[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5412 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5412
To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants
to assist in the establishment and operation of healthy food
pharmacies, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 16, 2025
Mrs. Sykes (for herself, Ms. De La Cruz, and Ms. Bynum) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and
Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants
to assist in the establishment and operation of healthy food
pharmacies, 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 ``Food Farmacy Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. FINDING.
Congress finds that the goal of healthy food pharmacies (also known
as ``food farmacies'') is to improve the health outcomes of their
patrons by expanding access to nutritious foods and providing
nutritional guidance.
SEC. 3. GRANTS FOR HEALTHY FOOD PHARMACIES.
Part B of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 243
et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``SEC. 320C. GRANTS FOR HEALTHY FOOD PHARMACIES.
``(a) Authority To Make Grants.--The Secretary, in consultation
with the Secretary of Agriculture, may make grants to eligible entities
to assist in the establishment and operation of healthy food
pharmacies.
``(b) Use of Grants.--A grant received by an eligible entity under
this section shall be used for costs related to--
``(1) construction, conversion, or renovation of a healthy
food pharmacy;
``(2) the acquisition of equipment for a healthy food
pharmacy, including for a mobile food pharmacy;
``(3) staffing to operate a healthy food pharmacy and help
connect patients to other programs that support health outcomes
and combat food insecurity; and
``(4) the acquisition of food and materials necessary for
food distribution by a healthy food pharmacy.
``(c) Eligibility.--
``(1) Eligible entities.--The following entities shall be
eligible to receive a grant under this section:
``(A) A non-profit qualified health care provider.
``(B) A State or local government entity.
``(C) A Tribal organization.
``(2) Eligible healthy food pharmacies.--The Secretary may
make a grant under this section with respect to a healthy food
pharmacy if the healthy food pharmacy--
``(A) offers a range of services to its patrons,
including access to healthy foods and nutritional
guidance from a qualified health care professional;
``(B) is operated in a manner that prioritizes the
provision of services to communities that are low
income, rural, or facing food insecurity (as such terms
may be defined by the Secretary);
``(C) provides food and nutritional guidance free
of charge to individuals receiving benefits under
Medicaid or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program; and
``(D) is operated in a manner that supports the
`Food is Medicine' initiative of the Department of
Health and Human Services.
``(d) Application.--
``(1) In general.--To receive a grant under this section,
an eligible entity shall submit to the Secretary an application
at such time, in such manner, and containing such information
as the Secretary may require.
``(2) Plan for continuation of grant activities.--As part
of such an application, the Secretary shall require an eligible
entity to submit a plan for continuing to carry out activities
described in subsection (b) after the eligible entity is no
longer receiving grant funds under this section, including a
plan to retain staff hired using the grant funds.
``(e) Partnerships.--An eligible entity that receives a grant under
this section may carry out activities using the amounts of the grant in
partnership with other organizations seeking to reduce food insecurity
and improve health outcomes.
``(f) Limitation on Grant Amounts.--The Secretary may not award to
an eligible entity more than $500,000 in grants under this section for
a fiscal year.
``(g) Authority To Waive Certain Requirements.--The Secretary may
waive requirements of title XI of the Social Security Act as may be
necessary solely for the purposes of carrying out a program under this
section.
``(h) Reporting Requirements.--
``(1) Reports to secretary.--The Secretary may make a grant
to an eligible entity under this section with respect to a
healthy food pharmacy only if the eligible entity agrees to
submit to the Secretary, on an annual basis for such period as
the Secretary may prescribe, a report on the effectiveness of
the activities funded with the amounts of the grant, including
a description of--
``(A) the number of patrons served by the healthy
food pharmacy;
``(B) the health needs of such patrons;
``(C) the repeated use of the healthy food pharmacy
by such patrons;
``(D) the reported health outcomes of such patrons;
``(E) the types of food acquired by such patrons
from the healthy food pharmacy; and
``(F) the assistance provided by the healthy food
pharmacy to connect such patrons with other programs
that address food insecurity and improve health
outcomes.
``(2) Reports to congress.--Not later than 2 years after
the date of enactment of this section, and biennially
thereafter during the term of the grant program under this
section, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report that
summarizes the reports received by the Secretary under
paragraph (1).
``(i) Definitions.--In this Act:
``(1) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' means an
entity described in subsection (c)(1).
``(2) Healthy food pharmacy.--The term `healthy food
pharmacy' means an organization that provides to its patrons
services that include--
``(A) access to nutritious foods that are
representative of foods for a healthy diet, based on
the Dietary Guidelines of the Department of Agriculture
and guidance from the Secretary; and
``(B) nutritional guidance from a qualified health
care professional.
``(3) Qualified health care professional.--The term
`qualified health care professional' means--
``(A) a registered dietitian or nutrition
professional, as defined by section 1861(vv)(2) of the
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(vv)(2));
``(B) a physician, as defined by section 1861(r) of
the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(r)); and
``(C) a nurse practitioner, clinical nurse
specialist, physician assistant, or other professional,
as determined appropriate by the Secretary.
``(4) Qualified health care provider.--The term `qualified
health care provider' means--
``(A) a provider of services, as defined by section
1861(u) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
1395x(u));
``(B) a physician organization, as defined by
section 411.351 of title 42, Code of Federal
Regulations (or successor regulations);
``(C) a rural health clinic, as defined by section
1861(aa)(2) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
1395x(aa)(2));
``(D) a Federally qualified health center, as
defined by section 1887(aa)(4) of the Social Security
Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(aa)(4)); or
``(E) another provider, as determined appropriate
by the Secretary.
``(5) Secretary.--The term `Secretary' means the Secretary
of Health and Human Services, acting through the Assistant
Secretary for Health.
``(j) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section $10,000,000 for
each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030.''.
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