additionally, USDA must establish a catalog or data resource that is capable of recording (1) farms that have excess agricultural products, and (2) food distribution organizations that are in need of certain agricultural products.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3970 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3970

 To amend the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 to 
promote an American agriculture first agenda and establish the position 
of Domestic Agriculture Supply Chain Administrator in the Office of the 
    Secretary of Agriculture to connect United States farmers with 
 foodbanks, grocers, and nonprofit food distributors during periods of 
                 food scarcity, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 16, 2020

 Mrs. Loeffler introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
   referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 to 
promote an American agriculture first agenda and establish the position 
of Domestic Agriculture Supply Chain Administrator in the Office of the 
    Secretary of Agriculture to connect United States farmers with 
 foodbanks, grocers, and nonprofit food distributors during periods of 
                 food scarcity, 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 ``American Farmers, Food Banks, and 
Families Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. DOMESTIC AGRICULTURE SUPPLY CHAIN ADMINISTRATOR.

    (a) In General.--Subtitle A of the Department of Agriculture 
Reorganization Act of 1994 is amended by inserting after section 216 (7 
U.S.C. 6916) the following:

``SEC. 217. DOMESTIC AGRICULTURE SUPPLY CHAIN ADMINISTRATOR.

    ``(a) Authorization.--The Secretary shall establish in the Office 
of the Secretary a position of Domestic Agriculture Supply Chain 
Administrator (referred to in this section as the `Administrator').
    ``(b) Duties.--The Administrator shall--
            ``(1) carry out activities in the interest of assisting 
        farmers in entering the products of the farmers into the 
        domestic market;
            ``(2) act as a liaison between--
                    ``(A) farmers; and
                    ``(B) food banks, schools, grocers, restaurants, 
                and other food distribution entities partnered with the 
                Department or other nonprofit organizations; and
            ``(3)(A) identify barriers, either regulatory or legal, 
        that prevent or inhibit farmers from entering the products of 
        the farmers into the domestic market through food distribution 
        networks or other entities; and
            ``(B) make recommendations to the Secretary regarding the 
        means by which to remove the barriers identified under 
        subparagraph (A).
    ``(c) Purposes.--The purposes of the Administrator shall be--
            ``(1) to promote the domestic supply chain; and
            ``(2) to connect farmers that have excess agricultural 
        products, whether perishable or nonperishable, with an 
        appropriate food distribution organization that is in need of 
        certain agricultural products.
    ``(d) Team.--The Administrator shall oversee a team composed of--
            ``(1) a regulatory reform officer;
            ``(2) an agricultural marketing expert; and
            ``(3) individuals with private sector experience in the 
        food distribution network.
    ``(e) Collaboration.--The Administrator shall convene 
representatives of appropriate Federal advisory committees of the 
Agricultural Marketing Service, Federal agencies, and members of the 
private sector to advise the Administrator in carrying out the duties 
described in subsection (b).
    ``(f) Existing Position.--To the extent practicable, the 
Administrator shall be an additional role of an existing position, and 
not a new position, within the Office of the Secretary.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 296(b) of the Department of 
Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 7014(b)) is amended by 
adding at the end the following:
            ``(11) The authority of the Secretary to carry out the 
        amendments made to this title by the American Farmers, Food 
        Banks, and Families Act of 2020''.
    (c) Technical Correction.--Subtitle A of the Department of 
Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 is amended by redesignating 
section 225 (7 U.S.C. 6925) as section 224A.

SEC. 3. CATALOGUE TO CONNECT FARMERS AND FOOD DISTRIBUTION 
              ORGANIZATIONS.

    The Secretary of Agriculture, in coordination with private sector 
entities, shall establish a catalogue or data resource that is capable 
of recording--
            (1) farms that have excess agricultural products; and
            (2) food distribution organizations that are in need of 
        certain agricultural products.
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