I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1768 
To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to reauthorize 
the farm to school program, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 10, 2021 
Ms. PLASKETT (for herself, Mr. FORTENBERRY, and Ms. ADAMS) introduced 
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and 
Labor 
A BILL 
To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch 
Act to reauthorize the farm to school program, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Farm to School Act 
of 2021’’. 
SEC. 2. ACCESS TO LOCAL FOODS: FARM TO SCHOOL PRO-
GRAM. 
Section 18(g) of the Richard B. Russell National 
School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1769(g)) is amended— 
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(1) in paragraph (1)— 
(A) by striking the paragraph designation 
and heading and all that follows through 
‘‘means’’ and inserting the following: 
‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 
‘‘(A) 
AGRICULTURAL
PRODUCER.—The 
term ‘agricultural producer’ means a farmer, 
rancher, or fisher (including of farm-raised 
fish). 
‘‘(B) ELIGIBLE
INSTITUTION.—The term 
‘eligible institution’ means’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(C) FARM
TO
SCHOOL
PROGRAM.—The 
term ‘farm to school program’ means a pro-
gram that— 
‘‘(i) benefits an eligible institution, as 
determined by the Secretary; and 
‘‘(ii) carries out— 
‘‘(I) planting and maintenance of 
farms or gardens; 
‘‘(II) procurement from local ag-
ricultural producers; or 
‘‘(III) educational activities relat-
ing to agriculture, nutrition, or food.’’; 
(2) in paragraph (2)— 
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(A) by striking ‘‘schools’’ each place it ap-
pears and inserting ‘‘institutions’’; 
(B) by inserting ‘‘land-grant colleges and 
universities,’’ before ‘‘and nonprofit’’; and 
(C) by striking ‘‘grants and technical as-
sistance’’ and inserting ‘‘grants, technical as-
sistance, research, and evaluation’’; 
(3) in paragraph (3)— 
(A) in subparagraph (A)— 
(i) in clause (i), by inserting ‘‘and 
technical assistance’’ after ‘‘training’’; 
(ii) by redesignating clauses (vi) and 
(vii) as clauses (vii) and (viii), respectively; 
and 
(iii) by inserting after clause (v) the 
following: 
‘‘(vi) implementing educational activi-
ties relating to agriculture, nutrition, or 
food;’’; and 
(B) by striking subparagraph (C) and in-
serting the following: 
‘‘(C) IMPROVED PROCUREMENT AND DIS-
TRIBUTION.— 
‘‘(i) 
IN
GENERAL.—In 
awarding 
grants under this subsection, the Secretary 
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shall seek to improve local food procure-
ment and distribution options for agricul-
tural producers and eligible institutions. 
‘‘(ii) 
AGGREGATION, 
PROCESSING, 
TRANSPORTATION, AND
DISTRIBUTION.— 
In advancing local food procurement op-
tions and other farm to school program ob-
jectives, the Secretary may provide funding 
for projects that include innovative ap-
proaches to aggregation, processing, trans-
portation, and distribution. 
‘‘(D) AWARDS.— 
‘‘(i) MAXIMUM
AMOUNT.—The total 
amount provided to a grant recipient under 
this subsection shall not exceed $250,000. 
‘‘(ii) TERM.—The term of an award 
shall not exceed 3 years. 
‘‘(iii) PURPOSE AND SCOPE.—In mak-
ing awards under this subsection, the Sec-
retary shall seek to make awards of diverse 
amounts and duration in order to best 
match the award to the purpose and scope 
of the project to be funded. 
