H.R. 1538

119 HR 1538 IH: Delivering for Rural Seniors Act of 2025
 U.S. House of Representatives
 2025-02-24
 text/xml
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 I  119th CONGRESS  1st Session  H. R. 1538  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.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   Delivering for Rural Seniors Act of 2025  .
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:
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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