What This Bill Does
This bill gives money to farmers markets and nutrition programs that help seniors and families buy fresh food. It also provides funding to help food banks grow their own produce and work with local farmers. The bill aims to help people in areas without good access to healthy food.
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Who It Affects
- Senior citizens living below the Federal poverty level
- Families with children receiving WIC benefits (a nutrition assistance program)
- Food banks across the country
- Local farmers and ranchers
- Public agencies and nonprofit organizations that run or want to build farmers markets
- People living in food deserts (areas with limited access to fresh food)
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Key Provisions
- The government will give money to farmers markets to build new ones or fix up existing ones in rural and urban areas without good food access (Sec. 5)
- The Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program will get increased funding each year, and seniors making up to 200 percent of the Federal poverty guideline can qualify (Sec. 3)
- Individual seniors will receive a minimum benefit of $35, and there will be no maximum limit on benefits (Sec. 3)
- The WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program will increase minimum benefits from $10 to $35 per person (Sec. 4)
- The government will run a test program where food banks can pay local farmers to grow produce specifically for the food bank, with 15 pilot locations total (Sec. 6)
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What Changes
If this becomes law, seniors and families in food assistance programs will receive more money to spend at farmers markets. Farmers markets in underserved areas will get construction and improvement funding. Food banks will be able to start growing local produce through contracts with nearby farmers. The government will report back on how these changes affect local food purchasing and farming communities.
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Important Definitions
- **Food desert**: An area without good access to fresh, healthy food
- **Controlled environment agricultural farming**: Growing food indoors or in protected spaces, like greenhouses
- **Commodity Credit Corporation**: A government organization that funds agriculture programs
- **WIC**: A nutrition program for women, infants, and children
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Effective Date
This act takes effect 120 days after it becomes law.
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. R. 2378
To provide increased financial assistance for farmers markets and farmers
market nutrition programs, to increase local agricultural production
through food bank in-house production and local farmer contracting;
and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 29, 2023
Ms. KAPTUR (for herself and Mr. EVANS) introduced the following bill; which
was referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the
Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subse-
quently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To provide increased financial assistance for farmers markets
and farmers market nutrition programs, to increase local
agricultural production through food bank in-house pro-
duction and local farmer contracting; and for other pur-
poses.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
3
This Act may be cited as ‘‘Farmers’ Market and
4
Food Bank Local Revitalization Act of 2023’’.
5
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•HR 2378 IH
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.
1
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following:
2
(1) Food insecurity, epidemic levels of obesity,
3
hypertension, diabetes, and youth osteoporosis are
4
caused by improper nutrition yielded by lack of nu-
5
tritious, reliable, and locally available healthy food
6
options.
7
(2) The American Diabetes Association esti-
8
mated a 41-percent increase in costs of diagnosed
9
diabetes from 2007 ($174,000,000,000) to 2012
10
($245,000,000,000) with most of these costs (62
11
percent) coming from senior health programs such
12
as Medicare and Medicaid.
13
(3) Since sequestration in 2008, there has been
14
no funding increase for the Senior Farmers’ Market
15
Nutrition Program.
16
(4) From 2008 to 2020, the moderate at home
17
food cost for a family of 2 (aged 51–70 years old)
18
increased by an average of $70 a month. The Sen-
19
iors Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program funding
20
has not kept pace with such inflation.
21
(5) According to the Department of Agri-
22
culture, Seniors Farmers’ Market Nutrition Pro-
23
gram has a total program funding backlog of
24
$20,065,021 and a season benefit level backlog of
25
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•HR 2378 IH
$16,120,741 across all participating States, terri-
1
tories, and Native American Tribes.
2
(6) Roughly 1 in 10 United States senior citi-
3
zens (about 5,146,000) are forced to live well below
4
the Federal poverty level, and the Seniors Farmers’
5
Market Nutrition Program is only able to reach
6
about 725,000 due to inadequate funding.
7
(7) Since sequestration in 2008, funding for the
8
WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program has fallen
9
by over $6,000,000 and never rebounded.
