I 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1938 

To reduce hunger in the United States. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 19, 2007 

Mr. MCGOVERN (for himself and Mrs. EMERSON) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture 

A BILL 

To reduce hunger in the United States. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Hunger-Free Communities Act of 2007’’. 

6 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of 

7 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Findings. 

Sec. 3. Definitions. 

TITLE I—NATIONAL COMMITMENT TO END HUNGER 

Sec. 101. Hunger reports. 

TITLE II—STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY EFFORTS 

Sec. 121. Hunger-free communities collaborative grants. 


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Sec. 122. Hunger-free communities infrastructure grants. 

Sec. 123. Hunger-free communities training and technical assistance grants. 

Sec. 124. Report. 

Sec. 125. Authorization of appropriations. 

1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress finds that— 

3 (1)(A) at the 1996 World Food Summit, the 

4 United States, along with 185 other countries, 

5 pledged to reduce the number of undernourished 

6 people by half by 2015; and 

7 (B) as a result of that pledge, the Department 

8 of Health and Human Services adopted the Healthy 

9 People 2010 goal to cut food insecurity in half by 

10 2010, and in doing so reduce hunger; 

11 (2) national nutrition programs are among the 

12 fastest, most direct ways to efficiently and effectively 

13 prevent hunger, reduce food insecurity, and improve 

14 nutrition among the populations targeted by a pro15 gram; 

16 (3) in 2001, food banks, food pantries, soup 

17 kitchens, and emergency shelters helped to feed 

18 more than 23,000,000 low-income people; and 

19 (4) community-based organizations and char20 ities can help— 

21 (A) play an important role in preventing 

22 and reducing hunger; 

23 (B) measure community food security; 


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1 (C) develop and implement plans for im2 proving food security; 

3 (D) educate community leaders about the 

4 problems of and solutions to hunger; 

5 (E) ensure that local nutrition programs 

6 are implemented effectively; and 

7 (F) improve the connection of food inse8 cure people to anti-hunger programs. 

9 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

10 In this Act: 

11 (1) DOMESTIC HUNGER GOAL.—The term ‘‘do12 mestic hunger goal’’ means— 

13 (A) the goal of reducing hunger in the 

14 United States to at or below 2 percent by 2010; 

15 or 

16 (B) the goal of reducing food insecurity in 

17 the United States to at or below 6 percent by 

18 2010. 

19 (2) EMERGENCY FEEDING ORGANIZATION.— 

20 The term ‘‘emergency feeding organization’’ has the 

21 meaning given the term in section 201A of the 

22 Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 (7 U.S.C. 

23 7501). 


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1 (3) FOOD SECURITY.—The term ‘‘food secu2 rity’’ means the state in which an individual has ac3 cess to enough food for an active, healthy life. 

4 (4) HUNGER-FREE COMMUNITIES GOAL.—The 

5 term ‘‘hunger-free communities goal’’ means any of 

6 the 14 goals described in the H. Con. Res. 302 

7 (102nd Congress). 

8 (5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

9 the Secretary of Agriculture. 

10 TITLE I—NATIONAL 

11 COMMITMENT TO END HUNGER 

12 SEC. 101. HUNGER REPORTS. 

13 (a) STUDY.— 

14 (1) TIMELINE.— 

15 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year 

16 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec17 retary shall conduct a study of major matters 

18 relating to the problem of hunger in the United 

19 States, as determined by the Secretary. 

20 (B) UPDATE.—Not later than 5 years 

21 after the date on which the study under sub22 paragraph (A) is conducted, the Secretary shall 

23 update the study. 


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1 (2) MATTERS TO BE ASSESSED.—The matters 

2 to be assessed by the Secretary in the study and up3 date under this section shall include— 

4 (A) data on hunger and food insecurity in 

5 the United States; 

6 (B) measures carried out during the pre7 vious year by Federal, State, and local govern8 ments to achieve domestic hunger goals and 

9 hunger-free communities goals; 

10 (C) measures that could be carried out by 

11 Federal, State, and local governments to 

12 achieve domestic hunger goals and hunger-free 

13 communities goals; and 

14 (D) the impact of hunger and household 

15 food insecurity on obesity, in the context of pov16 erty and the provision of food assistance. 

