White House Conference on Food, Nutrition, Hunger, and Health Act
Bill: H.R.5724 | Sponsor: Rep. McGovern, James P. (D-MA)
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
White House Conference on Food, Nutrition, Hunger, and Health Act
This bill directs the President to convene a conference to make policy recommendations for ending hunger, creating sustainable markets for agricultural producers, and improving nutrition and the resiliency of the food system. The bill also requires specified congressional committees to hold hearings on the conference recommendations and on the status of hunger, nutrition security, and food systems.

To authorize a White House Conference on Food, Nutrition, Hunger, and 
                    Health, 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 ``White House Conference on Food, 
Nutrition, Hunger, and Health Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) hunger and food and nutrition insecurity are conditions 
        that can be solved;
            (2) access to healthy food and good nutrition should be a 
        fundamental priority of each individual who lives in a State;
            (3) more than 50 years have passed since the United States 
        convened a White House conference to comprehensively address 
        the issues of food, hunger, health, and nutrition in the United 
        States;
            (4) more than 38,000,000 individuals live in households 
        that face food insecurity, 12,600,000 of whom are children and 
        5,000,000 of whom are seniors and persons with disabilities or 
        critical illnesses;
            (5)(A) because of the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 
        42,000,000 individuals, including 13,000,000 children, are 
        projected to experience food insecurity; and
            (B) diet-related diseases greatly worsen outcomes from 
        COVID-19, contributing to nearly \2/3\ of all COVID-19 
        hospitalizations in the United States;
            (6)(A) the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted global and local 
        food supply chains, identifying the fragility and importance of 
        the food system as a national security issue and making clear 
        that a diverse local and regional food system is essential to 
        the resilience of the United States; and
            (B) that issue has become entangled with the issues of 
        hunger and food and nutrition insecurity;
            (7)(A) the burdens of food insecurity are not distributed 
        equally, as the burdens remain higher among racial and ethnic 
        minority groups, in rural areas, and in the south and 
        southeast;
            (B) households headed by Blacks and Hispanics face higher 
        rates of food insecurity, at a rate of 21.2 percent and 16.2 
        percent, respectively, while the national average is 11.1 
        percent; and
            (C) the geographic distributions of food insecurity remain 
        a serious concern, as rural communities represent 87 percent of 
        the counties in the United States with the highest rates of 
        overall food insecurity;
            (8)(A) nutrition insecurity and diet-related chronic 
        diseases disproportionately affect racial and ethnic minority 
        groups and low-income, rural, and other underserved populations 
        in the United States; and
            (B) in just over 10 years, type 2 diabetes rates have 
        doubled for African-American children and increased 50 percent 
        for Native-American children and Hispanic children between 10 
        and 19 years old;
            (9) conservative cost estimates show that the true cost of 
        hunger and illness related to hunger and food and nutrition 
        insecurity in the United States is at least $160,000,000,000 
        per year with respect to direct medical costs, most of which is 
        paid by Medicare and Medicaid, an amount that exceeds the 
        annual budget of the Department of Agriculture;
            (10) hyper-consolidation in the food industry has led to a 
        dramatic decline in the farmer's share of the food dollar, 
        fewer choices for consumers, and economic insecurity for rural 
        communities, many of which are now considered food deserts;
            (11)(A) better food and nutrition can save the United 
        States billions of dollars in health care costs by preventing 
        or delaying the progression to late-stage disease for tens of 
        millions of individuals who live in a State and have chronic 
        diseases;
            (B) the adverse social, physical, and psychological 
        outcomes associated with food and nutrition insecurity are well 
        documented, particularly in households with children, including 
        higher rates of diabetes and hypertension, self-reported fair 
        or poor health, maternal depression, behavioral problems and 
        developmental delays in early life, and poor academic 
        achievement;
            (C) those outcomes are not only detrimental to the health 
        and well-being of individual children and families, but also 
        negatively impact broader society; and
            (D) based on a combination of lower worker productivity, 
        higher costs of public education, greater health care costs, 
        and the cost associated with emergency food distribution, the 
        economic burden associated with food insecurity has been 
        estimated to be over $178,930,000,000 annually; and
            (12) a national discussion of the root causes and social 
        determinants of hunger and food and nutrition insecurity, as 
        well as identification of solutions to those epidemics, can 
        lead to action to implement those solutions and to end hunger 
        in the United States.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Co-chairs.--The term ``Co-chairs'' means--
                    (A) the Secretary of Health and Human Services;
                    (B) the Secretary of Agriculture; and
                    (C) the Secretary of the Treasury.
            (2) Conference.--The term ``Conference'' means the White 
        House Conference on Food, Nutrition, Hunger, and Health 
        convened under section 4(a).
            (3) Policy committee.--The term ``Policy Committee'' means 
        the Policy Committee established under section 5(a).
            (4) Presidential designee.--The term ``Presidential 
        Designee'' means the Presidential Designee selected by the 
        President under section 4(b).
            (5) State.--The term ``State'' means--
                    (A) any of the several States;
                    (B) the District of Columbia;
                    (C) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico;
                    (D) Guam;
                    (E) American Samoa;
                    (F) the United States Virgin Islands; and
                    (G) the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
                Islands.

