SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) Food insecurity, epidemic levels of obesity, 
hypertension, diabetes, and youth osteoporosis are 
caused by improper nutrition yielded by lack of nu-
tritious, reliable, and locally available healthy food 
options. 
(2) The American Diabetes Association esti-
mated a 41-percent increase in costs of diagnosed 
diabetes from 2007 ($174,000,000,000) to 2012 
($245,000,000,000) with most of these costs (62 
percent) coming from senior health programs such 
as Medicare and Medicaid. 
(3) Since sequestration in 2008, there has been 
no funding increase for the Senior Farmers’ Market 
Nutrition Program. 
(4) From 2008 to 2020, the moderate at home 
food cost for a family of 2 (aged 51–70 years old) 
increased by an average of $70 a month. The Sen-
iors Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program funding 
has not kept pace with such inflation. 
(5) According to the Department of Agri-
culture, Seniors Farmers’ Market Nutrition Pro-
gram has a total program funding backlog of 
$20,065,021 and a season benefit level backlog of 
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$16,120,741 across all participating States, terri-
tories, and Native American Tribes. 
(6) Roughly 1 in 10 United States senior citi-
zens (about 5,146,000) are forced to live well below 
the Federal poverty level, and the Seniors Farmers’ 
Market Nutrition Program is only able to reach 
about 725,000 due to inadequate funding. 
(7) Since sequestration in 2008, funding for the 
WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program has fallen 
by over $6,000,000 and never rebounded. 
(8) The WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Pro-
gram is a vital safeguard for the nearly 1 in 7 chil-
dren who will be born into poverty in the United 
States and will be at nutritional risk. 
(9) According to the Department of Agri-
culture, the WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Pro-
gram has a total program and seasonal benefit fund-
ing backlog of $6,198,432 across all participating 
States, territories, and Native American Tribes. 
(10) In the United States, food banks will pro-
vide meals to 1 in 7 people. 
(11) Many food banks share special relation-
ships with local farmers who often donate their 
crops to food banks. The partnership allows for 
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more efficient and sustainable procurement for food 
banks. 
(12) Assisting food banks to grow their own 
food will aid local procurement and allow food banks 
to serve as farming resources to their communities, 
especially to those who are food insecure. 
(13) The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, 
specifically required looking at ways to incorporate 
local goods to reduce food waste. 
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are— 
(1) to increase and enhance funding for the 
Farmers’ Market Nutrition Programs to support 
seniors and food insecure families, and to increase 
market capacity for local farmers; 
(2) to provide funding assistance for the expan-
sion and construction of farmers’ markets in both 
rural and urban food desert areas; 
(3) to increase local food production through 
partnership with food banks by local farmer con-
tracting and funding assistance to food banks to 
grow necessary produce through traditional or con-
trolled environment agricultural farming. 
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SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION AND ADDITIONAL AUTHORIZA-
TION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR SENIORS 
FARMERS’ MARKET NUTRITION PROGRAM. 
(a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR SEN-
IORS FARMERS’ MARKET NUTRITION PROGRAM.—Section 
4402(a) of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act 
of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 3007(a)) is amended by striking 
‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2028’’. 
(b) ADDITIONAL AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIA-
TIONS TO EXPAND PARTICIPATION
IN
THE SENIORS 
FARMERS’ MARKET NUTRITION PROGRAM.— 
(1) INCREASED AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIA-
TIONS.—To expand and address season benefit level 
and total backlogs of the Seniors Farmers’ Market 
Nutrition Program, there is authorized to be appro-
priated— 
(A) for fiscal year 2024, an increase to 
$60,000,000; 
(B) for fiscal year 2025, an increase to 
$70,000,000; and 
(C) for each of the fiscal years 2026 
through 2028, and increase to $100,000,000. 
(2) BENEFIT ENHANCEMENT.—For the purpose 
of expanding access to the Seniors Farmers’ Market 
Nutrition Program, funds appropriated under sub-
section (a) shall be used for the following purposes: 
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(A) Program eligibility income limit shall 
increase to 200 percent of the Federal poverty 
guideline. 
(B) The minimum individual benefit shall 
be increased to $35. 
(C) The maximum individual benefit limit 
shall be removed. 
SEC. 4. MINIMUM INDIVIDUAL BENEFIT INCREASE UNDER 
THE 
WIC 
FARMERS’ 
MARKET 
NUTRITION 
PROGRAM. 
