EFFECTIVE Food Procurement Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 6706 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 6706 To improve purchasing of food by the Department of Agriculture, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES December 15, 2025 Ms. Adams (for herself, Ms. Lofgren, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Fields, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Norton, Ms. Velazquez, Ms. Tokuda, and Mr. Carson) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To improve purchasing of food by the Department of Agriculture, 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 ``Enabling Farmer, Food worker, Environmental, and Climate Targets through Innovative, Values-aligned, and Equitable Food Procurement Act'' or the ``EFFECTIVE Food Procurement Act''. SEC. 2. FINDINGS. Congress finds that the Department of Agriculture, as one of the largest food purchasers in the world, has the responsibility and opportunity to help spur a more just, healthy, and sustainable food system by purchasing more foods that support-- (1) regional and resilient food economies; (2) worker well-being; (3) a safe and healthy environment; (4) equity and inclusion; (5) fairness for family farms, fishing businesses, and ranches; and (6) animal welfare. SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. In this Act: (1) Beginning farmer, fisherman, or rancher.--The term ``beginning farmer, fisherman, or rancher'' means a person that-- (A)(i) has not operated a farm, fishing business, or ranch; or (ii) has operated a farm, fishing business, or ranch for not more than 10 years; and (B) meets such other criteria as the Secretary may establish. (2) Covered authority.--The term ``covered authority'' me