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF THE CONFERENCE.

    (a) Authority To Call Conference.--The President shall call the 
White House Conference on Food, Nutrition, Hunger, and Health, to be 
convened by the Co-chairs not later than 18 months after the selection 
of the members of the Policy Committee in accordance with section 
5(a)--
            (1) to make fundamental policy recommendations with respect 
        to ending hunger, improving nutrition, making the food system 
        more resilient, and creating sustainable markets for farmers 
        and ranchers in the United States; and
            (2) to implement the purposes described in subsection (d) 
        and improve Federal food and nutrition assistance programs.
    (b) Selection of a Presidential Designee.--The President shall 
select a senior executive branch official to serve as Presidential 
Designee.
    (c) Planning and Direction.--The Co-chairs, in consultation with 
the Presidential Designee, shall plan, conduct, and convene the 
Conference.
    (d) Purposes.--The purposes of the Conference are--
            (1) to identify the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the 
        state of food and nutrition insecurity;
            (2) to identify areas of weakness within the food system of 
        the United States;
            (3) to explore the impact of racial, urban, rural, and 
        geographic disparities on hunger and food and nutrition 
        insecurity;
            (4) to identify viable solutions for--
                    (A) ending hunger in the United States by 2030;
                    (B) reducing by \1/2\ the level of nutrition 
                insecurity by 2025; and
                    (C) reducing by \1/2\ the level of diet-related 
                illnesses by 2030;
            (5) to identify any changes and trends with respect to food 
        and nutrition-related security, health, and healthcare spending 
        for the 30 years prior to the date of enactment of this Act;
            (6) to review the structure, scope, and effectiveness of 
        existing laws, regulations, or programs--
                    (A) at the Federal, State, and local levels that 
                provide for the nutritional needs of food-insecure 
                individuals who live in a State; and
                    (B) across all Federal departments and agencies 
                that carry out activities related to food and 
                nutrition;
            (7) to identify possible duplication among Federal food and 
        nutrition programs and to recommend streamlining opportunities 
        in order to improve nutritional and food security outcomes in 
        the United States;
            (8) to determine the extent to which current Federal, 
        State, and local programs can help improve the nutritional 
        health of individuals who live in a State to better use 
        available resources and ensure greater coordination among those 
        programs;
            (9) to identify the ways in which healthcare systems can 
        best integrate and incorporate food and nutrition interventions 
        to improve health, end hunger, and reduce by \1/2\ the levels 
        of nutrition insecurity and diet-related illnesses in the 
        United States;
            (10) to identify ways to provide opportunities for 
        independent family farmers and ranchers to meet the nutritional 
        needs of every individual who lives in a State;
            (11) to highlight emerging and innovative programs from the 
        public and private sectors, including community-based and 
        faith-based organizations that effectively address the 
        nutrition needs of vulnerable individuals who live in a State;
            (12) to identify opportunities for effective partnerships 
        between the government, private industry, labor, healthcare, 
        independent family farmers, and nonprofit sectors to fight 
        hunger in the United States;
            (13) to bring public attention to the more than 38,000,000 
        individuals who live in a State that face a constant struggle 
        against hunger, food insecurity, and nutrition insecurity;
            (14) to review--
                    (A) the medical, developmental, and educational 
                impact of hunger, food insecurity, and nutrition 
                insecurity;
                    (B) the potential savings to the United States 
                health care system, educational system, and other 
                sectors when appropriate food is available to the 
                critically and chronically ill; and
                    (C) the economic opportunities for independent 
                farmers and ranchers to provide healthy food to their 
                communities; and
            (15) to build understanding among individuals who live in a 
        State--
                    (A) of the cost of hunger and nutrition insecurity 
                in the United States, including lost wages, diminished 
                stamina, and reduced capacity to learn; and
                    (B) that hunger, malnutrition, and food and 
                nutrition insecurity, in addition to an increasingly 
                consolidated and foreign-owned food and farm supply 
                system, is a matter of national security.