Section 17(m) of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 
U.S.C. 1786(m)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘paragraph (10)’’ both places it 
appears and inserting ‘‘paragraph (9)’’; 
(2) in paragraph (5)(C)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘$10’’ and inserting 
‘‘$35’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘$30’’ and inserting 
‘‘$60’’; and 
(3) in paragraph (9)(A), by striking ‘‘2015’’ 
and inserting ‘‘2028’’. 
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SEC. 5. INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING FOR FARMERS MAR-
KETS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Agriculture shall 
make loans, loan guarantees, and grants to public agencies 
and nonprofit organizations for— 
(1) the construction of new farmers’ markets; 
or 
(2) the improvement or rehabilitation of exist-
ing farmers’ markets, including by adding or im-
proving payment technologies used in such farmers’ 
markets. 
(b) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to receive a loan, 
loan guarantee, or grant under subsection (a) with respect 
to a farmers’ market the public agency or nonprofit orga-
nization involved shall— 
(1) demonstrate financial need as determined 
by the Secretary; and 
(2) commit to reserving at least 50 percent of 
the floor area of the farmers’ market for the sale of 
products that are produced locally, as determined by 
the Secretary, by farmers, ranchers, or aquaculture, 
mariculture, or fisheries operators, or by associa-
tions of farmers, ranchers, or such operators. 
(c) COST SHARING.— 
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(1) GRANTS.—The amount of a grant under 
this section shall not exceed 25 percent of the cost 
of the activity for which the grant is made. 
(2) MAXIMUM AMOUNT.—The combined amount 
of a grant made and loan made or guaranteed under 
this section shall not exceed 80 percent of the cost 
of the activity for which the grant or loan is made 
or guaranteed. 
(d) INTEREST RATE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—A loan made by the Sec-
retary under subsection (a) shall bear interest at the 
rate equivalent to the rate of interest charged on 
Treasury securities of comparable maturity on the 
date the loan is approved. 
(2) DURATION.—The interest rate referred to 
in paragraph (1) with respect to a loan referred to 
in such paragraph shall remain in effect for the term 
of the loan. 
(e) FUNDING.—Of the funds of the Commodity Cred-
it Corporation, the Secretary shall make available to carry 
out this section $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 
through 2029. 
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SEC. 6. PILOT PROGRAM FOR FOOD BANKS AND LOCAL 
FARMER CONTRACTING FOR LOCAL PRO-
CUREMENT. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Agriculture 
shall establish a pilot grant program in which food banks 
may voluntarily contract with their local farmers for them 
to grow produce for food bank programs to promote local 
procurement of produce. Food banks serving economically 
depressed or food desert areas hall be given priority to 
receive grants under this section. The Secretary shall 
make grants to food banks in 5 urban ZIP Codes (as des-
ignated by the Census Bureau), 5 suburban ZIP Codes 
(as designated by the Census Bureau), and 5 rural ZIP 
Codes (as designated by the Census Bureau) distributed 
as follows: 
(1) 3 of such grants in each ZIP Code selected 
under paragraph (1) shall be awarded to food banks 
in each Census Bureau Region of the United States; 
and 
(2) 3 of such grants among 3 of such ZIP 
Codes selected by the Secretary. 
(b) METHODS.—Under contracts made by food banks 
with grants received under subsection (a), local farmers 
may grow produce through traditional or controlled envi-
ronmental agriculture farming. 
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(c) FUNDING.—Of the funds of the Commodity Cred-
it Corporation, the Secretary shall make available to carry 
out this section $7,500,000 for fiscal years of 2024 and 
2025. The amount of a grant under this section shall be 
$500,000 per grant as to operate 15 separate pilot pro-
gram grant locations in total. 
SEC. 7. REPORTING REQUIREMENT. 
Not later than 180 days after effective date of this 
Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall submit to— 
(1) the Committee on Agriculture, and the 
Committee on Education and the Workforce, of the 
House of Representatives; and 
(2) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, 
and Forestry, and the Committee on Aging, of the 
Senate, 
a report that contains a review of the effect of this Act 
on local procurement of food, local farmers, who or what 
groups or entities are procuring the food, and the commu-
nities involved. 
SEC. 8. EFFECTIVE DATE. 
This Act shall take effect 120 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act. 
Æ 
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