Farmers Feeding Families Act of 2022
Bill: H.R.9672 | Sponsor: Rep. Schrier, Kim (D-WA)
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
Farmers Feeding Families Act of 2022
This bill amends The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) to authorize the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to provide funds for states to purchase priority agricultural products (e.g., fruits, vegetables, meats, and grains) from eligible small businesses and distribute them to needy persons through emergency feeding organizations. New farmers and small or mid-sized family farms qualify as eligible small businesses under this FNS program, as well as packers, distributors, cooperatives, and others that source agricultural products from them.
The bill also requires a state's TEFAP plan eligibility standards to include, at a minimum, all individuals or households with an income less than 250% of the poverty line.

To amend the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 to provide 
additional agricultural products for distribution by emergency feeding 
                 organizations; 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 ``Farmers Feeding Families Act of 
2022''.

SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS.

    (a) Purchase of Priority Agricultural Products.--Section 203D of 
the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 (7 U.S.C. 7507) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a) by inserting ``or that State agencies 
        purchase using funds made available under subsection (d),'' 
        after ``distribution,'',
            (2) in subsection (b) by inserting ``or purchased'' after 
        ``donated'',
            (3) by striking subsection (c),
            (4) in subsection (d)--
                    (A) by striking ``(d)'' and inserting ``(c)'', and
                    (B) in paragraph (2)--
                            (i) in subparagraph (A) by striking 
                        ``subparagraphs (B) and (C)'' and inserting 
                        ``subparagraph (B)'', and
                            (ii) by striking subparagraph (B), and
                            (iii) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as 
                        subparagraph (B), and
            (5) by inserting after subsection (c) the following:
    ``(d) Projects for States To Purchase Certain Commodities From 
Eligible Entities.--
            ``(1) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    ``(A) Project.--The term `project' means the 
                purchase of priority agricultural products from 
                eligible entities, and the distribution of those 
                products to needy persons through emergency feeding 
                organizations under subsection (a).
                    ``(B) Priority agricultural product.--The term 
                `priority agricultural product' means a fruit, 
                vegetable, dairy, meat, seafood, grain, poultry, or 
                other commodity food product, available for sale by 
                eligible entities and that States determine to be 
                nutritious, appropriate for distribution through 
                emergency feeding organizations, and culturally 
                relevant to the local communities that will distribute 
                the products.
                    ``(C) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' 
                means any of the following small businesses (as defined 
                by the Small Business Administration) that is a grower, 
                packer, processor, distributor, food-hub, or a 
                cooperative, and that--
                            ``(i) is--
                                    ``(I) underserved, including women-
                                owned or veteran-owned; or
                                    ``(II) composed of, or sources 
                                agricultural products from, beginning 
                                farmers, or small or mid-sized farms 
                                that are structured as family farms; 
                                and
                            ``(ii) can deliver the priority 
                        agricultural products to emergency feeding 
                        organizations selected by the State as being 
                        most in need of the products; and
                            ``(iii) that is committed to serving local 
                        communities and forging strong relationships 
                        with emergency feeding organizations, public 
                        agencies, and Tribal governments through a 
                        project, as determined by the State.
            ``(2) Federal funding for projects.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Subject to subparagraph (C) and 
                paragraph (4), using funds made available under 
                paragraph (5), the Secretary may provide funds to 
                States to pay for the costs of carrying out a project.
                    ``(B) Guidance.--Not later than 180 days after the 
                date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
                issue guidance to States--
                            ``(i) to carry out this section;
                            ``(ii) to inform States of their 
                        allocations under paragraph (3);
                            ``(iii) to encourage States to partner with 
                        a wide range of emergency feeding 
                        organizations, including those that face 
                        barriers to entry to participating in existing 
                        Department of Agriculture nutrition programs; 
                        and
                            ``(iv) to inform States of public reporting 
                        requirements and minimum project performance 
                        standards, as developed by the Secretary.
                    ``(C) Allocation.--
                            ``(i) Eligibility for allocation.--The 
