Title: Local School Foods Expansion Act of 2018
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
Local School Foods Expansion Act of 2018
This bill directs the Department of Agriculture to make permanent, and expand to at least 15 states, the program to provide more flexibility for schools participating in the National School Lunch Program to purchase domestically grown unprocessed fruits and vegetables. The bill also provides additional mandatory funding for the program.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7161 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7161

  To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to make a 
    permanent program for the procurement of unprocessed fruits and 
 vegetables to provide healthier school meals, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 16, 2018

  Mr. Welch introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to make a 
    permanent program for the procurement of unprocessed fruits and 
 vegetables to provide healthier school meals, 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 ``Local School Foods Expansion Act of 
2018''.

SEC. 2. HELPING SCHOOLS SERVE HEALTHIER MEALS.

    Section 6(f) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act 
(42 U.S.C. 1755(f)) is amended--
            (1) in the heading, by striking ``Pilot Project for 
        Procurement of Unprocessed Fruits and Vegetables'' and 
        inserting ``Program for Procurement of Domestically Grown 
        Unprocessed Fruits and Vegetables'';
            (2) by striking ``pilot project'' each place it appears and 
        inserting ``program'';
            (3) by amending paragraph (1) to read as follows:
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall carry out a program 
        to facilitate the procurement of domestically grown unprocessed 
        fruits and vegetables in not fewer than 15 States receiving 
        funds under this Act.'';
            (4) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``domestically grown'' 
        before ``unprocessed'';
            (5) in paragraph (4)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``and'' at the 
                end;
                    (B) in subparagraph (C), by striking the period at 
                the end and inserting ``; and''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(D) the demonstrated ability of the States to 
                competitively procure the domestically grown 
                unprocessed fruits and vegetables.'';
            (6) in paragraph (5)--
                    (A) in the heading, by striking ``and reporting 
                requirements'' and inserting ``, reporting 
                requirements, and evaluations'';
                    (B) in subparagraph (B)--
                            (i) in clause (i), by striking ``and'' at 
                        the end;
                            (ii) in clause (ii), by striking the period 
                        and inserting ``; and''; and
                            (iii) by adding at the end the following:
                            ``(iii) the States' assessment of the 
                        challenges and opportunities presented by the 
                        program.''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(C) Program evaluation.--
                            ``(i) In general.--Not later than 2 years 
                        after the date of the enactment of this 
                        subparagraph, the Secretary shall evaluate the 
                        impact of the program, including information 
                        on--
                                    ``(I) the quantity and cost of each 
                                type of unprocessed fruit and vegetable 
                                procured by each State under the 
                                program;
                                    ``(II) the benefit of such 
                                procurement in conducting school food 
                                service in each such State, including 
                                meeting school meal requirements; and
                                    ``(III) the economic impact the 
                                program has had on agricultural 
                                producers in each such State.
                            ``(ii) Report.--Not later than 4 years 
                        after the date of enactment of this 
                        subparagraph, the Secretary shall submit to the 
                        Committee on Agriculture of the House 
                        Representatives and the Committee on 
                        Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the 
                        Senate a report that includes the results and 
                        an analysis of the evaluation required under 
                        clause (i).''; and
            (7) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(6) Funding.--
                    ``(A) Mandatory funding.--There is appropriated to 
                carry out this section $15,000,000 for each of fiscal 
                years 2019 through 2023.
                    ``(B) Reservation.--Of the funds appropriated under 
                subparagraph (A) for a fiscal year, $10,000,000 shall 
                be reserved for States selected pursuant to paragraph 
                (1) to carry out State program administration and 
                provide technical assistance and outreach to vendors to 
                become certified to participate in the program under 
                this section.
                    ``(C) Minimum allotment.--Of the funds reserved 
                under subparagraph (B), each State selected pursuant to 
                paragraph (1) shall receive not less than $300,000 for 
                each fiscal year during which such State participates 
                in the program under this section.''.
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