HR 3941 115th Congress House Agriculture and Food Aging Agricultural education Agricultural marketing and promotion Agricultural practices and innovations Agricultural research Elementary and secondary education Food assistance and relief Food industry and services Food supply, safety, and labeling Government lending and loan guarantees Licensing and registrations Livestock Meat Nutrition and diet Public-private cooperation Rural conditions and development Solid waste and recycling Veterans' pensions and compensation

Local FARMS Act

Introduced: October 4, 2017 Introduced by: Pingree, Chellie Democratic · Maine See on congress.gov

Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps

Introduced

In committee

Reported out

Passed House

Passed Senate

To President

Became law

Oct 4, 2017

Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Oct 4, 2017

Introduced in House

Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Local Food And Regional Market Supply Act or the Local FARMS Act

This bill consolidates, modifies, and authorizes several Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs to expand regional or local food markets and implement food safety practices.

The bill authorizes and provides mandatory funding for a new Agricultural Market Development Program that is administered by the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and consolidates:

the Farmers' Market and Local Food Promotion Program,
Value-Added Producer Grants,
regional food chain coordination, and
public-private partnerships to plan and develop regional food systems.

The bill modifies the Food Safety Outreach Program to move the program to the AMS, provide mandatory funding, and expand the project priorities.

The bill also:

establishes a national food safety cost-share program;
reauthorizes the National Organic Certification Cost-Share Program;
authorizes rural development grants and loans to be used for meat, dairy, and poultry processing infrastructure;
allows institutions participating in the school food programs to use locally grown, locally raised, or locally caught as a product specification;
authorizes grants for produce prescription programs for low-income individuals and households; and
reauthorizes the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program and expands eligibility to include low-income veterans.

The bill modifies the Food and Agriculture Service Learning Program to: (1) require the majority of funds to be reserved for national or regional programs involving multiple states, and (2) expand the purposes of the program to include food waste reduction.

What's happening now October 4, 2017

Committees of jurisdiction 2