HR6776-119

What This Bill Does

The Farmers to Families Act amends the Child Nutrition Act to connect WIC benefits with local food producers. Within 18 months, USDA must allow WIC cash-value benefit funds and coupon funds to be used by participants and recipients to buy fresh, local, nutritious, unprepared foods, including pre-order boxes, from covered agricultural entities. State WIC agencies must provide those funds through their EBT systems, ensure coupon funds can be accessed through the EBT device, and may separate payment mechanisms on the card. Community supported agriculture entities must use qualified payment devices, and USDA must establish a list of qualified devices. The bill also expands the WIC farmers market nutrition program to covered agricultural entities, automatically authorizes farmers as covered entities, requires USDA within 90 days to publish a single application portal, guidance, and best practices, and creates a Technical Assistance Center for farmers market operators and farmers with a competitive cooperative agreement and application review panel.

Who Benefits and How

WIC participants benefit because cash-value benefits and coupons can buy more types of fresh local foods from farmers, farmers markets, roadside stands, community supported agriculture programs, and food hubs. Farmers and covered agricultural entities benefit from easier authorization and access to WIC purchasing power. Farmers market operators benefit from technical assistance on federal nutrition benefits. State WIC offices benefit from USDA guidance, best practices, and a single producer portal that can simplify authorization. Local food systems benefit because federal nutrition dollars become easier to spend with local producers.

Who Bears the Burden and How

State WIC agencies must integrate coupon funds and cash-value benefit funds into EBT access devices within 18 months and manage qualified payment-device rules. USDA Food and Nutrition Service staff must issue payment-device regulations, build the single application portal within 90 days, publish guidance and best practices, create the Technical Assistance Center within 18 months, run a competitive cooperative-agreement process, and convene an application review panel. Farmers, community supported agriculture programs, and farmers market operators must use qualified devices and comply with authorization requirements. Federal taxpayers fund USDA administration and technical assistance.

Key Provisions

• Expands WIC cash-value benefits and coupons to fresh local unprepared foods from covered agricultural entities.
• Requires State WIC agencies to integrate coupon funds into EBT systems within 18 months.
• Authorizes farmers and covered agricultural entities for WIC farmers market nutrition purchases.
• Requires USDA to publish a single producer application portal, guidance, and best practices within 90 days.
• Establishes a Technical Assistance Center for farmers market operators and farmers within 18 months.