I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2378 

To provide increased financial assistance for farmers markets and farmers 

market nutrition programs, to increase local agricultural production 

through food bank in-house production and local farmer contracting; 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 29, 2023 

Ms. KAPTUR (for herself and Mr. EVANS) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the 

Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 

provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To provide increased financial assistance for farmers markets 

and farmers market nutrition programs, to increase local 

agricultural production through food bank in-house production and local farmer contracting; and for other purposes. 

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 ‘‘Farmers’ Market and 

5 Food Bank Local Revitalization Act of 2023’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 

2 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) Food insecurity, epidemic levels of obesity, 

4 hypertension, diabetes, and youth osteoporosis are 

5 caused by improper nutrition yielded by lack of nu6 tritious, reliable, and locally available healthy food 

7 options. 

8 (2) The American Diabetes Association esti9 mated a 41-percent increase in costs of diagnosed 

10 diabetes from 2007 ($174,000,000,000) to 2012 

11 ($245,000,000,000) with most of these costs (62 

12 percent) coming from senior health programs such 

13 as Medicare and Medicaid. 

14 (3) Since sequestration in 2008, there has been 

15 no funding increase for the Senior Farmers’ Market 

16 Nutrition Program. 

17 (4) From 2008 to 2020, the moderate at home 

18 food cost for a family of 2 (aged 51–70 years old) 

19 increased by an average of $70 a month. The Sen20 iors Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program funding 

21 has not kept pace with such inflation. 

22 (5) According to the Department of Agri23 culture, Seniors Farmers’ Market Nutrition Pro24 gram has a total program funding backlog of 

25 $20,065,021 and a season benefit level backlog of 


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1 $16,120,741 across all participating States, terri2 tories, and Native American Tribes. 

3 (6) Roughly 1 in 10 United States senior citi4 zens (about 5,146,000) are forced to live well below 

5 the Federal poverty level, and the Seniors Farmers’ 

6 Market Nutrition Program is only able to reach 

7 about 725,000 due to inadequate funding. 

8 (7) Since sequestration in 2008, funding for the 

9 WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program has fallen 

10 by over $6,000,000 and never rebounded. 

11 (8) The WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Pro12 gram is a vital safeguard for the nearly 1 in 7 chil13 dren who will be born into poverty in the United 

14 States and will be at nutritional risk. 

15 (9) According to the Department of Agri16 culture, the WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Pro17 gram has a total program and seasonal benefit fund18 ing backlog of $6,198,432 across all participating 

19 States, territories, and Native American Tribes. 

20 (10) In the United States, food banks will pro21 vide meals to 1 in 7 people. 

22 (11) Many food banks share special relation23 ships with local farmers who often donate their 

24 crops to food banks. The partnership allows for 


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1 more efficient and sustainable procurement for food 

2 banks. 

3 (12) Assisting food banks to grow their own 

4 food will aid local procurement and allow food banks 

5 to serve as farming resources to their communities, 

6 especially to those who are food insecure. 

7 (13) The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, 

8 specifically required looking at ways to incorporate 

9 local goods to reduce food waste. 

10 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are— 

11 (1) to increase and enhance funding for the 

12 Farmers’ Market Nutrition Programs to support 

13 seniors and food insecure families, and to increase 

14 market capacity for local farmers; 

15 (2) to provide funding assistance for the expan16 sion and construction of farmers’ markets in both 

17 rural and urban food desert areas; 

18 (3) to increase local food production through 

19 partnership with food banks by local farmer con20 tracting and funding assistance to food banks to 

21 grow necessary produce through traditional or con22 trolled environment agricultural farming. 


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1 SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION AND ADDITIONAL AUTHORIZA2 TION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR SENIORS 

3 FARMERS’ MARKET NUTRITION PROGRAM. 

4 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR SEN5 IORS FARMERS’ MARKET NUTRITION PROGRAM.—Section 

6 4402(a) of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act 

7 of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 3007(a)) is amended by striking 

8 ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2028’’. 

9 (b) ADDITIONAL AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIA10 TIONS TO EXPAND PARTICIPATION IN THE SENIORS

11 FARMERS’ MARKET NUTRITION PROGRAM.— 

12 (1) INCREASED AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIA13 TIONS.—To expand and address season benefit level 

14 and total backlogs of the Seniors Farmers’ Market 

15 Nutrition Program, there is authorized to be appro16 priated— 

17 (A) for fiscal year 2024, an increase to 

18 $60,000,000; 

19 (B) for fiscal year 2025, an increase to 

20 $70,000,000; and 

21 (C) for each of the fiscal years 2026 

22 through 2028, and increase to $100,000,000. 

23 (2) BENEFIT ENHANCEMENT.—For the purpose 

24 of expanding access to the Seniors Farmers’ Market 

25 Nutrition Program, funds appropriated under sub26 section (a) shall be used for the following purposes: 


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1 (A) Program eligibility income limit shall 

2 increase to 200 percent of the Federal poverty 

3 guideline. 

4 (B) The minimum individual benefit shall 

5 be increased to $35. 

