The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“Text of Senate Amendment 6440” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Agriculture was published in the in the Senate section section on pages S6048-S6049 on Sept. 29.
The Department is primarily focused on food nutrition, with assistance programs making up 80 percent of its budget. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, said the Department implements too many regulations and restrictions and impedes the economy.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
SA 6440. Mr. WARNER submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 5499 submitted by Mr. Reed (for himself and Mr. Inhofe) and intended to be proposed to the bill H.R. 7900, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2023 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the end of subtitle F of title V, add the following:
SEC. 575. FOOD INSECURITY AMONG MILITARY FAMILIES: DATA
COLLECTION; TRAINING; REPORT.
(a) Data Collection.--Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, acting through the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Military Community and Family Policy, in coordination with the Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services of the Department of Agriculture, shall--
(1) develop a survey, in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, to determine how many members of the Armed Forces serving on active duty, and dependents of such members, are food insecure;
(2) issue the survey to such members and dependents;
(3) collect data from the survey on the use, by such members and dependents, of Federal nutrition assistance programs, including--
(A) the supplemental nutrition assistance program under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.);
(B) the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children under section 17 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786);
(C) the school lunch program under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.); and
(D) the school breakfast program under section 4 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1773); and
(4) collect data related to the number of such members and dependents who--
(A) are eligible for the basic needs allowance under section 402b of title 37, United States Code; and
(B) receive such basic needs allowance;
(5) develop and carry out a plan to train and designate an individual who will assist members at military installations on how and where to refer such members and their dependents for participation in Federal nutrition assistance programs described in paragraph (3); and
(6) coordinate efforts of the Department of Defense to address food insecurity and nutrition.
(b) Report Required.--
(1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report including the following:
(A) The number of members of the Armed Forces serving on active duty and their dependents who are food insecure.
(B) The number of such members and their dependents who use the Federal nutrition assistance programs described in subsection (a)(3).
(C) The number of such members and their dependents described in subsection (a)(4).
(D) The status of implementation of the plan under subsection (a)(5).
(2) Appropriate congressional committees defined.--In this subsection, the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the congressional defense committees;
(B) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate; and
(C) the Committee on Agriculture and the Committee on Education and Labor of the House of Representatives.
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