119-hr3956

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3956 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 3956

To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to authorize the Secretary 
 of Agriculture to enter into self-determination contracts and self-
 governance agreements with Indian entities to administer the food 
 distribution program on Indian reservations.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 June 12, 2025

 Ms. Davids of Kansas (for herself and Mr. Lucas) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to authorize the Secretary 
 of Agriculture to enter into self-determination contracts and self-
 governance agreements with Indian entities to administer the food 
 distribution program on Indian reservations.

 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 ``Food Distribution Program on Indian 
Reservations

    (FDPIR) Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. FOOD DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM ON INDIAN RESERVATIONS UNDER SELF-
 DETERMINATION CONTRACTS AND SELF-GOVERNANCE AGREEMENTS.

 

Section 4

    (b) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 
2013

    (b) ) is amended--

    (1) by redesignating paragraph

    (7) as paragraph

    (8) ; and

    (2) by inserting after paragraph

    (6) the following:
 ``

    (7) Self determination contracts and self-governance 
 agreements for indian entities.--
 ``
        (A) === Definitions. ===
-In this paragraph:
 ``
            (i) Indian entity.--The term `Indian 
 entity' means Indian Tribes and Tribal 
 Organizations given the terms in 

section 4 of 
 the Indian Self-Determination and Education 
 Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).
 ``
            (ii) Self-determination contract and 
 self-governance agreement.--The terms `self-
 determination contract' and `self-governance 
 funding agreement' has the meaning given the 
 term in 

section 4 and 

section 401 of the Indian 
 Self-Determination and Education Assistance 
 Act.
 ``
        (B) Establishment.--At the request of an Indian 
 entity, the Secretary shall negotiate and enter into 
 self-determination contracts or self-governance 
 agreements to purchase agricultural commodities under 
 the food distribution program under this subsection for 
 the Indian reservation of that Indian entity and to 
 administer programs, functions, services, or activities 
 (or portions thereof) related to the operations of the 
 food distribution program of that Indian entity.
 ``
            (C) Eligibility.--
 ``
            (i) Criteria.--The Secretary shall 
 presume an Indian entity is eligible to 
 purchase agricultural commodities and assume 
 the administration of a food distribution 
 program on the Indian reservation of that 
 Indian entity under 

section 4

    (b)

    (7) if the 
 Indian entity meets the eligibility 
 requirements in title I or IV of the Indian 
 Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act 
 of 1975.
 ``
            (ii) Consultation.--The Secretary shall 
 consult with the Indian Tribes to determine the 
 process under which a Tribal organization may 
 participate.
 ``
            (D) Purchase of agricultural commodities.--Any 
 agricultural commodities purchased by a Indian entity 
 under the subsection shall--
 ``
            (i) be domestically produced;
 ``
            (ii) shall not result in a material 
 increase or decrease in the total amount of 
 food in the food package of that Indian entity 
 compared to the amount of food the Secretary 
 authorizes to be provided through the FDPIR 
 Guide Rate; and
 ``
            (iii) be of similar or higher nutritional 
 value as the type of agricultural commodities 
 that would be supplanted in the existing food 
 package for that Indian entity or be an 
 agricultural commodity with Tribal significance 
 to that Indian entity.
 ``
        (E) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the 
 effective date of this paragraph and annually 
 thereafter, the Secretary shall submit, to the 
 Committee on Agriculture of the House of 
 Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, 
 Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate, a report 
 describing the activities carried out by Indian 
 entities under self-determination contracts and self-
 governance agreements during the preceding year.''.

SEC. 3. APPLICATION OF GOVERNING LAW.

 The negotiation, execution, and flexible administration of all 
self-determination or self-governance agreements authorized under this 
paragraph

    (7) shall be governed by the requirements of title I with 
respect to self-determination agreements, or title IV with respect to 
self-governance agreements, of the Indian Self-Determination and 
Education Assistance Act of 1975 and the regulations duly promulgated 
thereunder by the Department of the Interior. The application of such 
statutory and regulatory provisions shall be adapted to the Department 
of Agriculture programs, functions, services, and activities only with 
the negotiated consent of the Indian entity affected, on a case by case 
basis. All such adaptations shall adhere to the rule of construction in 

section 406
            (i) of such Act (25 U.S.C. 5366
            (i) ) that each provision 
shall be liberally construed for the benefit of the Indian entity and 
any ambiguity shall be resolved in factor of the Indian entity.

SEC. 4. TERMINATION OF DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.

 Demonstration projects under 

section 4003

    (b) of the Agriculture 
Improvement Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 2013 note) shall cease to be 
effective beginning on the date following the end of the period of 
performance for all Tribes holding contracts under such section.
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