6 (C) The maximum individual benefit limit 

7 shall be removed. 

8 SEC. 4. MINIMUM INDIVIDUAL BENEFIT INCREASE UNDER 

9 THE WIC FARMERS’ MARKET NUTRITION 

10 PROGRAM. 

11 Section 17(m) of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 

12 U.S.C. 1786(m)) is amended— 

13 (1) by striking ‘‘paragraph (10)’’ both places it 

14 appears and inserting ‘‘paragraph (9)’’; 

15 (2) in paragraph (5)(C)— 

16 (A) by striking ‘‘$10’’ and inserting 

17 ‘‘$35’’; and 

18 (B) by striking ‘‘$30’’ and inserting 

19 ‘‘$60’’; and 

20 (3) in paragraph (9)(A), by striking ‘‘2015’’ 

21 and inserting ‘‘2028’’. 


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1 SEC. 5. INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING FOR FARMERS MAR2 KETS. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Agriculture shall 

4 make loans, loan guarantees, and grants to public agencies 

5 and nonprofit organizations for— 

6 (1) the construction of new farmers’ markets; 

7 or 

8 (2) the improvement or rehabilitation of exist9 ing farmers’ markets, including by adding or im10 proving payment technologies used in such farmers’ 

11 markets. 

12 (b) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to receive a loan, 

13 loan guarantee, or grant under subsection (a) with respect 

14 to a farmers’ market the public agency or nonprofit orga15 nization involved shall— 

16 (1) demonstrate financial need as determined 

17 by the Secretary; and 

18 (2) commit to reserving at least 50 percent of 

19 the floor area of the farmers’ market for the sale of 

20 products that are produced locally, as determined by 

21 the Secretary, by farmers, ranchers, or aquaculture, 

22 mariculture, or fisheries operators, or by associa23 tions of farmers, ranchers, or such operators. 

24 (c) COST SHARING.— 


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1 (1) GRANTS.—The amount of a grant under 

2 this section shall not exceed 25 percent of the cost 

3 of the activity for which the grant is made. 

4 (2) MAXIMUM AMOUNT.—The combined amount 

5 of a grant made and loan made or guaranteed under 

6 this section shall not exceed 80 percent of the cost 

7 of the activity for which the grant or loan is made 

8 or guaranteed. 

9 (d) INTEREST RATE.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—A loan made by the Sec11 retary under subsection (a) shall bear interest at the 

12 rate equivalent to the rate of interest charged on 

13 Treasury securities of comparable maturity on the 

14 date the loan is approved. 

15 (2) DURATION.—The interest rate referred to 

16 in paragraph (1) with respect to a loan referred to 

17 in such paragraph shall remain in effect for the term 

18 of the loan. 

19 (e) FUNDING.—Of the funds of the Commodity Cred20 it Corporation, the Secretary shall make available to carry 

21 out this section $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 

22 through 2029. 


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1 SEC. 6. PILOT PROGRAM FOR FOOD BANKS AND LOCAL 

2 FARMER CONTRACTING FOR LOCAL PRO3 CUREMENT. 

4 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Agriculture 

5 shall establish a pilot grant program in which food banks 

6 may voluntarily contract with their local farmers for them 

7 to grow produce for food bank programs to promote local 

8 procurement of produce. Food banks serving economically 

9 depressed or food desert areas hall be given priority to 

10 receive grants under this section. The Secretary shall 

11 make grants to food banks in 5 urban ZIP Codes (as des12 ignated by the Census Bureau), 5 suburban ZIP Codes 

13 (as designated by the Census Bureau), and 5 rural ZIP 

14 Codes (as designated by the Census Bureau) distributed 

15 as follows: 

16 (1) 3 of such grants in each ZIP Code selected 

17 under paragraph (1) shall be awarded to food banks 

18 in each Census Bureau Region of the United States; 

19 and 

20 (2) 3 of such grants among 3 of such ZIP 

21 Codes selected by the Secretary. 

22 (b) METHODS.—Under contracts made by food banks 

23 with grants received under subsection (a), local farmers 

24 may grow produce through traditional or controlled envi25 ronmental agriculture farming. 


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1 (c) FUNDING.—Of the funds of the Commodity Cred2 it Corporation, the Secretary shall make available to carry 

3 out this section $7,500,000 for fiscal years of 2024 and 

4 2025. The amount of a grant under this section shall be 

5 $500,000 per grant as to operate 15 separate pilot pro6 gram grant locations in total. 

7 SEC. 7. REPORTING REQUIREMENT. 

8 Not later than 180 days after effective date of this 

9 Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall submit to— 

10 (1) the Committee on Agriculture, and the 

11 Committee on Education and the Workforce, of the 

12 House of Representatives; and 

13 (2) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, 

14 and Forestry, and the Committee on Aging, of the 

15 Senate, 

16 a report that contains a review of the effect of this Act 

17 on local procurement of food, local farmers, who or what 

18 groups or entities are procuring the food, and the commu19 nities involved. 

20 SEC. 8. EFFECTIVE DATE. 

21 This Act shall take effect 120 days after the date of 

22 the enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


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