Title: Thriving Community Gardens Act
Policy area: Education

Summary:
Thriving Community Gardens Act
This bill allows local educational agencies to use Student Support and Academic Enrichment grants for the development and maintenance of school or community gardens. Additionally, the bill directs the Department of Education to regularly collect information and publish best practices for the development and maintenance of community gardens.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9038 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9038

    To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to 
authorize the use of Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants for 
 the development and maintenance of school and community gardens, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 29, 2022

Ms. Brown of Ohio (for herself, Ms. Plaskett, and Mr. Carey) introduced 
 the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education 
                               and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to 
authorize the use of Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants for 
 the development and maintenance of school and community gardens, 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 ``Thriving Community Gardens Act''.

SEC. 2. ACTIVITIES TO SUPPORT SAFE AND HEALTHY STUDENTS.

    Clause (ii) of section 4108(5)(C) of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7118(5)(C)) is amended to read as 
follows:
                            ``(ii) support a healthy, active lifestyle, 
                        including--
                                    ``(I) nutritional education and 
                                regular, structured physical education 
                                activities and programs, that may 
                                address chronic disease management with 
                                instruction led by school nurses, nurse 
                                practitioners, or other appropriate 
                                specialists or professionals to help 
                                maintain the well-being of students; 
                                and
                                    ``(II) the development and 
                                maintenance of school or community 
                                gardens.''.

SEC. 3. INFORMATION COLLECTION AND BEST PRACTICES.

    (a) Information Collection.--The Secretary of Education shall 
regularly collect information from local educational agencies that use 
funds provided under section 4108 of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7118) to develop and maintain 
community gardens (as authorized under paragraph (5)(C)(ii)(II) of such 
section).
    (b) Identification of Best Practices.--Based on the information 
collected from local educational agencies under subsection (a), the 
Secretary of Education shall identify best practices for the 
development and maintenance of community gardens as described in such 
subsection.
    (c) Publication and Updates.--The Secretary of Education shall--
            (1) publish the best practices identified under subsection 
        (b) on a publicly accessible website of the Department of 
        Education; and
            (2) regularly update the best practices based on 
        information received from local educational agencies under 
        subsection (a).
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