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]
[S. 3637 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3637

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


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 15, 2018

   Mr. Wyden introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
   referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to establish 
a program for the procurement of domestically grown 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. PROGRAM FOR PROCUREMENT OF DOMESTICALLY GROWN UNPROCESSED 
              FRUITS AND VEGETABLES.

    Section 6(f) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act 
(42 U.S.C. 1755(f)) is amended--
            (1) in the subsection heading, by striking ``Pilot Project 
        for Procurement of'' and inserting ``Program for Procurement of 
        Domestically Grown'';
            (2) in paragraph (1)--
                    (A) by striking ``pilot project'' and inserting 
                ``program (referred to in this subsection as the 
                `program')'';
                    (B) by striking ``conduct'' and inserting ``carry 
                out'';
                    (C) by inserting ``domestically grown'' before 
                ``unprocessed''; and
                    (D) by striking ``more than 8'' and inserting 
                ``less than 15'';
            (3) by striking ``pilot project'' each place it appears and 
        inserting ``program'';
            (4) in paragraph (2), in the matter preceding subparagraph 
        (A), 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 domestically grown unprocessed 
                fruits and vegetables.'';
            (6) in paragraph (5)--
                    (A) in the paragraph heading, by striking 
                ``Recordkeeping and reporting'' and inserting 
                ``Recordkeeping, reporting, and evaluation'';
                    (B) in subparagraph (B)--
                            (i) in clause (i), by striking ``and'' at 
                        the end;
                            (ii) in clause (ii), by striking the period 
                        at the end and inserting ``; and''; and
                            (iii) by adding at the end the following:
                            ``(iii) the challenges and opportunities 
                        presented by the program in the State.''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(C) Program evaluation.--
                            ``(i) In general.--Not later than 2 years 
                        after the date of enactment of this 
                        subparagraph, the Secretary shall evaluate the 
                        impact of the program, including with respect 
                        to--
                                    ``(I) the quantity and cost of each 
                                type of unprocessed fruit and vegetable 
                                procured by each State under the 
                                program;
                                    ``(II) the benefit of the procured 
                                unprocessed fruits and vegetables to 
                                school food service in each State, 
                                including the benefit to meeting school 
                                meal requirements; and
                                    ``(III) the economic impact of the 
                                program on agricultural producers in 
                                the 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 of 
                        Representatives and the Committee on 
                        Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the 
                        Senate a report that describes the results of 
                        the evaluation conducted under clause (i) and 
                        an analysis of that evaluation.''; and
            (7) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(6) Funding.--
                    ``(A) Mandatory funding.--There is appropriated to 
                carry out this subsection $15,000,000 for each of 
                fiscal years 2019 through 2023.
                    ``(B) Reservation.--Of the funds appropriated under 
                subparagraph (A) for each fiscal year, $10,000,000 
                shall be reserved for States selected under the program 
                under paragraph (1) to carry out the activities 
                described in subparagraph (C)(i).
                    ``(C) Administrative costs; technical assistance.--
                            ``(i) In general.--The funds reserved under 
                        subparagraph (B) shall be used--
                                    ``(I) for the administrative costs 
                                of carrying out the program; and
                                    ``(II) to provide technical 
                                assistance and outreach to vendors to 
                                become certified to participate in the 
                                program.
                            ``(ii) Minimum allotment.--Of the funds 
                        reserved under subparagraph (B), each State 
                        selected under paragraph (3)(A) shall receive 
                        not less than $300,000 for each fiscal year 
                        during which the State participates in the 
                        program.''.
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