SEC. 5. POLICY COMMITTEE AND RELATED COMMITTEES.

    (a) Establishment.--Not later than June 30, 2022, the Co-chairs 
shall establish a Policy Committee composed of 25 members to be 
appointed as follows:
            (1) Presidential appointees.--Thirteen members shall be 
        appointed by the President and shall include--
                    (A) the Presidential Designee;
                    (B) 2 members who are officers or employees of the 
                United States;
                    (C) 2 members who are representatives of the 
                healthcare system;
                    (D) 2 members who are farmers or ranchers; and
                    (E) 6 members with experience in addressing the 
                needs of food-insecure and nutrition-insecure 
                individuals who live in a State.
            (2) Senate appointees.--
                    (A) Three members shall be appointed by the 
                majority leader of the Senate, in consultation with--
                            (i) the chairperson and ranking member of 
                        the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
                        Pensions of the Senate;
                            (ii) the chairperson and ranking member of 
                        the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and 
                        Forestry of the Senate; and
                            (iii) the chairperson and ranking member of 
                        the Committee on Finance of the Senate.
                    (B) Three members shall be appointed by the 
                minority leader of the Senate, in consultation with the 
                members of the committees described in clauses (i), 
                (ii), and (iii) of subparagraph (A).
            (3) House of representatives appointees.--
                    (A) Three members shall be appointed by the Speaker 
                of the House of Representatives, in consultation with--
                            (i) the chairperson and ranking member of 
                        the Committee on Education and Labor of the 
                        House of Representatives;
                            (ii) the chairperson and ranking member of 
                        the Committee on Agriculture of the House of 
                        Representatives; and
                            (iii) the chairperson and ranking member of 
                        the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of 
                        Representatives.
                    (B) Three members shall be appointed by the 
                minority leader of the House of Representatives, in 
                consultation with the members of the committees 
                described in clauses (i), (ii), and (iii) of 
                subparagraph (A).
    (b) Operation of Committee.--
            (1) Chairperson.--
                    (A) In general.--The Presidential Designee shall 
                serve as the chairperson of the Policy Committee.
                    (B) Voting privilege.--The chairperson may vote 
                only to break a tie vote of the other members of the 
                Policy Committee.
            (2) Voting.--
                    (A) In general.--The Policy Committee shall act by 
                the vote of a majority of the members present.
                    (B) Quorum.--A quorum of members shall not be 
                required to conduct Policy Committee business.
    (c) Duties of the Committee.--
            (1) Meetings.--
                    (A) Initial meeting.--The Co-chairs of the 
                Conference shall hold the first meeting of the Policy 
                Committee not later than 30 days after the last member 
                is appointed to the Committee in accordance with 
                subsection (a).
                    (B) Regular meetings.--Subsequent meetings of the 
                Policy Committee shall be held at the call of the Co-
                chairs of the Conference.
            (2) Duties.--Through meetings, hearings, and working 
        sessions, the Policy Committee shall--
                    (A) make recommendations to the Co-chairs to 
                facilitate the timely convening of the Conference;
                    (B) not later than 90 days after the first meeting 
                of the Policy Committee, prepare and submit to the Co-
                chairs a proposed agenda for the Conference that 
                reflects, to the greatest extent practicable--
                            (i) the major issues facing the field of 
                        food and nutrition; and
                            (ii) the purposes of the Conference 
                        described in section 4(d);
                    (C) make recommendations with respect to the 
                selection of the delegates to the Conference;
                    (D) establish the number of delegates to be 
                selected under section 6; and
                    (E) establish an executive committee that--
                            (i) consists of 3 members of the Policy 
                        Committee, selected in consultation with the 
                        Committee on Agriculture of the House of 
                        Representatives, the Committee on Rules of the 
                        House of Representatives, and the Committee on 
                        Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the 
                        Senate; and
                            (ii) collaborates with the delegates to the 
                        Conference.

