Cutting COSTS Act of 2025

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6369 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 6369

   To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a program for 
 making payments to covered producers for the cost of carrying out GAP 
                    audits, and for other purposes.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            December 2, 2025

Mr. Vindman (for himself and Mr. Lawler) introduced the following bill; 
           which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture

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                                 A BILL


 
   To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a program for 
 making payments to covered producers for the cost of carrying out GAP 
                    audits, 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 ``Cutting Cumbersome Overhead for 
Small-farm Testing Savings Act of 2025'' or the ``Cutting COSTS Act of 
2025''.

SEC. 2. GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES PAYMENT PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall establish a program for making 
payments to covered producers in an amount that is equal to the full 
cost incurred by each such producer for carrying out a GAP audit.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of 
this Act, and annually for each of the four years thereafter, the 
Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and 
Forestry of the Senate a report regarding activities under the program 
established under subsection (a), including--
            (1) the number and type of covered producers who received 
        payments under such program; and
            (2) the extent to which such payment increased, for each 
        such producer, market access to a retail food store that 
        requires a GAP audit as a condition for such access.
    (c) Funding.--The Secretary shall use the funds of the Commodity 
Credit Corporation to carry out this section.
    (d) Definitions.--In this Act:
            (1) Covered producer.--The term ``covered producer'' means 
        a person--
                    (A) that--
                            (i) operates a small farm with an average 
                        adjusted gross income (as defined in section 
                        1001D(a) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (7 
                        U.S.C. 1308-3a(a))) of less than $350,000 each 
                        year; or
                            (ii) is a beginning farmer or rancher (as 
                        defined in section 3430.602 of title 7, Code of 
                        Federal Regulations (or a successor 
                        regulation)); and
                    (B) meets such other requirements as the Secretary 
                may determine appropriate.
            (2) GAP audit.--The term ``GAP audit'' means an audit under 
        the Agricultural Marketing Service Audit Verification and 
        Accreditation Programs described in part 62 of title 7, Code of 
        Federal Regulations (or successor regulations), as such 
        programs relate to good agricultural practices and guidance 
        published by the Secretary of Health and Human Services under 
        section 419(e)(1) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act 
        (21 U.S.C. 350h(e)(1)).
            (3) Retail food store.--The term ``retail food store'' has 
        the meaning given such term in section 3 of the Food and 
        Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2012).
            (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Agriculture.
    (e) Sunset.--The authority under this section shall terminate on 
the date that is 5 years after the date of the enactment of this Act.
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