17 (b) RECOMMENDATIONS.—The Secretary shall de18 velop recommendations on— 

19 (1) removing obstacles to achieving domestic 

20 hunger goals and hunger-free communities goals; 

21 and 

22 (2) otherwise reducing domestic hunger. 

23 (c) REPORT.—The Secretary shall submit to the 

24 President and Congress— 


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1 (1) not later than 1 year after the date of en2 actment of this Act, a report that contains— 

3 (A) a detailed statement of the results of 

4 the study, or the most recent update to the 

5 study, conducted under subsection (a)(1); and 

6 (B) the most recent recommendations of 

7 the Secretary under subsection (b); and 

8 (2) not later than 5 years after the date of sub9 mission of the report under paragraph (1), an up10 date of the report. 

11 TITLE II—STRENGTHENING 

12 COMMUNITY EFFORTS 

13 SEC. 121. HUNGER-FREE COMMUNITIES COLLABORATIVE 

14 GRANTS. 

15 (a) DEFINITION OF ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—In this sec16 tion, the term ‘‘eligible entity’’ means a public food pro17 gram service provider or a nonprofit organization, includ18 ing but not limited to an emergency feeding organization, 

19 that demonstrates the organization has collaborated, or 

20 will collaborate, with 1 or more local partner organizations 

21 to achieve at least 1 hunger-free communities goal. 

22 (b) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall use not 

24 more than 50 percent of any funds made available 

25 under section 125 to make grants to eligible entities 


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1 to pay the Federal share of the costs of an activity 

2 described in subsection (d). 

3 (2) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of 

4 the cost of carrying out an activity under this sec5 tion shall not exceed 80 percent. 

6 (3) NON-FEDERAL SHARE.— 

7 (A) CALCULATION.—The non-Federal 

8 share of the cost of an activity under this sec9 tion may be provided in cash or in kind, fairly 

10 evaluated, including facilities, equipment, or 

11 services. 

12 (B) SOURCES.—Any entity may provide 

13 the non-Federal share of the cost of an activity 

14 under this section through a State government, 

15 a local government, or a private source. 

16 (c) APPLICATION.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—To receive a grant under 

18 this section, an eligible entity shall submit an appli19 cation to the Secretary at the time and in the man20 ner and accompanied by any information the Sec21 retary may require. 

22 (2) CONTENTS.—Each application submitted 

23 under paragraph (1) shall— 

24 (A) identify any activity described in sub25 section (d) that the grant will be used to fund; 


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1 (B) describe the means by which an activ2 ity identified under subparagraph (A) will re3 duce hunger in the community of the eligible 

4 entity; 

5 (C) list any partner organizations of the el6 igible entity that will participate in an activity 

7 funded by the grant; 

8 (D) describe any agreement between a 

9 partner organization and the eligible entity nec10 essary to carry out an activity funded by the 

11 grant; and 

12 (E) if an assessment described in sub13 section (d)(1) has been performed, include— 

14 (i) a summary of that assessment; 

15 and 

16 (ii) information regarding the means 

17 by which the grant will help reduce hunger 

18 in the community of the eligible entity. 

19 (3) PRIORITY.—In making grants under this 

20 section, the Secretary shall give priority to eligible 

21 entities that— 

22 (A) demonstrate in the application of the 

23 eligible entity that the eligible entity makes col24 laborative efforts to reduce hunger in the com25 munity of the eligible entity; and 


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1 (B)(i) serve a predominantly rural and 

2 geographically underserved area; 

3 (ii) serve communities in which the rates of 

4 food insecurity, hunger, poverty, or unemploy5 ment are demonstrably higher than national av6 erage rates; 

7 (iii) provide evidence of long-term efforts 

8 to reduce hunger in the community; 

9 (iv) provide evidence of public support for 

10 the efforts of the eligible entity; or 

11 (v) demonstrate in the application of the 

12 eligible entity a commitment to achieving more 

13 than 1 hunger-free communities goal. 