SEC. 6. CONFERENCE DELEGATES.

     To carry out the purposes of the Conference described in section 
4(d), the Co-chairs shall appoint delegates who are representative of 
the spectrum of thought in the field of food and nutrition, without 
regard to political affiliation or past partisan activity, who shall 
include--
            (1) representatives of Federal, State, and local 
        governments;
            (2) individuals working in the field of food, health, 
        nutrition, farming, and economic security; and
            (3) members of the general public who are affected by 
        hunger and nutrition insecurity in the United States.

SEC. 7. CONFERENCE ADMINISTRATION.

    (a) Administration.--In administering this Act, the Co-chairs 
shall--
            (1) not later than 48 hours before the start of a meeting, 
        hearing, or working session, provide written notice to all 
        members of the Policy Committee of that meeting, hearing, or 
        working session;
            (2) request the cooperation and assistance of the heads of 
        Federal departments and agencies as may be appropriate, 
        including the detailing of personnel from those departments and 
        agencies;
            (3) make available for public comment the proposed agenda 
        submitted by the Policy Committee under section 5(c)(2)(B);
            (4) not later than 30 days after the date on which the 
        proposed agenda is submitted for public comment under paragraph 
        (3), approve that agenda; and
            (5) prepare and make available to delegates background 
        materials determined by the Co-chairs to be necessary.
    (b) No Compensation.--All members appointed under this Act shall 
serve in the roles for which they are appointed without compensation.
    (c) Duties.--The Co-chairs shall ensure that--
            (1) the proposed agenda prepared under section 5(c)(2)(B) 
        is published in the Federal Register not later than 30 days 
        after that agenda is approved under subsection (a)(4);
            (2) any employed personnel are fairly balanced with respect 
        to points of views represented and are appointed without regard 
        to political affiliation or previous partisan activities;
            (3) the recommendations of the Conference--
                    (A) are not inappropriately influenced by any 
                special interest; and
                    (B) are the result of the independent and 
                collective judgment of the delegates to the Conference; 
                and
            (4) not later than 30 days before the Conference is 
        convened, the delegates to the Conference have access to 
        information provided by relevant Federal agencies that 
        includes--
                    (A) updated statistical data (including decennial 
                census data) and other information on food and 
                nutrition in the United States; and
                    (B) information necessary to evaluate Federal 
                programs and policies relating to food and nutrition.
    (d) Gifts.--
            (1) In general.--The Co-chairs may accept, on behalf of the 
        United States, gifts (in cash or in kind, including voluntary 
        and uncompensated services), which shall be available to carry 
        out this Act.
            (2) Additional amount.--Gifts of cash shall be available in 
        addition to amounts appropriated to carry out this Act.
    (e) Records.--
            (1) In general.--The Co-chairs shall maintain records 
        regarding--
                    (A) the sources, amounts, and uses of gifts 
                accepted under subsection (d); and
                    (B) the identity of each individual assisting in 
                carrying out this Act, and the amount of compensation, 
                if any, received by each such individual.
            (2) Public availability.--For each gift accepted under 
        subsection (d), the records described in paragraph (1) shall be 
        made public not later than 30 days after the date on which the 
        gift is received.

SEC. 8. CONFERENCE REPORT.