10
(8) The WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Pro-
11
gram is a vital safeguard for the nearly 1 in 7 chil-
12
dren who will be born into poverty in the United
13
States and will be at nutritional risk.
14
(9) According to the Department of Agri-
15
culture, the WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Pro-
16
gram has a total program and seasonal benefit fund-
17
ing backlog of $6,198,432 across all participating
18
States, territories, and Native American Tribes.
19
(10) In the United States, food banks will pro-
20
vide meals to 1 in 7 people.
21
(11) Many food banks share special relation-
22
ships with local farmers who often donate their
23
crops to food banks. The partnership allows for
24
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•HR 2378 IH
more efficient and sustainable procurement for food
1
banks.
2
(12) Assisting food banks to grow their own
3
food will aid local procurement and allow food banks
4
to serve as farming resources to their communities,
5
especially to those who are food insecure.
6
(13) The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018,
7
specifically required looking at ways to incorporate
8
local goods to reduce food waste.
9
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are—
10
(1) to increase and enhance funding for the
11
Farmers’ Market Nutrition Programs to support
12
seniors and food insecure families, and to increase
13
market capacity for local farmers;
14
(2) to provide funding assistance for the expan-
15
sion and construction of farmers’ markets in both
16
rural and urban food desert areas;
17
(3) to increase local food production through
18
partnership with food banks by local farmer con-
19
tracting and funding assistance to food banks to
20
grow necessary produce through traditional or con-
21
trolled environment agricultural farming.
22
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•HR 2378 IH
SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION AND ADDITIONAL AUTHORIZA-
1
TION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR SENIORS
2
FARMERS’ MARKET NUTRITION PROGRAM.
3
(a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR SEN-
4
IORS FARMERS’ MARKET NUTRITION PROGRAM.—Section
5
4402(a) of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act
6
of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 3007(a)) is amended by striking
7
‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2028’’.
8
(b) ADDITIONAL AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIA-
9
TIONS TO EXPAND PARTICIPATION
IN
THE SENIORS
10
FARMERS’ MARKET NUTRITION PROGRAM.—
11
(1) INCREASED AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIA-
12
TIONS.—To expand and address season benefit level
13
and total backlogs of the Seniors Farmers’ Market
14
Nutrition Program, there is authorized to be appro-
15
priated—
16
(A) for fiscal year 2024, an increase to
17
$60,000,000;
18
(B) for fiscal year 2025, an increase to
19
$70,000,000; and
20
(C) for each of the fiscal years 2026
21
through 2028, and increase to $100,000,000.
22
(2) BENEFIT ENHANCEMENT.—For the purpose
23
of expanding access to the Seniors Farmers’ Market
24
Nutrition Program, funds appropriated under sub-
25
section (a) shall be used for the following purposes:
26
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•HR 2378 IH
(A) Program eligibility income limit shall
1
increase to 200 percent of the Federal poverty
2
guideline.
3
(B) The minimum individual benefit shall
4
be increased to $35.
5
(C) The maximum individual benefit limit
6
shall be removed.
7
SEC. 4. MINIMUM INDIVIDUAL BENEFIT INCREASE UNDER
8
THE
WIC
FARMERS’
MARKET
NUTRITION
9
PROGRAM.
10
Section 17(m) of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42
11
U.S.C. 1786(m)) is amended—
12
(1) by striking ‘‘paragraph (10)’’ both places it
13
appears and inserting ‘‘paragraph (9)’’;
14
(2) in paragraph (5)(C)—
15
(A) by striking ‘‘$10’’ and inserting
16
‘‘$35’’; and
17
(B) by striking ‘‘$30’’ and inserting
18
‘‘$60’’; and
19
(3) in paragraph (9)(A), by striking ‘‘2015’’
20
and inserting ‘‘2028’’.
21
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•HR 2378 IH
SEC. 5. INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING FOR FARMERS MAR-
1
KETS.