14 (d) USE OF FUNDS.— 

15 (1) ASSESSMENT OF HUNGER IN THE COMMU16 NITY.— 

17 (A) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity in a 

18 community that has not performed an assess19 ment described in subparagraph (B) may use a 

20 grant received under this section to perform the 

21 assessment for the community. 

22 (B) ASSESSMENT.—The assessment re23 ferred to in subparagraph (A) shall include— 


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1 (i) an analysis of the problem of hun2 ger in the community served by the eligible 

3 entity; 

4 (ii) an evaluation of any facility and 

5 any equipment used to achieve a hunger6 free communities goal in the community; 

7 (iii) an analysis of the effectiveness 

8 and extent of service of existing nutrition 

9 programs and emergency feeding organiza10 tions; and 

11 (iv) a plan to achieve any other hun12 ger-free communities goal in the commu13 nity. 

14 (2) ACTIVITIES.—An eligible entity in a com15 munity that has submitted an assessment to the 

16 Secretary shall use a grant received under this sec17 tion for any fiscal year for activities of the eligible 

18 entity, including— 

19 (A) meeting the immediate needs of people 

20 in the community served by the eligible entity 

21 who experience hunger by— 

22 (i) distributing food; 

23 (ii) providing community outreach; or 

24 (iii) improving access to food as part 

25 of a comprehensive service; 


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1 (B) developing new resources and strate2 gies to help reduce hunger in the community; 

3 (C) establishing a program to achieve a 

4 hunger-free communities goal in the commu5 nity, including— 

6 (i) a program to prevent, monitor, and 

7 treat children in the community experi8 encing hunger or poor nutrition; or 

9 (ii) a program to provide information 

10 to people in the community on hunger, do11 mestic hunger goals, and hunger-free com12 munities goals; and 

13 (D) establishing a program to provide food 

14 and nutrition services as part of a coordinated 

15 community-based comprehensive service. 

16 SEC. 122. HUNGER-FREE COMMUNITIES INFRASTRUCTURE 

17 GRANTS. 

18 (a) DEFINITION OF ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—In this sec19 tion, the term ‘‘eligible entity’’ means an emergency feed20 ing organization (as defined in section 201A(4) of the 

21 Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 (7 U.S.C. 

22 7501(4))). 

23 (b) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.— 

24 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall use not 

25 more than 40 percent of any funds made available 


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1 under section 125 to make grants to eligible entities 

2 to pay the Federal share of the costs of an activity 

3 described in subsection (d). 

4 (2) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of 

5 the cost of carrying out an activity under this sec6 tion shall not exceed 80 percent. 

7 (c) APPLICATION.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—To receive a grant under 

9 this section, an eligible entity shall submit an appli10 cation to the Secretary at the time and in the man11 ner and accompanied by any information the Sec12 retary may require. 

13 (2) CONTENTS.—Each application submitted 

14 under paragraph (1) shall— 

15 (A) identify any activity described in sub16 section (d) that the grant will be used to fund; 

17 and 

18 (B) describe the means by which an activ19 ity identified under subparagraph (A) will re20 duce hunger in the community of the eligible 

21 entity. 

22 (3) PRIORITY.—In making grants under this 

23 section, the Secretary shall give priority to eligible 

24 entities the applications of which demonstrate 2 or 

25 more of the following: 


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1 (A) The eligible entity serves a predomi2 nantly rural and geographically underserved 

3 area. 

4 (B) The eligible entity serves a community 

5 in which the rates of food insecurity, hunger, 

6 poverty, or unemployment are demonstrably 

7 higher than national average rates. 

8 (C) The eligible entity serves a community 

9 that has carried out long-term efforts to reduce 

10 hunger in the community. 

