H.R. 4971: Greening Food Deserts Act

111th Congress · introduced 2010-03-25 · Agriculture and Food · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy, and Research.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2010-03-25 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Kaptur, Marcy [D-OH-9] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy, and Research. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Greening Food Deserts Act

Plain summary

Greening Food Deserts Act - Amends the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish the Office of Urban Agriculture which shall coordinate Department of Agriculture (USDA) activities related to urban agriculture and nutrition. Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to direct the Secretary to provide technical assistance in support of backyard conservation and community gardening programs involving small-scale subsistence and personal-use agriculture. Amends the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 regarding urban and community forestry assistance to give a priority to the production and procurement in urban areas of plant materials that are resistant to invasive species. Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to authorize appropriations for the seniors farmers' market nutrition program. Directs the Secretary to make loans, provide loan guarantees, and make grants to public agencies and nonprofit organizations for farmers' market construction and renovation. Amends the Census of Agriculture Act of 1997 to include an evaluation of state farmers' markets in each agriculture census. Renames the Rural Energy for America Program as the Renewable Energy for America Program. Authorizes the Secretary to make a microloan or grant available to support outreach activities for: (1) developing food production in communities not traditionally associated with agricultural production; and (2) supporting local food production and distribution. Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to increase reimbursement rates for school lunch, breakfast, and summer food service meals consisting in whole or part of foods produced through agricultural education programs that use enrolled students to produce food and provide the food to in-house feeding programs. Amends The Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to direct the Secretary to make eight grants each fiscal year to regional food banks or consortiums of community feeding programs for a demonstration project to produce fresh fruits and vegetables at these facilities while teaching eligible households how to engage in small-scale food production residentially or at community gardens.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

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A “Nay” vote

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Greening Food Deserts Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Kaptur, Marcy [D-OH-9] · 68 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Gwen Moore (D-WI), Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), Richard E. Neal (D-MA), Danny K. Davis (D-IL), James P. McGovern (D-MA), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-GA), Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), Maxine Waters (D-CA), James E. Clyburn (D-SC), Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), John B. Larson (D-CT), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Doris O. Matsui (D-CA), Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and 8 more.

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Kaptur, Marcy [D-OH-9] reported raising $5.9 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (4)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Fiscal year: The 12-month period a government uses for its budget. The federal fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30 and is named for the calendar year in which it ends. Most states use July 1 to June 30.
Securities: Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-111hr4971.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/111/hr>

Record fed-us-cong111-hr4971 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong111 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong111