[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1538 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1538
To amend the Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act of 1973 to
establish a pilot grant program to award grants to facilitate home
delivery of commodities under the commodity supplemental food program,
and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 24, 2025
Mr. Nunn of Iowa (for himself and Ms. Crockett) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act of 1973 to
establish a pilot grant program to award grants to facilitate home
delivery of commodities under the commodity supplemental food program,
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 ``Delivering for Rural Seniors Act of
2025''.
SEC. 2. COMMODITY SUPPLEMENTAL FOOD PROGRAM DELIVERY PILOT PROGRAM.
The Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act of 1973 (7 U.S.C. 612c
note) is amended by inserting after section 5 the following:
``SEC. 5A. COMMODITY SUPPLEMENTAL FOOD PROGRAM DELIVERY PILOT PROGRAM.
``(a) Purpose.--The purposes of this section are--
``(1) to award grants for the operation of projects that
increase the access of low-income elderly persons to
commodities through home delivery; and
``(2) to evaluate such projects.
``(b) In General.--The Secretary shall award, on a competitive
basis, grants to State agencies to carry out the activities described
in subsection (e).
``(c) Maximum Grant Award.--A grant awarded to a State agency under
this section may be in an amount not greater than the lesser of--
``(1) the State's commodity supplemental food program
caseload at time of application multiplied by 60; or
``(2) $4,000,000.
``(d) Application.--A State agency seeking a grant under this
section shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in
such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may
require.
``(e) Grant Uses.--A State agency awarded a grant under this
section shall distribute grant funds to eligible entities to operate
projects that facilitate home delivery of commodities to participants
in the commodity supplemental food program, including with respect to
costs associated with--
``(1) transportation and distribution of commodities to
participants in the commodity supplemental food program,
including transportation and distribution services provided by
a third party;
``(2) staffing required to operate home delivery services;
and
``(3) outreach to participants or potential participants in
the commodity supplemental food program with respect to home
delivery.
``(f) Priority.--A State agency awarded a grant under this section
shall prioritize eligible entities that serve participants in the
commodity supplemental food program who reside in a rural area.
``(g) Report to the Secretary.--No later than 180 days after the
end of the fiscal year in which a State agency is awarded a grant under
this section and has distributed grant funds to eligible entities, and
in each succeeding fiscal year until grant funds are expended, a State
agency shall submit a report to the Secretary that includes--
``(1) a summary of the activities carried out under the
project, including the quantity of commodities delivered,
number of participants in the commodity supplemental food
program served, and total number of deliveries;
``(2) an assessment of the effectiveness of the project,
including--
``(A) a calculation of the average cost per
delivery; and
``(B) an evaluation of any services provided by a
third party; and
``(3) best practices regarding use of home delivery to
improve the effectiveness of the commodity supplemental food
program.
``(h) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Commodity supplemental food program.--The term
`commodity supplemental food program' means the program
established under section 4.
``(2) CFR terms.--The terms `local agency', `State agency',
and `subdistributing agency' have the meanings given such terms
in section 247.1 of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations (or
successor regulations).
``(3) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' means--
``(A) a local agency; or
``(B) a subdistributing agency.
``(4) Rural area.--The term `rural area' has the meaning
given such term in section 343(a) of the Consolidated Farm and
Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)).
``(i) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $10,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2026 through 2028, to remain available until expended.''.
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