WIC Healthy Beginnings Act of 2023

Bill: 118-s-974
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Marshall, Roger [R-KS]
Introduced: 2023-03-27
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Latest action: action_date: 2023-03-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

Summaries:
action_date: 2023-03-27
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><strong>WIC Healthy Beginnings Act of 2023</strong><strong></strong></p> <p>This bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to make available online certain information about solicitations for infant formula bids under the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).</p> <p>Under current law, state agencies must control infant formula costs in the WIC program through competitive bidding for infant formula rebate contracts. The bill requires state WIC agencies to provide USDA with a description of open solicitations for these competitive bids that includes the title of the solicitation, the state agency administering the solicitation, and other relevant information for the USDA to publish online.</p>

tv_txt: II 118th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 974 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES March 27, 2023 Mr. Marshall (for himself and Mrs. Gillibrand ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry A BILL To amend the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to require the Secretary of Agriculture to make publicly available information on infant formula procurement under the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the WIC Healthy Beginnings Act of 2023 . 2. Infant formula procurement online source of information Section 17(h)(8)(A) of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 ( 42 U.S.C. 1786(h)(8)(A) ) is amended by adding at the end the following: (xi) Infant formula procurement online source of information (I) In general Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this clause, the Secretary shall make available to the public the information described in items (aa) through (dd) of subclause (II) relating to bid solicitations of State agencies for infant formula under the program. (II) State agencies In soliciting bids for infant formula under the program, a State agency, or a State agency on behalf of a State alliance, shall submit to the Secretary, not later than 5 business days after the date on which a bid solicitation is made available online to bidders by the State, a description of the bid solicitation, including— (aa) the title of the bid solicitation and the State agency administering the bid solicitation; (bb) the website hyperlink and other information needed for the purpose of submitting a bid in response to the bid solicitation; (cc) the contact information and website hyperlink for the State agency administering the bid solicitation, for the purpose of gathering additional information relating to the bid solicitation; and (dd) the period during which bids are accepted or the due date for bids, as applicable, under the bid solicitation. (III) Publication Not later than 5 days after receiving a description of a bid solicitation under subclause (II), the Secretary shall make that description publicly available. (IV) Guidance The Secretary shall issue guidance to implement this clause. .