H.R. 7571

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7571 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7571

To amend the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 with respect to 
the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program and the sustainability 
of such program, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

February 13, 2026

Mr. Crawford (for himself and Mr. Nunn of Iowa) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To amend the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 with respect to 
the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program and the sustainability 
of such 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 ``GusNIP Expansion Act of 2026''.

SEC. 2. IMPROVING THE FINANCING OF THE GUS SCHUMACHER NUTRITION 
INCENTIVE PROGRAM.

(a) Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive Grants.--Section 4405(b) of 
the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 7517(b)) is 
amended--
(1) in paragraph (1), by amending subparagraph (C) to read 
as follows:
``(C) Federal share.--
``(i) In general.--Except as provided in 
clause (ii) and subparagraph (D)(iii), the 
Federal share of the cost of carrying out an 
activity under this subsection shall not exceed 
50 percent of the total cost of the activity.
``(ii) Waiver for persistent poverty 
areas.--The Secretary may waive the application 
of clause (i) in the case of an activity 
carried out--
``(I) in a county that, during the 
preceding 30-year period has had a 
population of which greater than or 
equal to 20 percent of such population 
are living in poverty (as measured by 
the most recent decennial censuses and 
most recent Small Area Income and 
Poverty Estimates of the Bureau of the 
Census); or
``(II) in a census tract with 
poverty rate of at least 20 percent 
during the preceding 30-year period as 
measured by the most recent 5-year data 
series available from The American 
Community Survey of the Bureau of the 
Census.''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(3) Cooperative agreements to scale statewide incentive 
programs.--
``(A) In general.--For the purposes of scaling 
existing incentive programs under paragraphs (1) and 
(2), the Secretary shall establish cooperative 
agreements between--
``(i) eligible entities and Food and 
Nutrition Service or the National Institute of 
Food and Agriculture (or both); and
``(ii) either--
``(I) a State SNAP agency; or
``(II) a non-profit or local 
government in partnership with a State 
SNAP agency.
``(B) Criteria.--Each agreement entered into 
pursuant to this paragraph--
``(i) shall--
``(I) be for a duration of at least 
4 years;
``(II) include a requirement that 
any project carried out pursuant to the 
agreement be subject to the criteria 
and priorities under paragraphs (1) and 
(2); and
``(III) require that before the end 
of the agreement, at least 90 percent 
of the funds received pursuant to the 
agreement are spent on redeemed 
incentives at the eligible retailer; 
and
``(ii) may only be entered in to with an 
entity that previously received a grant under 
this subsection.
``(C) Priority.--The Secretary shall prioritize 
cooperative agreements--
``(i) in the same manner as projects under 
paragraph (2); and
``(ii) that work in a variety of retail 
settings, including independent retailers and 
farmers markets.''.
(b) Produce Prescription Program.--Section 4405(c) of the Food, 
Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 7517(c)) is amended--
(1) by amending paragraph (1) to read as follows:
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish--
``(A) a pilot grant program under which the 
Secretary shall award grants to eligible entities to 
conduct projects that demonstrate and evaluate the 
impact of the projects on--
``(i) the improvement of dietary health 
through increased consumption of fruits and 
vegetables;
``(ii) the reduction of individual and 
household food insecurity; and
``(iii) the reduction in healthcare use and 
associated costs; and
``(B) a grant program described in subparagraph (A) 
that has a demonstrated ability to expand clinical 
research on the value of delivering the program through 
clinical practice.'';
(2) in paragraph (3), by adding at the end the following:
``(C) Criteria.--
``(i) Seeding infrastructure grants.--The 
Secretary shall establish criteria for awarding 
grants under paragraph (1)(A) that--
``(I) study previously unknown 
facts about the program design;
``(II) establish or validate best 
practices; or
``(III) establish infrastructure 
that aids community health centers and 
independent produce retail outlets.
``(ii) Expansion grants.--The Secretary 
shall establish criteria for awarding grants 
under paragraph (1)(B) that have--
``(I) a minimum intervention cohort 
of 300 patients;
``(II) a matched group or have 
demonstrated the ability to scale when 
delivered through clinical practice; 
and
``(III) an intervention duration of 
12 months or longer.''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(6) Range of awards.--The amount of a grant awarded--
``(A) under subsection (c)(1)(A) shall be not less 
than $100,000 and not more than $400,000; and
``(B) under subsection (c)(1)(B) shall be not less 
than $1,000,000 and not more than $2,500,000.
``(7) Report.--Not later than 3 years after the date of the 
enactment of the GusNIP Expansion Act of 2026, the Secretary, 
in consultation with the Comptroller General of the United 
States, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the 
Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid 
Services, and any other relevant agency head shall conduct a 
study and issue recommendations on how to transition payment 
for the produce prescription program to health insurance 
programs not later than 10 years after the date of the 
enactment of the GusNIP Expansion Act of 2026.
``(8) Review panel.--Not later than 1 year after the date 
of enactment of the GusNIP Expansion Act of 2026, the Secretary 
shall establish a review panel to review grant applications 
under this subsection.''.
(c) Funding.--Section 4405(f) of the Food, Conservation, and Energy 
Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 7517(f)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``2023'' and inserting 
``2031'';
(2) in paragraph (2)--
(A) in subparagraph (F), by striking ``and'' at the 
end;
(B) in subparagraph (G), by striking ``and each 
fiscal year thereafter.'' and inserting ``; and''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(H) $57,500,000 for fiscal years 2027 through 
2031; and
``(I) $56,000,000 for fiscal year 2032 and each 
fiscal year thereafter.''; and
(3) in paragraph (3)--
(A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by 
striking ``2023'' and inserting ``2031'';
(B) in subparagraph (A), by striking the semicolon 
and inserting: ``--
``(i) 50 percent of such funds shall be 
used for pilot grants described in subsection 
(c)(1)(A); and
``(ii) 50 percent of such funds shall be 
used for grant programs described in subsection 
(c)(1)(B);'';
(C) in subparagraph (C)--
(i) in clause (i), by striking ``and'' at 
the end;
(ii) in clause (ii), by striking the period 
at the end and inserting ``; and''; and
(iii) by adding at the end the following:
``(iii) $12,000,000 for each of the fiscal 
years 2027 through 2031; and''; and
(D) by adding at the end the following:
``(D) the Secretary shall use 80 percent of 
remaining funds for cooperative agreements under 
subsection (b) of this section.''.
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