                        Secretary shall allocate funds made available 
                        under paragraph (5) based on the formula in 
                        effect under section 214(a), among States that 
                        submit a State plan of operation for a project 
                        that includes--
                                    ``(I) a list of eligible entities 
                                and emergency feeding organizations in 
                                the State that will operate the project 
                                in partnership with the State agency;
                                    ``(II) at the option of the State, 
                                a list of priority agricultural 
                                products located in the State that are 
                                available for purchase and transport to 
                                emergency feeding organizations to 
                                identify which foods may be included in 
                                the project;
                                    ``(III) a time line of when the 
                                project will begin operating; and
                                    ``(IV) a plan to comply with the 
                                standards set out in subparagraph 
                                (B)(iv).
                            ``(ii) Reallocation.--If the Secretary 
                        determines that a State will not expend all the 
                        funds allocated to the State under clause (i), 
                        the Secretary shall reallocate the unexpended 
                        funds to other eligible States.
                            ``(iii) Report.--Each State that receives 
                        funds allocated under this subparagraph shall 
                        submit to the Secretary financial reports on a 
                        regular basis describing the use of the funds.
            ``(3) Project purposes.--A State may only use Federal funds 
        received under paragraph (2) for a project the purposes of 
        which are--
                    ``(A) to maintain and improve food and agricultural 
                supply chain resiliency;
                    ``(B) to provide food to individuals in need; and
                    ``(C) to build relationships between the State, 
                eligible entities and emergency feeding organizations 
                through the purchase of food.
            ``(4) Cooperative agreements.--
                    ``(A) In general.--A State agency that carries out 
                a project using Federal funds received under this 
                subsection may enter into cooperative agreements with 
                State agencies of other States under section 203B(d) to 
                maximize the use of commodities purchased under the 
                project.
                    ``(B) Submission.--Not later than 15 days after 
                entering into a cooperative agreement under clause (i), 
                a State agency shall submit such agreement to the 
                Secretary.
            ``(5) Funding.--Out of funds not otherwise appropriated, 
        the Secretary of the Treasury shall transfer to the Secretary 
        to carry out this subsection $50,000,000 for each of the fiscal 
        years 2024 through 2028, to remain available until the end of 
        the respective subsequent fiscal year.
            ``(6) Reporting.--Not later than 4 years after the 
        effective date of this subsection, the Secretary shall submit 
        to the Committee of Agriculture of the House of Representatives 
        and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of 
        the Senate a report containing--
                    ``(A) an evaluation of the effectiveness of this 
                subsection in providing nutritious food to individuals 
                in need, improving agricultural supply chain 
                resiliency, and expanding economic opportunity for 
                eligible entities; and
                    ``(B) recommendations for the implementation of 
                this subsection to improve nutrition outcomes.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 202A(b)(5) of the Emergency Food 
Assistance Act of 1983 (7 U.S.C. 7503(b)(5)) is amended by striking 
``donated commodities received under section 203D(d)'' and inserting 
``commodities donated under subsection (c), or purchased under 
subsection (d), of section 203D''.

SEC. 3. STATE PLAN.

    Section 202A(b)(4)(A) of the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 
(7 U.S.C. 7503(b)(4)(A)) is amended by inserting before the semicolon 
at the end the following:
                ``, including at a minimum all individuals or 
                households with an income less than 250 percent of the 
                poverty line''.

SEC. 4. INTRADEPARTMENTAL COORDINATION.

    (a) Working Group.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall create a 
cross-agency working group within the office of the Secretary to work 
with relevant agencies and organizations of the Department of 
Agriculture and with stakeholders to review and reconsider how all 
Department procurement of priority agricultural products can be 
directed to support a wider range of agricultural producers and 
agricultural product distributors in a manner that meets the 
Department's overarching goals of nutrition security, resilient local 
and regional food systems, rural job creation, and reversal of the 
concentration of the ownership of the resources for the production and 
distribution of agricultural products.
    (b) Annual Report.--The working group established under subsection 
(a) shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and 
Forestry of the Senate, an annual report describing the working group's 
accomplishments, suggestions, and recommendations for administrative 
actions and proposed legislation relating to the activities of such 
group under such subsection.
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