Farmers to Families Act

Bill Number

H.R. 6776

Origin Chamber

House

Congress

119th Congress, Session 1

Policy Area

Agriculture and Food

Status

Introduced

Latest Action

2026-05-20: Referred to the Subcommittee on Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture.

Last Updated

2026-05-22T08:07:38Z

AI-Generated Summary

Purpose of the Legislation

The Farmers to Families Act (H.R. 6776) aims to expand access to fresh, local, nutritious foods for participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). It amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to allow WIC benefits to be used at more types of local agricultural outlets, such as community-supported agriculture (CSA) programs, and provides support for farmers and markets to accept these benefits electronically.

Key Provisions

• Expansion of Benefit Use (Section 2): Adds a new Section 18 to the Child Nutrition Act, requiring the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to permit WIC participants to use cash-value benefits (a type of WIC voucher for buying specific foods like fruits and vegetables) and coupons to purchase fresh, unprepared local foods, including pre-ordered boxes, from "covered agricultural entities" (e.g., farmers' markets, CSAs, food hubs, or individual farmers). This must be implemented within 18 months of enactment.
• Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) Integration (Section 2): State agencies must provide these benefits through a single EBT card (an electronic system like a debit card for food assistance). Covered entities must use "qualified payment devices" (simple, single-device systems approved by USDA) to process payments, with USDA issuing regulations and updating them regularly within 18 months.
• Inclusion in Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) for WIC (Section 3): Updates the existing FMNP under WIC to explicitly include covered agricultural entities as eligible sales locations. Farmers are automatically authorized to participate without extra steps.
• Administrative Support (Section 4): Within 90 days of enactment, USDA must create a public website with a single online application portal for farmers to get authorized to sell to WIC participants, plus guidance for state WIC offices, farmers, and markets, and best practices for program administration.
• Technical Assistance Center (Section 5): Within 18 months, USDA must establish a center (run by a selected nonprofit, university, or similar entity via competitive agreement) to train farmers and market operators on accepting WIC and other federal nutrition benefits (e.g., SNAP, Senior FMNP). The center will provide resources, share data, and submit annual reports to Congress with recommendations. Priority goes to entities experienced in serving small farms and underserved communities.
• Definitions (Section 6): Clarifies terms like "cash-value benefit," "covered agricultural entity," "farmer," and acronyms for programs like WIC and FMNP.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Broadens Eligible Vendors: Previously, WIC's FMNP was limited mainly to farmers' markets and optional roadside stands; now it explicitly includes CSAs, food hubs, and direct-from-farmer sales, with automatic farmer authorization to reduce barriers.
• Mandates EBT for Local Foods: Introduces requirements for a unified EBT system and qualified payment devices specifically for cash-value benefits and coupons at local outlets, which were not uniformly required before. This builds on existing EBT use in WIC but extends it to more decentralized sellers.
• Adds New Support Mechanisms: Creates a dedicated application portal, guidance resources, and a technical assistance center, which did not exist under prior law, to streamline participation and compliance.

Potential Impacts

• On Citizens: WIC participants (low-income pregnant women, new mothers, infants, and young children) gain easier access to affordable fresh, local produce, potentially improving nutrition and supporting healthier diets. This could benefit underserved communities by connecting them to nearby food sources.
• On Government Agencies: USDA and state WIC agencies face implementation timelines (90 days to 18 months), including rulemaking, website development, and center establishment, which may require new resources or staff training. Local agencies will handle expanded EBT processing.
• On Farmers and Markets: Small and mid-sized farmers, CSAs, and markets could see increased sales from WIC users, boosting local economies, but they must adopt EBT-compatible devices, with technical help provided to ease adoption.
• International Relations: No direct impacts, as the bill focuses on domestic nutrition and agriculture programs.

Main Stakeholders Affected

• WIC Participants and Recipients: Primary beneficiaries, with expanded options for using benefits.
• Farmers and Agricultural Entities: Including individual farmers, CSAs, farmers' markets, and food hubs, who gain automatic authorization and technical support to accept benefits.
• State and Local Agencies: WIC administrators responsible for EBT systems, program rollout, and compliance.
• USDA: Oversees implementation, regulations, portal creation, and the technical assistance center.
• Nonprofit and Educational Organizations: Eligible to operate the technical assistance center and provide training.

Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications

• Legal: Strengthens federal nutrition laws by integrating local food systems into WIC, potentially reducing administrative hurdles through automation and standardization. It references existing regulations (e.g., in the Code of Federal Regulations) for consistency but introduces new mandates that could lead to future litigation if implementation delays occur.
• Constitutional: Supports equal protection under the law by promoting access to nutritious foods for vulnerable populations, aligning with Congress's spending power for public welfare programs; no apparent conflicts with free speech, due process, or other rights.
• Political: Encourages partnerships between federal nutrition programs and local agriculture, which could appeal across party lines by supporting small farmers and food security. Referred to committees on Education and Workforce and Agriculture, indicating bipartisan interest (introduced by Reps. Underwood and Van Drew), but success depends on funding and congressional approval.

This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.

Sponsor

Rep. Underwood, Lauren [D-IL-14]

Cosponsors (1)

Rep. Van Drew, Jefferson [R-NJ-2]

Recent Actions

• 2026-05-20: Referred to the Subcommittee on Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture.
• 2025-12-17: Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, 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.
• 2025-12-17: Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, 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.
• 2025-12-17: Introduced in House
• 2025-12-17: Introduced in House

Bill Versions

• Farmers to Families Act — issued 2025-12-17 — PDF (14 pages)