    (a) Preliminary Report.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 100 days after the date on 
        which the Conference adjourns, the Policy Committee shall 
        prepare a preliminary report on the Conference, which shall 
        be--
                    (A) published in the Federal Register; and
                    (B) submitted to the chief executive officers of 
                each of the States.
            (2) Views and findings.--The Policy Committee shall request 
        that, not later than 45 days after the submission of the report 
        by the Policy Committee under paragraph (1)(B), the chief 
        executive officers of each of the States shall submit to the 
        Policy Committee views and findings with respect to that 
        report.
    (b) Final Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date on which 
the Conference adjourns, the Policy Committee shall--
            (1) prepare a final report on the Conference, which shall 
        include--
                    (A) a compilation of the views and findings of the 
                chief executive officers of each of the States 
                submitted under subsection (a)(2); and
                    (B) recommendations for administrative action and 
                legislation with respect to those views and findings; 
                and
            (2) publish in the Federal Register, and transmit to the 
        President and to Congress, the recommendations described in 
        paragraph (1)(B).

SEC. 9. STATUS REPORTS.

    (a) Initial Status Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date 
on which the Conference adjourns, the Presidential Designee shall--
            (1) prepare a status report documenting the implementation 
        of the recommendations contained in the final report described 
        in section 8(b)(1)(B); and
            (2) publish in the Federal Register, and transmit to the 
        President and to Congress, that status report.
    (b) Subsequent Status Reports.--Not later than 5 years after the 
date on which the Conference adjourns, and every 2 years thereafter for 
not longer than 10 years, the Presidential Designee shall--
            (1) prepare a status report documenting the implementation 
        of the recommendations contained in that final report; and
            (2) publish in the Federal Register, and transmit to the 
        President and to Congress, that status report.

SEC. 10. COMMITTEE HEARINGS.

    (a) Hearings on Reports.--The Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, 
and Forestry of the Senate, the Committee on Agriculture of the House 
of Representatives, and the Committee on Rules of the House of 
Representatives shall each hold hearings on the recommendations and 
status reports transmitted to Congress under sections 8(b)(2), 9(a)(2), 
and 9(b)(2).
    (b) Hearings on Status of Hunger, Nutrition Security, and Food 
Systems.--The Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the 
Senate, the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives, 
and the Committee on Rules of the House of Representatives shall each 
hold annual hearings on the status of hunger, food and nutrition 
insecurity, and resilient food systems in the United States.
    (c) Exercise of Rulemaking Authority.--Subsections (a) and (b) are 
enacted--
            (1) as an exercise of the rulemaking power of the Senate 
        and the House of Representatives, and, as such, shall be 
        considered as part of the rules of the Senate or the House of 
        Representatives (as the case may be), and such rules shall 
        supersede any other rule of the Senate or the House of 
        Representatives only to the extent that any such rule is 
        inconsistent therewith; and
            (2) with full recognition of the constitutional right of 
        either House to change such rules (so far as relating to the 
        procedure in such House) at any time, in the same manner, and 
        to the same extent as in the case of any other rule of the 
        Senate or the House of Representatives.

SEC. 11. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) Authorization.--
            (1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated 
        $2,500,000 to carry out this Act for each of--
                    (A) the fiscal year in which the Policy Committee 
                plans the Conference and for the following fiscal year; 
                and
                    (B) the fiscal year in which the Conference is 
                held.
            (2) Limitation.--Any new spending authority or new 
        authority to enter into contracts under this Act, and under 
        which the United States is obligated to make outlays, shall be 
        effective only to the extent, and in such amounts, as are 
        provided in advance in appropriation Acts.
    (b) Availability of Funds.--
            (1) In general.--Funds appropriated to carry out this Act 
        and funds received as gifts under section 7(d) shall remain 
        available for obligation or expenditure for 1 year after the 
        date on which the Conference adjourns.
            (2) Unobligated funds.--Any funds described in paragraph 
        (1) that are not expended or obligated before the expiration of 
        the 1-year period described in that paragraph shall be returned 
        to the United States Treasury.
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