11 (D) The eligible entity serves a community 

12 that provides public support for the efforts of 

13 the eligible entity. 

14 (E) The eligible entity is committed to 

15 achieving more than 1 hunger-free communities 

16 goal. 

17 (d) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity shall use a 

18 grant received under this section for any fiscal year to 

19 carry out activities of the eligible entity, including— 

20 (1) constructing, expanding, or repairing a fa21 cility or equipment to support hunger relief agencies 

22 in the community; 

23 (2) assisting an emergency feeding organization 

24 in the community in obtaining locally-produced 

25 produce and protein products; and 


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1 (3) assisting an emergency feeding organization 

2 in the community to process and serve wild game. 

3 SEC. 123. HUNGER-FREE COMMUNITIES TRAINING AND 

4 TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE GRANTS. 

5 (a) DEFINITION OF ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—In this sec6 tion, the term ‘‘eligible entity’’ means a national or re7 gional nonprofit organization that carries out an activity 

8 described in subsection (d). 

9 (b) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall use not 

11 more than 10 percent of any funds made available 

12 under section 125 to make grants to eligible entities 

13 to pay the Federal share of the costs of an activity 

14 described in subsection (d). 

15 (2) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of 

16 the cost of carrying out an activity under this sec17 tion shall not exceed 80 percent. 

18 (c) APPLICATION.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—To receive a grant under 

20 this section, an eligible entity shall submit an appli21 cation to the Secretary at the time and in the man22 ner and accompanied by any information the Sec23 retary may require. 

24 (2) CONTENTS.—Each application submitted 

25 under paragraph (1) shall— 


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1 (A) demonstrate that the eligible entity 

2 does not operate for profit; 

3 (B) describe any national or regional train4 ing program carried out by the eligible entity, 

5 including a description of each region served by 

6 the eligible entity; 

7 (C) describe any national or regional tech8 nical assistance provided by the eligible entity, 

9 including a description of each region served by 

10 the eligible entity; and 

11 (D) describe the means by which each or12 ganization served by the eligible entity— 

13 (i) works to achieve a domestic hun14 ger goal; 

15 (ii) works to achieve a hunger-free 

16 communities goal; or 

17 (iii) used a grant received by the orga18 nization under section 121 or 122. 

19 (3) PRIORITY.—In making grants under this 

20 section, the Secretary shall give priority to eligible 

21 entities the applications of which demonstrate 2 or 

22 more of the following: 

23 (A) The eligible entity serves a predomi24 nantly rural and geographically underserved 

25 area. 


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1 (B) The eligible entity serves a region in 

2 which the rates of food insecurity, hunger, pov3 erty, or unemployment are demonstrably higher 

4 than national average rates. 

5 (C) The eligible entity serves a region that 

6 has carried out long-term efforts to reduce hun7 ger in the region. 

8 (D) The eligible entity serves a region that 

9 provides public support for the efforts of the el10 igible entity. 

11 (E) The eligible entity is committed to 

12 achieving more than 1 hunger-free communities 

13 goal. 

14 (d) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity shall use a 

15 grant received under this section for any fiscal year to 

16 carry out national or regional training and technical as17 sistance for organizations that— 

18 (1) work to achieve a domestic hunger goal; 

19 (2) work to achieve a hunger-free communities 

20 goal; or 

21 (3) receive a grant under section 121 or 122. 

22 SEC. 124. REPORT. 

23 Not later than September 30, 2011, the Secretary 

24 shall submit to Congress a report describing— 


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1 (1) each grant made under this title, includ2 ing— 

3 (A) a description of any activity funded by 

4 such a grant; and 

5 (B) the degree of success of each activity 

6 funded by such a grant in achieving hunger-free 

7 communities goals; and 

8 (2) the degree of success of all activities funded 

9 by grants under this title in achieving domestic hun10 ger goals. 

11 SEC. 125. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

12 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

13 this title $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 

14 through 2013. 

Æ 


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