I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3956 
To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to authorize the Secretary 
of Agriculture to enter into self-determination contracts and self-govern-
ance agreements with Indian entities to administer the food distribution 
program on Indian reservations. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 12, 2025 
Ms. DAVIDS of Kansas (for herself and Mr. LUCAS) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture 
A BILL 
To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to authorize 
the Secretary of Agriculture to enter into self-determina-
tion contracts and self-governance agreements with In-
dian entities to administer the food distribution program 
on Indian reservations. 
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 ‘‘Food Distribution Pro-
gram on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) Act of 2025’’. 
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SEC. 2. FOOD DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM ON INDIAN RES-
ERVATIONS 
UNDER 
SELF-DETERMINATION 
CONTRACTS AND SELF-GOVERNANCE AGREE-
MENTS. 
Section 4(b) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 
(7 U.S.C. 2013(b)) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating paragraph (7) as para-
graph (8); and 
(2) by inserting after paragraph (6) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(7) SELF
DETERMINATION
CONTRACTS
AND 
SELF-GOVERNANCE AGREEMENTS FOR INDIAN ENTI-
TIES.— 
‘‘(A) DEFINITIONS.—In this paragraph: 
‘‘(i) INDIAN ENTITY.—The term ‘In-
dian entity’ means Indian Tribes and Trib-
al Organizations given the terms in section 
4 of the Indian Self-Determination and 
Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 
5304). 
‘‘(ii) 
SELF-DETERMINATION
CON-
TRACT
AND
SELF-GOVERNANCE
AGREE-
MENT.—The terms ‘self-determination con-
tract’ and ‘self-governance funding agree-
ment’ has the meaning given the term in 
section 4 and section 401 of the Indian 
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Self-Determination and Education Assist-
ance Act. 
‘‘(B) ESTABLISHMENT.—At the request of 
an Indian entity, the Secretary shall negotiate 
and enter into self-determination contracts or 
self-governance agreements to purchase agricul-
tural commodities under the food distribution 
program under this subsection for the Indian 
reservation of that Indian entity and to admin-
ister programs, functions, services, or activities 
(or portions thereof) related to the operations 
of the food distribution program of that Indian 
entity. 
‘‘(C) ELIGIBILITY.— 
‘‘(i) CRITERIA.—The Secretary shall 
presume an Indian entity is eligible to pur-
chase agricultural commodities and assume 
the administration of a food distribution 
program on the Indian reservation of that 
Indian entity under section 4(b)(7) if the 
Indian entity meets the eligibility require-
ments in title I or IV of the Indian Self- 
Determination and Education Assistance 
Act of 1975. 
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‘‘(ii) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary 
shall consult with the Indian Tribes to de-
termine the process under which a Tribal 
organization may participate. 
‘‘(D) PURCHASE OF AGRICULTURAL COM-
MODITIES.—Any agricultural commodities pur-
chased by a Indian entity under the subsection 
shall— 
‘‘(i) be domestically produced; 
‘‘(ii) shall not result in a material in-
crease or decrease in the total amount of 
food in the food package of that Indian en-
tity compared to the amount of food the 
Secretary 
authorizes 
to 
be 
provided 
through the FDPIR Guide Rate; and 
‘‘(iii) be of similar or higher nutri-
tional value as the type of agricultural 
commodities that would be supplanted in 
the existing food package for that Indian 
entity or be an agricultural commodity 
with Tribal significance to that Indian en-
tity. 
‘‘(E) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year 
after the effective date of this paragraph and 
annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit, 
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to the Committee on Agriculture of the House 
of Representatives and the Committee on Agri-
culture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate, 
a report describing the activities carried out by 
Indian entities under self-determination con-
tracts and self-governance agreements during 
the preceding year.’’. 
SEC. 3. APPLICATION OF GOVERNING LAW. 
The negotiation, execution, and flexible administra-
tion of all self-determination or self-governance agree-
ments authorized under this paragraph (7) shall be gov-
erned by the requirements of title I with respect to self- 
determination agreements, or title IV with respect to self- 
governance agreements, of the Indian Self-Determination 
and Education Assistance Act of 1975 and the regulations 
duly promulgated thereunder by the Department of the 
Interior. The application of such statutory and regulatory 
provisions shall be adapted to the Department of Agri-
culture programs, functions, services, and activities only 
with the negotiated consent of the Indian entity affected, 
on a case by case basis. All such adaptations shall adhere 
to the rule of construction in section 406(i) of such Act 
(25 U.S.C. 5366(i)) that each provision shall be liberally 
construed for the benefit of the Indian entity and any am-
biguity shall be resolved in factor of the Indian entity. 
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