2
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Agriculture shall
3
make loans, loan guarantees, and grants to public agencies
4
and nonprofit organizations for—
5
(1) the construction of new farmers’ markets;
6
or
7
(2) the improvement or rehabilitation of exist-
8
ing farmers’ markets, including by adding or im-
9
proving payment technologies used in such farmers’
10
markets.
11
(b) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to receive a loan,
12
loan guarantee, or grant under subsection (a) with respect
13
to a farmers’ market the public agency or nonprofit orga-
14
nization involved shall—
15
(1) demonstrate financial need as determined
16
by the Secretary; and
17
(2) commit to reserving at least 50 percent of
18
the floor area of the farmers’ market for the sale of
19
products that are produced locally, as determined by
20
the Secretary, by farmers, ranchers, or aquaculture,
21
mariculture, or fisheries operators, or by associa-
22
tions of farmers, ranchers, or such operators.
23
(c) COST SHARING.—
24
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•HR 2378 IH
(1) GRANTS.—The amount of a grant under
1
this section shall not exceed 25 percent of the cost
2
of the activity for which the grant is made.
3
(2) MAXIMUM AMOUNT.—The combined amount
4
of a grant made and loan made or guaranteed under
5
this section shall not exceed 80 percent of the cost
6
of the activity for which the grant or loan is made
7
or guaranteed.
8
(d) INTEREST RATE.—
9
(1) IN GENERAL.—A loan made by the Sec-
10
retary under subsection (a) shall bear interest at the
11
rate equivalent to the rate of interest charged on
12
Treasury securities of comparable maturity on the
13
date the loan is approved.
14
(2) DURATION.—The interest rate referred to
15
in paragraph (1) with respect to a loan referred to
16
in such paragraph shall remain in effect for the term
17
of the loan.
18
(e) FUNDING.—Of the funds of the Commodity Cred-
19
it Corporation, the Secretary shall make available to carry
20
out this section $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024
21
through 2029.
22
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•HR 2378 IH
SEC. 6. PILOT PROGRAM FOR FOOD BANKS AND LOCAL
1
FARMER CONTRACTING FOR LOCAL PRO-
2
CUREMENT.
3
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Agriculture
4
shall establish a pilot grant program in which food banks
5
may voluntarily contract with their local farmers for them
6
to grow produce for food bank programs to promote local
7
procurement of produce. Food banks serving economically
8
depressed or food desert areas hall be given priority to
9
receive grants under this section. The Secretary shall
10
make grants to food banks in 5 urban ZIP Codes (as des-
11
ignated by the Census Bureau), 5 suburban ZIP Codes
12
(as designated by the Census Bureau), and 5 rural ZIP
13
Codes (as designated by the Census Bureau) distributed
14
as follows:
15
(1) 3 of such grants in each ZIP Code selected
16
under paragraph (1) shall be awarded to food banks
17
in each Census Bureau Region of the United States;
18
and
19
(2) 3 of such grants among 3 of such ZIP
20
Codes selected by the Secretary.
21
(b) METHODS.—Under contracts made by food banks
22
with grants received under subsection (a), local farmers
23
may grow produce through traditional or controlled envi-
24
ronmental agriculture farming.
25
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•HR 2378 IH
(c) FUNDING.—Of the funds of the Commodity Cred-
1
it Corporation, the Secretary shall make available to carry
2
out this section $7,500,000 for fiscal years of 2024 and
3
2025. The amount of a grant under this section shall be
4
$500,000 per grant as to operate 15 separate pilot pro-
5
gram grant locations in total.
6
SEC. 7. REPORTING REQUIREMENT.
7
Not later than 180 days after effective date of this
8
Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall submit to—
9
(1) the Committee on Agriculture, and the
10
Committee on Education and the Workforce, of the
11
House of Representatives; and
12
(2) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition,
13
and Forestry, and the Committee on Aging, of the
14
Senate,
15
a report that contains a review of the effect of this Act
16
on local procurement of food, local farmers, who or what
17
groups or entities are procuring the food, and the commu-
18
nities involved.
19
SEC. 8. EFFECTIVE DATE.
20
This Act shall take effect 120 days after the date of
21
the enactment of this Act.
22
Æ
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