H.R. 6252

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6252 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 6252

To require the Secretary of Agriculture, in coordination with the 
Director of the Census Bureau, to maintain an interagency food security 
measurement program to coordinate the annual collection, analysis, and 
reporting of data on food insecurity and hunger.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

November 21, 2025

Mr. Bell (for himself and Ms. Barragan) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to 
the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To require the Secretary of Agriculture, in coordination with the 
Director of the Census Bureau, to maintain an interagency food security 
measurement program to coordinate the annual collection, analysis, and 
reporting of data on food insecurity and hunger.

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 ``Food Assurance and Security Act''.

SEC. 2. INTERAGENCY FOOD SECURITY MEASUREMENT PROGRAM.

(a) Interagency Food Security Measurement Program.--The Secretary 
of Agriculture, in coordination with the Director of the Census Bureau, 
shall establish and maintain an interagency food security measurement 
program to coordinate the annual collection, analysis, and reporting of 
data on food insecurity and hunger.
(b) Reporting.--
(1) Population survey.--The Current Population Survey 
conducted by the Bureau of the Census shall include a food 
security supplement consistent with the questionnaire issued in 
2023 that includes the questions described in paragraph (3) for 
the years 2026 through 2028 and continuing thereafter with 
questions substantially similar to those described in paragraph 
(3) with any amendments to the questions predicated upon robust 
testing, and thorough review, public input, and Office of 
Management and Budget clearance.
(2) Agriculture annual reports.--The Secretary of 
Agriculture shall, with respect to the annual report issued 
pursuant to subsection (a)--
(A) include the findings related to the questions 
described in paragraph (3);
(B) make the report publicly available on the 
website of the Department; and
(C) submit such report to Congress.
(3) Questions described.--The questions described in this 
paragraph are as follows:
(A) Was the answer often, sometimes, or never true 
for you in the last 12 months for each of the 
following:
(i) We worried whether our food would run 
out before we got money to buy more.
(ii) The food that we bought just didn't 
last and we didn't have money to get more.
(iii) We couldn't afford to eat balanced 
meals.
(B) In the last 12 months, did you or other adults 
in the household ever cut the size of your meals or 
skip meals because there wasn't enough money for food?
(C) If the answer is yes with respect to 
subparagraph (B), how often did this happen--almost 
every month, some months but not every month, or in 
only 1 or 2 months?
(D) In the last 12 months, did you ever eat less 
than you felt you should because there wasn't enough 
money for food?
(E) In the last 12 months, were you ever hungry, 
but didn't eat, because there wasn't enough money for 
food?
(F) In the last 12 months, did you lose weight 
because there wasn't enough money for food?
(G) In the last 12 months, did you or other adults 
in your household ever not eat for a whole day because 
there wasn't enough money for food?
(H) If the answer is yes to subparagraph (G), how 
often did this happen--almost every month, some months 
but not every month, or in only 1 or 2 months?
(I) In the case of a household that includes 
children ages 0 to 17, the following additional 
questions:
(i) Was the answer often, sometimes, or 
never true for you in the last 12 months for 
each of the following:
(I) We relied on only a few kinds 
of low-cost food to feed our children 
because we were running out of money to 
buy food.
(II) We couldn't feed our children 
a balanced meal, because we couldn't 
afford that.
(III) The children were not eating 
enough because there wasn't enough 
money for food.
(ii) In the last 12 months, did you ever 
cut the size of any of the children's meals 
because there wasn't enough money for food?
(iii) In the last 12 months, were the 
children ever hungry because there wasn't 
enough money for food?
(iv) In the last 12 months, did any of the 
children ever skip a meal because there wasn't 
enough money for food?
(v) If the answer is yes to clause (iv), 
how often did this happen--almost every month, 
some months but not every month, or in only 1 
or 2 months?
(vi) In the last 12 months, did any of the 
children ever not eat for a whole day because 
there wasn't enough money for food?
(c) Funding.--
(1) Appropriation.--There is appropriated to the Secretary 
of Agriculture such sums as may be necessary to carry out this 
section.
(2) Transfer.--Of the funds appropriated under paragraph 
(1), the Secretary of Agriculture shall provide funding for the 
costs incurred by the Census Bureau in conducting the annual 
food security supplement.
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