Farmers to Families Act
Sponsored By: Representative Rep. Underwood, Lauren [D-IL-14]
Introduced
Summary
Expand access to local fresh foods through federal nutrition benefits. This bill would let cash-value benefits and coupons be used to buy local, fresh, unprepared foods from farmers, farmers’ markets, food hubs, and community supported agriculture programs, while setting up devices, portals, and training to make that use practical and consistent across programs.
Show full summary
- Families and program participants would be able to use cash-value benefits and coupons to buy local produce at farmers’ markets, roadside stands, and other covered agricultural entities. The bill also ties those purchases into the Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program for WIC participants.
- Farmers, market operators, and local distributors would get easier access to federal programs through automatic recognition for farmers in the FMNP and a new Technical Assistance Center that would provide training, application help, and competitive cooperative agreements. The Center must be established within 18 months.
- State agencies and USDA operations would be required to create a single online application portal within 90 days and to issue rules and a list of approved payment devices within 18 months so one electronic benefits transfer device can process both cash-value benefits and coupon funds.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Help for farmers and markets
If enacted, USDA would post a single online application within 90 days for producers to become authorized as FMNP farmers and as covered agricultural entities. USDA would also be required to establish a Technical Assistance Center within 18 months to run competitive cooperative agreements and provide training, resources, and best practices on program rules and accepting EBT and qualified payment devices. The Center would report to USDA and to Congress within two years and then annually. These steps would make it easier for small farmers and market operators to enroll and start accepting nutrition benefits.
Use WIC benefits at local farms
If enacted, WIC participants would be able to use cash-value benefits and coupons to buy fresh, local, unprepared foods, including pre-order boxes, from farmers, farmers' markets, roadside stands, CSAs, food hubs, and other covered agricultural entities. States would have to make those benefits accessible on the participant's electronic benefits transfer (EBT) access device and allow coupon funds to be used on the same card within 18 months. Vendors that qualify as community-supported agricultural entities would be required to accept payments using a USDA-approved single qualified payment device that can process both cash-value benefit and coupon funds. The bill would also automatically treat each person who meets the federal "farmer" definition as an eligible farmers' market vendor upon enactment.
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Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Rep. Underwood, Lauren [D-IL-14]
IL • D
Cosponsors
Van Drew
NJ • R
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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