Healthy Future Students and Earth Pilot Program Act of 2021
Bill: H.R.4108 | Sponsor: Rep. Velazquez, Nydia M. (D-NY)
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
Healthy Future Students and Earth Pilot Program Act of 2021
This bill establishes a pilot program for providing 100% plant-based food and milk options in school meals.
The Department of Agriculture must award up to 50 grants to school food authorities. Recipients may use funds for activities including training food service personnel on serving 100% plant-based options and covering additional costs of buying plant-based foods and milks.

To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to establish 
  a pilot grant program to make grants to school food authorities to 
 provide 100 percent plant-based food and milk options, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Healthy Future Students and Earth 
Pilot Program Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. PILOT GRANT PROGRAM FOR 100 PERCENT PLANT-BASED FOOD AND MILK 
              OPTIONS.

    Section 18 of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 
U.S.C. 1769) is amended by inserting before subsection (b) the 
following:
    ``(a) Pilot Grant Program for 100 Percent Plant-Based Food and Milk 
Options.--
            ``(1) Program authorized.--Not later than 90 days after the 
        date of the enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall 
        establish and carry out a pilot grant program to make grants to 
        eligible school food authorities to carry out the activities 
        described in paragraph (4).
            ``(2) Grant terms.--
                    ``(A) Number of grants awarded.--The Secretary 
                shall award at least 50 grants under the pilot grant 
                program established under paragraph (1).
                    ``(B) Term.--The term of a grant awarded under this 
                subsection shall be 3 years.
                    ``(C) Purpose and scope.--The Secretary shall, to 
                the maximum extent practicable, award grants under this 
                subsection in diverse amounts in order to best match--
                            ``(i) the need of the school food authority 
                        awarded the grant; and
                            ``(ii) the award to the purpose and scope 
                        of the project to be funded.
            ``(3) Application.--
                    ``(A) In general.--To be eligible to receive a 
                grant under this subsection, an eligible school food 
                authority shall submit to the Secretary an application 
                at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
                information as the Secretary may require.
                    ``(B) Priority.--To the maximum extent practicable, 
                the Secretary shall give priority to awarding grants to 
                an eligible school food authority that--
                            ``(i) will use the grant funds to--
                                    ``(I) serve a high proportion of 
                                children who are eligible for free or 
                                reduced price lunches;
                                    ``(II) demonstrate collaboration 
                                with nongovernmental and community-
                                based organizations, agricultural 
                                producer groups, and other community 
                                partners;
                                    ``(III) serve a high proportion of 
                                children from socially disadvantaged 
                                backgrounds; and
                                    ``(IV) incorporate experiential and 
                                traditional and culturally appropriate 
                                food, nutrition, or agricultural 
                                education activities in curriculum 
                                planning;
                            ``(ii) in the application of such eligible 
                        school food authority under subparagraph (A)--
                                    ``(I) includes an adequate and 
                                participatory evaluation plan; and
                                    ``(II) includes a plan for 
                                providing culturally appropriate meals; 
                                and
                            ``(iii) meets any other criteria that the 
                        Secretary determines appropriate.
            ``(4) Use of funds.--A grant under this subsection may be 
        used for any of the following:
                    ``(A) To contract with third parties for 
                professional development training for food service 
                personnel on serving (including preparing, procuring, 
                marketing, and creating menus) 100 percent plant-based 
                food options or 100 percent plant-based milk options, 
                except that any employee who participates in such a 
                training shall be compensated for such training at the 
                regular rate of pay of such employee.
                    ``(B) To provide technical assistance and pupil 
                engagement and education on 100 percent plant-based 
                food and 100 percent plant-based milk options, 
                including providing taste tests, recipe development, 
                and culinary education.
                    ``(C) To provide additional compensation for 
                additional work relating to serving meals that include 
                a 100 percent plant-based food option or a 100 percent 
                plant-based milk option.
                    ``(D) To conduct outreach to and cover costs of 
                procurement of foods from agricultural producers of 
                meat alternates including--
                            ``(i) beginning farmers (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 (as defined in 
                        section 2501(a) of the Food, Agriculture, 
                        Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 
                        2279(a)));
                            ``(iii) socially disadvantaged farmers (as 
                        defined in section 355(e) of the Consolidated 
                        Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 
                        2003(e))); and
                            ``(iv) local farmers.
            ``(5) Reports.--
                    ``(A) Recordkeeping required.--Each eligible school 
                food authority awarded a grant under this subsection 
                shall keep such records of meat alternative and fluid 
                milk alternative items served pursuant to this 
                subsection as the Secretary determines appropriate.
                    ``(B) Report required by school food authorities.--
                Not later than 1 year after receiving a grant under 
                this subsection, and annually for the duration of the 
                pilot grant program thereafter, a school food authority 
                shall submit to the Secretary a report on the success 
                of the pilot grant program, including information on--
                            ``(i) the number of 100 percent plant-based 
                        food options and 100 percent plant-based milk 
                        options that the school food authority served 
                        during the grant period compared with the 
                        preceding school year;
                            ``(ii) the number of schools served by the 
                        school food authority pursuant to the grant;
                            ``(iii) the number of students served by 
                        the school food authority pursuant to the 
                        grant; and
                            ``(iv) how the school food authority used 
                        the grant funds.
                    ``(C) Report by secretary.--Not later than 60 days 
                after the date described in paragraph (7), the 
                Secretary shall submit to Congress a report that 
                includes a summary of the reports received under 
                subparagraph (B) and such information with respect to 
                the pilot program the Secretary determines relevant.
            ``(6) Technical assistance.--The Secretary shall provide 
        technical assistance and information to assist school food 
        authorities--
                    ``(A) to facilitate the coordination and sharing of 
                information and resources in the Department that may be 
                applicable to the activities described in paragraph 
                (4);
                    ``(B) to collect and share information on best 
                practices; and
                    ``(C) to disseminate research and data on existing 
                farm to school programs and the potential for programs 
                in underserved areas.
            ``(7) Sunset.--The authority to carry out this subsection 
        shall terminate on the date that is 5 years after the date of 
        the enactment of this subsection.
            ``(8) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $10,000,000 for 
        fiscal year 2022, to remain available until the date described 
        in paragraph (7).
            ``(9) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    ``(A) 100 percent plant-based food option.--The 
                term `100 percent plant-based food option' means a 
                breakfast or lunch meal option or component that--
                            ``(i) includes a meat alternate as 
                        described in--
                                    ``(I) section 210.10 of title 7, 
                                Code of Federal Regulations (or 
                                successor regulations); or
                                    ``(II) appendix A to part 210 of 7, 
                                Code of Federal Regulations (or 
                                successor regulations); and
                            ``(ii) does not contain any animal products 
                        or byproducts, such as meat, poultry, fish, 
                        dairy, or eggs.
                    ``(B) 100 percent plant-based milk option.--The 
                term `100 percent plant-based milk option' means a 
                beverage, including a 100 percent plant-based dairy 
                alternative, that--
                            ``(i) does not contain any animal products 
                        or byproducts; and
                            ``(ii) meets the standards for a 
                        substitution for fluid milk in accordance with 
                        section 9(a)(2)(B)(i).
                    ``(C) Eligible school food authority.--The term 
                `eligible school food authority' means a school food 
                authority for which 50 percent or more of the students 
                served by such school food authority are eligible for 
                free or reduced price lunch under this Act or free or 
                reduced price breakfast under section 4 of the Child 
                Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1773).
                    ``(D) Socially disadvantaged.--The term `socially 
                disadvantaged' has the meaning given the term in 
                section 124.103 of title 13, Code of Federal 
                Regulations (or successor regulations).''.
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