A bill to amend the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 to allow certain States to directly purchase commodities, and for other purposes.

Bill: 118-s-2578
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI]
Introduced: 2023-07-27
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Alaska

American Samoa

Food assistance and relief

Food supply, safety, and labeling

Guam

Hawaii

Marshall Islands

Micronesia

Northern Mariana Islands

Nutrition and diet

Palau

Poverty and welfare assistance

Puerto Rico

State and local government operations

Virgin Islands
Latest action: action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

Summaries:
action_date: 2023-07-27
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p>This bill allows a state to receive cash funds under The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) to directly purchase agricultural commodities through the private commercial marketplace.</p><p>TEFAP is a federal program that helps supplement the diets of people with low income by providing them with emergency food assistance at no cost. Through TEFAP, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) purchases a variety of commodities and makes those food products (e.g., canned, frozen, dried, and fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, meat, dairy, and whole-grain and enriched grain products) available to state distributing agencies.</p><p>Specifically, the bill allows an eligible&nbsp;state agency to elect to receive as cash the dollar amount used by USDA to purchase the commodities to distribute to the state.&nbsp;</p><!--tinycomments|2.1|data:application/json;base64,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-->

tv_txt: II 118th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 2578 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES July 27, 2023 Ms. Hirono introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry A BILL To amend the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 to allow certain States to directly purchase commodities, and for other purposes.

1. Direct purchase of commodities Section 202 of the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 ( 7 U.S.C. 7502 ) is amended by inserting after subsection (a) the following: (b) Direct purchase of commodities (1) Definitions In this subsection: (A) Eligible State The term eligible State has the meaning given the term in section 4206(b) of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 ( 7 U.S.C. 7518(b) ). (B) Entitlement funds The term entitlement funds , with respect to an eligible State, means the dollar amount used by the Secretary to purchase commodities pursuant to section 27 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 ( 7 U.S.C. 2036 ) to distribute to the eligible State in accordance with section 214. (2) Direct purchase The Secretary shall allow an eligible State to elect to receive all of the entitlement funds of the eligible State as cash to make direct purchases of commodities through the private commercial marketplace. .