‘‘(E) LIMITATION.—The Secretary may 
not award a grant under this subsection if the 
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grant funds would be used solely for the pur-
pose of carrying out a conference.’’; 
(4) in paragraph (4)— 
(A) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ‘‘, 
Tribal,’’ after ‘‘State’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(C) TRIBAL
AGENCIES.—The Secretary 
may allow a Tribal agency to use funds pro-
vided to the Indian Tribe of the Tribal agency 
through a Federal agency (including the Indian 
Health Service) or any other Federal benefit to 
satisfy all or part of the non-Federal share de-
scribed in subparagraph (A) if that use is con-
sistent with the purpose of the funds or other 
Federal benefit provided.’’; 
(5) in paragraph (5)— 
(A) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) 
through (F) and (G) as clauses (i) through (vi) 
and (ix), respectively, and indenting the clauses 
appropriately; 
(B) in the matter preceding clause (i) (as 
so redesignated), by striking ‘‘To the maximum 
extent practicable’’ and inserting the following: 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—To the maximum ex-
tent practicable’’; 
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(C) in clause (i) (as so redesignated), by 
striking ‘‘school’’ and inserting ‘‘institution’’; 
(D) in clause (ii) (as so redesignated), by 
striking ‘‘lunches’’ and inserting ‘‘meals’’; 
(E) by striking clause (iii) (as so redesig-
nated) and inserting the following: 
‘‘(iii)(I) incorporate experiential and 
traditional and culturally appropriate food, 
nutrition, or agricultural education activi-
ties in curriculum planning; and 
‘‘(II) serve a high proportion of chil-
dren from socially disadvantaged back-
grounds;’’; 
(F) in clause (iv) (as so redesignated), by 
striking ‘‘eligible schools’’ and all that follows 
through ‘‘partners’’ and inserting ‘‘eligible insti-
tutions, State and local agencies, Tribal organi-
zations and agencies, agricultural producers or 
groups of agricultural producers, land-grant col-
leges and universities, and nonprofit entities’’; 
(G) in clause (vi) (as so redesignated), by 
striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(H) by inserting after clause (vi) (as so re-
designated) the following: 
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‘‘(vii) expand the selection of local 
commodities for eligible institutions; 
‘‘(viii) identify and address chronic 
diet-related health issues of the children 
served by eligible institutions; and’’; and 
(I) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(B) TRIBAL COMMUNITY PROJECTS.—In 
the case of projects serving Tribal communities, 
the Secretary shall, to the maximum extent 
practicable, give highest priority to projects 
that best utilize products, including traditional 
foods, from Tribal agricultural producers, as 
determined by the Secretary.’’; 
(6) in paragraph (7)— 
(A) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) 
through (C) as clauses (i) through (iii), respec-
tively, and indenting appropriately; 
(B) by striking the paragraph designation 
and heading and all that follows through ‘‘non-
profit entities—’’ and inserting the following: 
‘‘(7) 
TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE
AND
RE-
SEARCH.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 
provide technical assistance, research, and in-
formation to assist eligible institutions, State 
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and local agencies, Indian Tribal organizations, 
agricultural producers or agricultural producer 
groups, and nonprofit entities—’’; 
(C) in subparagraph (A) (as so des-
ignated)— 
(i) in clause (ii) (as so redesignated), 
by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(ii) in clause (iii) (as so redesignated), 
by striking the period at the end and in-
serting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(iii) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(iv) to increase awareness of, and 
participation in, farm to school programs 
among agricultural and aquaculture pro-
ducers or agricultural producer groups, in-
cluding— 
‘‘(I) 
beginning 
farmers 
and 
ranchers 
(as 
defined 
in 
section 
2501(a) of the Food, Agriculture, 
Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 
(7 U.S.C. 2279(a))); 
‘‘(II) veteran farmers and ranch-
ers (as defined in section 2501(a) of 
the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, 
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and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 
2279(a))); and 
‘‘(III) 
socially 
disadvantaged 
farmers and ranchers (as defined in 
section 355(e) of the Consolidated 
Farm and Rural Development Act (7 
U.S.C. 2003(e))).’’; and 
(D) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(B) REVIEW.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 
year after the date of enactment of the 
Farm to School Act of 2021 and every 3 
years thereafter, the Secretary shall review 
and submit to the Committees on Agri-
culture and Education and Labor of the 
House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and For-
estry of the Senate a report that describes 
the progress that has been made in identi-
fying and eliminating regulatory and other 
barriers related to developing farm to 
school programs. 
‘‘(ii) REQUIREMENTS.—In preparing 
the report, the Secretary shall examine— 
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‘‘(I) the direct and indirect regu-
latory compliance costs affecting the 
production and marketing of locally or 
regionally produced agricultural food 
products to school and early childhood 
food programs; 
‘‘(II) barriers to local and re-
gional market access for small-scale 
production; 
‘‘(III) 
barriers 
to 
funding 
projects that meet the criteria de-
scribed in paragraph (5)(A); 
‘‘(IV) barriers to local and re-
gional market access for Tribal farm-
ers and ranchers; and 
‘‘(V) barriers to funding Tribal 
projects under farm to school pro-
grams.’’; 
(7) in paragraph (8)— 
(A) in subparagraph (A), by striking 
‘‘$5,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$15,000,000’’; 
and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(C) ADMINISTRATION.—Of the funds pro-
vided to the Secretary under subparagraph (A), 
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not more than 5 percent may be used to pay 
administrative costs incurred by the Secretary 
in carrying out this subsection.’’; and 
(8) in paragraph (9), by striking ‘‘2011 
through 2015’’ and inserting ‘‘2022 through 2027’’. 
Æ 
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