Title: Farmers Feeding Families Coronavirus Response Act
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
Farmers Feeding Families Coronavirus Response Act
This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to use specified federal funding to purchase specialty crops, dairy, meat, and poultry products from specific agricultural producers relying on markets affected by COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) to provide to food assistance programs, including the Emergency Food Assistance Program.
USDA must also provide additional funding to the states for the purpose of procuring food products to support food assistance programs within each state.
USDA and the states must use at least 10% of the funding to purchase crops and products that would otherwise have been sold through direct-to-consumer, direct-to-institution, direct-to-retail, or direct-to-restaurant marketing channels.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6725 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6725

  To provide Federal funding for targeted purchases to buy food from 
   producers who rely on local agricultural food markets affected by 
                   COVID-19, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 5, 2020

 Ms. Schrier (for herself, Mrs. Rodgers of Washington, Mr. Kilmer, Ms. 
  Pingree, and Ms. DelBene) introduced the following bill; which was 
                referred to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To provide Federal funding for targeted purchases to buy food from 
   producers who rely on local agricultural food markets affected by 
                   COVID-19, 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 Coronavirus 
Response Act''.

SEC. 2. TARGETED PURCHASES.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall use not less 
than $300,000,000 of the funds available under section 32 of the Act of 
August 24, 1935 (7 U.S.C. 612c), to purchase qualified agricultural 
products to provide to food assistance programs, including the 
emergency food assistance program under the Emergency Food Assistance 
Act of 1983 (7 U.S.C. 7501 et seq.), of which the Secretary shall 
utilize--
            (1) not less than $150,000,000 to purchase specialty crops;
            (2) not less than $75,000,000 to purchase dairy; and
            (3) not less than $75,000,000 to purchase meat and poultry 
        products.
    (b) Qualified Agricultural Product Defined.--In this section, the 
term ``qualified agricultural product'' means a specialty crop, dairy, 
meat, or poultry product--
            (1) that was packaged, marketed, intended to be harvested, 
        or harvested for sale--
                    (A) to commercial or food service industries; or
                    (B) through direct-to-consumer, direct-to-
                institution, direct-to-retail, or direct-to-restaurant-
                or-store marketing channels, including local and 
                regional food enterprises like food hubs, agricultural 
                cooperatives and producer associations; and
            (2) for which decreased demand exists for such a product 
        due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
    (c) Direct Market Products.--Of the amounts in subsection (a), to 
the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary of Agriculture shall use 
not less than 10 percent to purchase qualified agricultural products 
that would otherwise have been sold through direct-to-consumer, direct-
to-institution, direct-to-retail, or direct-to-restaurant marketing 
channels.
    (d) State Purchasing Funds.--
            (1) In general.--In addition to the amounts used under 
        subsection (a), the Secretary of Agriculture shall use not less 
        than $200,000,000 of the funds available under section 32 of 
        the Act of August 24, 1935 (7 U.S.C. 612c), to be apportioned 
        among the States for the purpose of procuring additional food 
        products to support food assistance programs within each State.
            (2) Amount available.--The Secretary shall allocate the 
        amounts made available under paragraph (1) to each State in the 
        amount proportionate to the share such State received under the 
        formula under section 251.3(h) of title 7, Code of Federal 
        Regulations, for such fiscal year 2020.
            (3) Use of funds.--Funds available under this subsection 
        shall be transferred to the State agency designated as 
        responsible for distributing commodities pursuant to a State 
        plan under the emergency food assistance program under the 
        Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 (7 U.S.C. 7501 et seq.). 
        The distributed funds may only be used to--
                    (A) purchase qualified agricultural products to be 
                donated to food assistance programs within the State or 
                transferred directly to one or more eligible recipient 
                agencies (as defined in section 201A of the Emergency 
                Food Assistance Act of 1983 (7 U.S.C. 7501)) for such 
                procurement;
                    (B) purchase, lease, or otherwise acquire vehicles, 
                including refrigerated vehicles, or other equipment to 
                carry out activities related to procurement and 
                distribution of qualified agricultural products;
                    (C) reimburse travel costs related to procurement 
                of qualified agricultural products at the per mile rate 
                established by the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue 
                Service; and
                    (D) reimburse costs related to preparing, storing, 
                and transporting qualified agricultural products, 
                including transportation to or between recipient 
                agencies, as well as delivery to end-consumers.
            (4) Direct market support in-state.--Each State shall, to 
        the maximum extent practicable, use not less than 10 percent of 
        the amounts allocated to such State under paragraph (2) to 
        purchase crops and products that would otherwise have been sold 
        through direct-to-consumer, direct-to-institution, direct-to-
        retail, or direct-to-restaurant marketing channels.
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