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Federal Legislation: The Farm Bill
The Farm Bill, the foremost federal legislation governing food and agriculture across the United States, presents a unique opportunity to advance these goals. As such, the following reflects New York City's policy priorities for the 2023 Farm Bill.
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Protect and Strengthen SNAP
- Prevent additional work requirements for able-bodied adults with dependents
- Streamline application process and improve efficiency and access to benefits.
- Match SNAP benefits with the true cost of food.
- Expand SNAP eligibility by granting access to citizens in Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands; lifting poverty threshold; eliminate cap on excess shelter deduction; removing lifetime ban on people who are convicted of a federal or state felony; removing extra work requirements for students accessing SNAP; repealing restriction on striking workers from receiving SNAP; and removing waiting periods and other barriers for new asylum seekers, refugees, undocumented immigrants, and DACA recipients.
- Bills advancing this priority: Closing the Meals Gap Act of 2021, Enhanced Access to SNAP Act, Fresh Produce Procurement Act, HOPE Act, Hot Foods Act of 2023, Improving Access to Nutrition Act, Lift the Bar Act, Making Essentials Available and Lawful Act, SNAP Plus Act
Ensure Efforts to Achieve Food Security Also Achieve Nutrition Security
- In collaboration with Department of Health and Human Services and the centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, authorize funding to pilot Food is Medicine programs, including medically-tailored meals.
- Establish an Emerging Protein and Innovative Production Advisory Committee to advise on the development of policies relating to protein-rich foods sourced from plant ingredients.
- Provide incentives and support for farmers who do not exacerbate our healthcare crisis by producing high-quality, nutrient-rich plant-based foods.
- Require the USDA to track and report its food purchasing data to promote transparency across supply chains.
- Bills advancing this priority: Healthy Food Financing Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2023, Local Farms and Food Act of 2023, Medically Tailored Home-Delivered Meals Demonstration Pilot Act of 2021, Peas, Legumes, and Nuts Today (PLANT) Act
Invest in Sustainable, Climate-Smart Agricultural Research and Infrastructure
- Advance climate change-focused food and agricultural research to reduce food- and food waste-related emissions.
- Invest in urban, indoor, and other innovative agricultural production.
- Strengthen and expand value-added food production and markets that connect producers directly to consumers.
- Invest in community-owned aggregation, processing, and distribution infrastructure to streamline supply chains.
- Marker bills advancing this priority: Agriculture Resilience Act of 2023, Agrivoltaics Research and Demonstration Act of 2023, Growing Opportunities for Innovative Farming Act
Promote Equity Throughout the Food System
- Improve access to farmland, credit, markets, and technical assistance to beginning and socially-disadvantaged farmers.
- Support the development, production, and fair labeling of kosher, halal, and other culturally and ethnically appropriate foods.
- Elevate and enforce more stringent protocols pertaining to workers' rights and safety to ensure equitable compensation and safe working conditions.
- Increase funding for and reduce or eliminate match requirement for USDA grant programs, including Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP), Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP), and Community Food Projects (CFP) to ensure that smaller community-based organizations can access funds to reach underserved populations.
- Eliminate the income attestation requirement for individuals to receive TEFAP foods to increase dignity and access and to reduce the administrative burden on distribution sites.
- Direct the USDA to reduce inherent barriers to access for all Farm Bill programs by making the grant portal more user-friendly, providing technical assistance for applications, and creating additional streamlined "turnkey" grants—grants that include a limited set of key activities with pre-defined requirements with simplified application and reporting requirements and no matching requirement for projects of $100,000 or less.
- Marker bills advancing this priority: Agricultural Worker Justice Act, GusNIP Expansion Act of 2023, Growing Opportunities for Innovative Farming Act, Justice for Black Farmers Act of 2023