Farmers Feeding America Act of 2023
This bill reauthorizes The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), increases funding for the program, and provides additional delivery options for geographically isolated states (i.e., Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam).
TEFAP is a federal program that helps supplement the diets of people with low income by providing them with emergency food assistance at no cost. Through TEFAP, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) purchases a variety of commodities and makes those food products (e.g., canned, frozen, dried, and fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, meat, dairy, and whole-grain and enriched grain products) available to state distributing agencies.
The bill increases funding for purchasing commodities under the program.
Further, the bill directs USDA to coordinate with geographically isolated states to (1) establish alternative delivery options for allocated commodities, and (2) allow for the states to order commodities through the USDA Department of Defense Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program.
USDA may also provide geographically isolated states the ability to directly purchase domestically grown food in lieu of receiving a portion of the commodities. Under this option, USDA may distribute as cash to the state up to 20% of the cash value of the commodities that are allocated to the state under TEFAP.
Further, USDA may consider additional factors beyond lowest price in determining winning bids for contracts for fresh produce packages (including product variety and transportation distance).
[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6203 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 6203
To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 and the Emergency Food
Assistance Act of 1983 to make commodities available for the Emergency
Food Assistance Program, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 2, 2023
Ms. Salinas (for herself, Mr. Panetta, and Ms. Crockett) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 and the Emergency Food
Assistance Act of 1983 to make commodities available for the Emergency
Food Assistance Program, 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 ``Farmers Feeding America Act of
2023''.
SEC. 2. AVAILABILITY OF COMMODITIES FOR THE EMERGENCY FOOD ASSISTANCE
PROGRAM.
Section 27(a) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C.
2036(a)) is amended--
(1) by striking ``2023'' each place it appears (except in
paragraph (2)(D)(ix)) and inserting ``2028''; and
(2) in paragraph (2)--
(A) in subparagraph (D)--
(i) in clause (viii), by striking ``and''
at the end; and
(ii) by adding at the end the following:
``(x) for each of fiscal years 2024 through
2028, $500,000,000; and''; and
(B) in subparagraph (E)--
(i) by striking ``2024'' and inserting
``2029''; and
(ii) by striking ``specified in
subparagraph (D)(ix)'' and inserting
``described in subparagraph (D)(x)''.
SEC. 3. EMERGENCY FOOD PROGRAM STORAGE AND DISTRIBUTION.
Section 204(a)(1) of the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 (7
U.S.C. 7508(a)(1)) is amended, in the first sentence, by striking
``$100,000,000'' and inserting ``$200,000,000''.
SEC. 4. EMERGENCY FOOD PROGRAM INFRASTRUCTURE GRANTS.
Section 209(d) of the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 (7
U.S.C. 7511a(d)) is amended by striking ``2023'' and inserting
``2028''.
SEC. 5. GEOGRAPHICALLY ISOLATED STATES.
Section 214 of the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 (7 U.S.C.
7515) is amended--
(1) in subsection (c), by adding at the end the following:
``(3) Alternative delivery options for geographically
isolated states.--
``(A) Definition of geographically isolated
state.--In this paragraph, the term `geographically
isolated State' means--
``(i) the State of Hawaii;
``(ii) the State of Alaska;
``(iii) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico;
``(iv) the Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands;
``(v) the Virgin Islands of the United
States; and
``(vi) Guam.
``(B) Alternative delivery options.--At the request
of a geographically isolated State, the Secretary shall
coordinate with the geographically isolated State--
``(i) to establish alternative delivery
options for commodities allocated to that
geographically isolated State under this
section to ensure that the geographically
isolated State is able to receive those
commodities; and
``(ii) to allow for the geographically
isolated State to order commodities through the
Department of Defense Fresh Fruit and Vegetable
Program.
``(C) Direct purchase option.--The Secretary may
transfer to a geographically isolated State the cash
value of not more than 20 percent of the commodities
allocated to that geographically isolated State under
this section to be used by the geographically isolated
State to procure domestically grown food in lieu of
receipt of those commodities.''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(e) Fresh Produce Packages.--
``(1) In general.--In purchasing fresh produce packages to
provide under the program established under this Act, the
Secretary may consider additional factors beyond lowest price
in determining winning bids for contracts for those fresh
produce packages, including product variety and transportation
distance.
``(2) Nutrition.--The Secretary shall carry out paragraph
(1) in a manner that maintains the goal of maximizing the
amount of nutritious food available through the program
described in that paragraph.''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Nutrition, Foreign Agriculture, and Horticulture.
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