I 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1722 

To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to create 

a local food credit program. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 4, 2011 

Ms. PINGREE of Maine (for herself, Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia, Mr. STARK, 

Mr. WELCH, and Mr. MCGOVERN) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 

A BILL 

To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch 

Act to create a local food credit program. 

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. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Eat Local Foods Act’’. 

5 SEC. 2. LOCAL FOOD CREDIT PROGRAM. 

6 Section 6(c) of the Richard B. Russell National 

7 School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1755(c)) is amended by add8 ing at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘(3) LOCAL FOOD CREDIT PROGRAM.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.—Be2 ginning with the school year ending in 2013, 

3 the Secretary shall establish and carry out a 

4 program under which the Secretary, not later 

5 than the beginning of each school year, shall 

6 provide a grant to each participating State 

7 agency to provide to each participating school 

8 food authority under the jurisdiction of the 

9 State agency, local food credits in an amount 

10 equal to not more than 10 percent of the total 

11 value of the commodity assistance (or cash pay12 ments in lieu thereof) that the authority would 

13 be eligible to receive under paragraph (2) for 

14 such school year, in lieu of such amount of 

15 commodity assistance (or cash payments in lieu 

16 thereof). 

17 ‘‘(B) REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPATING

18 SCHOOL FOOD AUTHORITIES.—Each partici19 pating school food authority shall— 

20 ‘‘(i) use the local food credit received 

21 under this paragraph to purchase local 

22 foods to be served under the school lunch 

23 program in schools under the jurisdiction 

24 of the authority; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) keep records of purchases made 

2 with such assistance; and 

3 ‘‘(iii) provide such records to the Sec4 retary in such manner and such form as 

5 established by the Secretary. 

6 ‘‘(C) AUTHORIZED USE OF FUNDS.—A 

7 participating school food authority may use up 

8 to 10 percent of the local food credit received 

9 under this paragraph for a school year to pur10 chase local foods to be served under the school 

11 lunch program during the following school year. 

12 ‘‘(D) MINIMUM COMMODITY PURCHASES.— 

13 The amount of a grant made under this para14 graph for a school year shall count towards the 

15 Secretary’s commodity assistance or commodity 

16 requirements under subsection (e) for such 

17 school year. 

18 ‘‘(E) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this 

19 paragraph: 

20 ‘‘(i) LOCAL FOODS.—The term ‘local 

21 foods’ means has the meaning given the 

22 term ‘locally or regionally produced agri23 cultural food products’ in section 

24 310B(g)(9)(A) of the Consolidated Farm 


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1 and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 

2 1932(g)(A)). 

3 ‘‘(ii) LOCAL FOOD CREDIT.—The term 

4 ‘local food credits’ means cash, letters of 

5 credit, or another form of assistance, de6 termined by the Secretary. 

7 ‘‘(iii) PARTICIPATING SCHOOL FOOD

8 AUTHORITY.—The term ‘participating 

9 school food authority’ means a school food 

10 authority that— 

11 ‘‘(I) participates in the school 

12 lunch program under this Act; and 

13 ‘‘(II) elects to participate in the 

14 local food credit program under this 

15 paragraph. 

16 ‘‘(iv) PARTICIPATING STATE AGEN17 CY.—The term ‘participating State agency’ 

18 means a State agency that— 

19 ‘‘(I) participating in the school 

20 lunch program under this Act; and 

21 ‘‘(II) elects to participate in the 

22 local food credit program under this 

23 paragraph.’’. 

Æ 


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