Improving Health Through Integrated Food and Nutrition Services at Federally Qualified Health Centers Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 10171 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                               H. R. 10171

To establish a supplemental food and nutrition services grant program, 
                        and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            August 27, 2026

 Mr. Morelle introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committees on Energy 
     and Commerce, and Education and Workforce, 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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
To establish a supplemental food and nutrition services grant program, 
                        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 ``Improving Health Through Integrated 
Food and Nutrition Services at Federally Qualified Health Centers 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) Millions of Americans face food insecurity, which is a 
        key driver of poor health outcomes and chronic disease.
            (2) Federally qualified health centers are uniquely 
        positioned to integrate food and nutrition services into 
        clinical care.
            (3) Federally qualified health centers serve populations 
        that are disproportionately affected by food insecurity, 
        chronic disease, and limited access to affordable, nutritious 
        food. Addressing food access as a health intervention is 
        essential to improving patient outcomes and reducing long-term 
        health care costs.

SEC. 3. SUPPLEMENTAL FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICES GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services, 
acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services 
Administration, (in this section referred to as the ``Secretary'') 
shall establish a program to award grants, on a competitive basis, to 
Federally qualified health centers to--
            (1) implement food insecurity screening tools;
            (2) operate on-site food pantries;
            (3) partner with food banks, farms, and nutrition 
        assistance programs;
            (4) employ registered dieticians and nutrition 
        professionals; and
            (5) offer culturally tailored nutrition education.
    (b) Applications.--To be eligible for a grant under this section, a 
Federally qualified health center shall submit to the Secretary an 
application at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
information as the Secretary may require.
    (c) Technical Assistance and Capacity Building.--The Secretary 
shall provide to recipients of grants under this section--
            (1) training and best practices for integrating food and 
        nutrition services into care delivery; and
            (2) support for data collection, evaluation, and reporting.
    (d) Coordination With Federal Nutrition Programs.--In administering 
the program under this section, the Secretary shall coordinate with the 
Secretary of Agriculture and the Administrator for the Centers for 
Medicare & Medicaid Services to--
            (1) streamline referrals and enrollment in--
                    (A) the supplemental nutrition assistance program 
                under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 
                et seq.) (in this section referred to as ``SNAP'');
                    (B) the special supplemental nutrition program for 
                women, infants, and children under section 17 of the 
                Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786) (in this 
                section referred to as ``WIC''); and
                    (C) other nutrition programs;
            (2) encourage Medicaid waivers or demonstration projects 
        that support nutrition services as reimbursable care; and
            (3) explore opportunities under value-based payment models 
        to fund food and nutrition interventions.
    (e) Reporting and Evaluation.--As a condition of receiving a grant 
under this section, a Federally qualified health center shall agree to 
submit to the Secretary annual reports detailing--
            (1) the number of patients served by the grant;
            (2) the number of referrals to, and enrollments in, SNAP, 
        WIC, and other nutrition programs; and
            (3) the community partnerships and resource utilization 
        facilitated by the grant.
    (f) Federally Qualified Health Center Defined.--In this section, 
the term ``Federally qualified health center'' has the meaning given 
the term in section 1861(aa) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395x(aa)).
    (g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $100,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2027 through 2031.
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