Official Summaries

Delivering for Rural Seniors Act of 2025

This bill directs the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to award competitive grants to state agencies under a home delivery pilot program for participants in the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP). 

As background, the CSFP works to improve the health of low-income persons at least 60 years of age by supplementing their diets with nutritious Department of Agriculture foods.

Under the pilot program, a state agency must distribute grant funds to an eligible entity (i.e., a local agency or subdistributing agency) to operate projects that facilitate home delivery of commodities to CSFP participants. Grant funds may be used for costs associated with

• transportation and distribution of commodities to CSFP participants,
• staffing required to operate home delivery services, and
• home delivery outreach to CSFP participants or potential participants.

A state agency must prioritize eligible entities that serve CSFP participants who reside in rural areas.

A state agency must also submit an annual report to FNS about the project, including best practices regarding the use of home delivery to improve the effectiveness of the CSFP.

Current Full Text

[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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