Congresswoman Chellie Pingree has reintroduced H.R. 1414, the Local Farms, Food, and Jobs Act today for the 113th Congress.  Sherrod Brown of Ohio has introduced companion legislation in the Senate, S. 679. The bill has 18 original cosponsors: Marcy Kaptur, David Cicilline, John Lewis, Jim Moran, Jackie Speier, Peter Welch, Jim Mcgovern, Gwen Moore, Earl Blumenauer, Tim Walz, Marcia Fudge, Mike McIntyre, Doris Matsui, Jan Schakowsky, Gloria Negrete Mcleod, Rush Holt, Mike Thompson, and Joe Courtney.

The bill makes similar reforms to legislation Pingree introduced in the 112th Congress--many of those reforms had been passed in Farm Bills approved by the House Agriculture Committee and Senate, but were never brought to a vote before the full House.

The reintroduced legislation proposes reforms to better support farmers, increase access to healthy foods for consumers, and provides stable funding to program that support local agriculture.  Go here to learn about these reforms in depth.

Stay tuned to www.pingree.house.gov/localfood for updates and visit Chellie's new Tumblr blog for updates on food policy and the local food movement.

Click the links below to find out more

Bill status | What steps does the bill take? | Fact sheet (pdf) | Full text | News coverage |

Local Food Policy Updates

Thursday, May 16, 2013
Senate and House committees approve Pingree's local food reforms

Most of Pingree's local farm and food provisions adopted as part of Farm Bills in both House and Senate

A number of significant reforms that Congresswoman Chellie Pingree authored as part of her Local Farms Food and Jobs Act were adopted this week by the House and Senate Agriculture Committees. The Committees, controlled by Democrats in the Senate and Republicans in the House, voted in favor of two versions of a Farm Bill that contain Pingree's reforms designed to open new markets for sustainable farmers and increase consumer access to local food. The Farm Bill passed the Senate Committee on Tuesday and the House Committee late last night.

"Farm policy in this country has been skewed in favor of big agribusinesses but in the last year we've made some significant progress in reforming it in favor of local, sustainable farms," Pingree said. "These ideas are rapidly becoming more mainstream as consumers realize that local food isn't just good for their families but it's good for the local economy too."

Read more here ....

May 13, 2013
Senate and House Agriculture Committees to consider Farm Bill with Pingree's local food reforms this week
Congresswoman Chellie Pingree said today that she is encouraged that the House and Senate Agriculture Committees will consider separate versions of the Farm Bill that include a number of reforms she introduced in her bill, the Local Farms, Food, and Jobs Act.

"For these reforms to be included in the first draft of the House and Senate Farm Bills is a major step forward—especially in this divisive political climate. It shows that these ideas resonate with members on both sides of the aisle, and that more and more people want to know where their food is coming from," said Pingree. "These reforms will help diversified farms find new markets, improve access to healthy food for consumers and schools, and strengthen our rural economies. Together, consumers and farmers are driving exciting changes to our nation's food system, and it's time Congress catches up to them."

The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry will consider its version of the Farm Bill on Tuesday, followed by the House Committee on Agriculture on Wednesday. Between the two committees, several provisions from Pingree's bill have been included.

Read more here.

April 9, 2013

Chellie announcing bill with Top Chef host Tom Colicchio.

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree and Senator Sherrod Brown introduced the Local Farms, Food and Jobs Act today, a comprehensive package of reforms that would expand opportunities for local and regional farmers and make it easier for consumers to have access to healthy foods. The bill also helps put more local food into schools, rebuild the farm infrastructure in rural communities and help farmers break down barriers to new markets.

Read more here

112th Congress

September 27, 2012: A top USDA official visits Maine to see local, sustainable food efforts
July 12, 2012: House Agriculture Committee passes Farm Bill with Pingree local food provisions
June 21, 2012: Senate passes Farm Bill with Pingree local food provisions
May 9, 2012: Video from Farm Bill hearing
May 8, 2012: Maine farmer testifies to subcommittee about organic production in Farm Bill
April 30, 2012: Senate committee passes farm bill with some of Congresswoman Pingree's local food provisions.