Sec. 2. Office of kosher and halal foods
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The Federal Crop Insurance Reform and Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 ( 7 U.S.C. 6901 note et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: Not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall establish in the Department an Office of Kosher and Halal Foods (referred to in this section as the Office ). The Secretary shall appoint a Director of the Office who shall— be an individual with expertise in feeding programs carried out by the Secretary, national supply logistics, and religiously required diets; and be responsible for carrying out the mission and responsibilities of the Office as specified in this section.
The mission of the Office shall be to provide guidance and expertise to the Secretary necessary to ensure that people in the United States with religiously required diets have full, fair, and equal access to all food programs administered by the Secretary. The Office shall be responsible for engaging in activities to carry out the mission described in subsection (c), including— advising on the cost-effective procurement of kosher and halal food for distribution through programs administered by the Secretary; assisting local and regional food banks and pantries with the cost-effective procurement of kosher and halal food; advising the Secretary on the establishment of a national kosher and halal emergency food bank and distribution network; working with industry stakeholders to support the Department in securing kosher and halal food across food groups, to allow pantries to provide balanced pantry bags aligned with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans established under section 301 of the National Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research Act of 1990 ( 7 U.S.C. 5341 ); advising the Secretary on the needs of students with religiously required dietary restrictions in the covered nutrition programs; advocating for, and supporting funding initiatives for, increased access to kosher and halal food options in feeding programs administered by the Secretary; providing educational resources to producers, food banks, schools, food pantries, and other emergency food providers who contract with the Secretary to distribute food on kosher and halal requirements to assist such producers, food banks, schools, food pantries, and other emergency food providers in ensuring equal access to their programs for individuals who present with religious required diets; conducting research and collecting data, in partnership with the Economic Research Service, on kosher and halal food in the United States and food insecurity in the Jewish and Muslim American communities; and administering any pilot, grant, or other programs administered by the Department that are designed to increase access to kosher and halal food under the emergency food assistance program established under the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 ( 7 U.S.C. 7501 et seq. ).
Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section, and annually thereafter, the Office shall submit to Congress a report on the activities to be carried out by the Office and any relevant data relating to such activities and goals for the Office for the following year. In this section, the term covered nutrition program means— the school lunch program established under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq. ); the school breakfast program established under section 4 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 ( 42 U.S.C. 1773 ); and the Patrick Leahy Farm to School Program established under section 18(g) of the Richard B.
Russell National School Lunch Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1769(g) ). Of the funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation, the Secretary shall use to carry out this section $1,600,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029, to remain available until expended. There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $1,600,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029, to remain available until expended. .
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Sec. 2
Office of kosher and halal foods
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