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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6252 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 6252
To require the Secretary of Agriculture, in coordination with the
Director of the Census Bureau, to maintain an interagency food security
measurement program to coordinate the annual collection, analysis, and
reporting of data on food insecurity and hunger.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 21, 2025
Mr. Bell (for himself and Ms. Barragan) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to
the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, 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 require the Secretary of Agriculture, in coordination with the
Director of the Census Bureau, to maintain an interagency food security
measurement program to coordinate the annual collection, analysis, and
reporting of data on food insecurity and hunger.
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 Assurance and Security Act''.
SEC. 2. INTERAGENCY FOOD SECURITY MEASUREMENT PROGRAM.
(a) Interagency Food Security Measurement Program.--The Secretary
of Agriculture, in coordination with the Director of the Census Bureau,
shall establish and maintain an interagency food security measurement
program to coordinate the annual collection, analysis, and reporting of
data on food insecurity and hunger.
(b) Reporting.--
(1) Population survey.--The Current Population Survey
conducted by the Bureau of the Census shall include a food
security supplement consistent with the questionnaire issued in
2023 that includes the questions described in paragraph (3) for
the years 2026 through 2028 and continuing thereafter with
questions substantially similar to those described in paragraph
(3) with any amendments to the questions predicated upon robust
testing, and thorough review, public input, and Office of
Management and Budget clearance.
(2) Agriculture annual reports.--The Secretary of
Agriculture shall, with respect to the annual report issued
pursuant to subsection (a)--
(A) include the findings related to the questions
described in paragraph (3);
(B) make the report publicly available on the
website of the Department; and
(C) submit such report to Congress.
(3) Questions described.--The questions described in this
paragraph are as follows:
(A) Was the answer often, sometimes, or never true
for you in the last 12 months for each of the
following:
(i) We worried whether our food would run
out before we got money to buy more.
(ii) The food that we bought just didn't
last and we didn't have money to get more.
(iii) We couldn't afford to eat balanced
meals.
(B) In the last 12 months, did you or other adults
in the household ever cut the size of your meals or
skip meals because there wasn't enough money for food?
(C) If the answer is yes with respect to
subparagraph (B), how often did this happen--almost
every month, some months but not every month, or in
only 1 or 2 months?
(D) In the last 12 months, did you ever eat less
than you felt you should because there wasn't enough
money for food?
(E) In the last 12 months, were you ever hungry,
but didn't eat, because there wasn't enough money for
food?
(F) In the last 12 months, did you lose weight
because there wasn't enough money for food?
(G) In the last 12 months, did you or other adults
in your household ever not eat for a whole day because
there wasn't enough money for food?
(H) If the answer is yes to subparagraph (G), how
often did this happen--almost every month, some months
but not every month, or in only 1 or 2 months?
(I) In the case of a household that includes
children ages 0 to 17, the following additional
questions:
(i) Was the answer often, sometimes, or
never true for you in the last 12 months for
each of the following:
(I) We relied on only a few kinds
of low-cost food to feed our children
because we were running out of money to
buy food.
(II) We couldn't feed our children
a balanced meal, because we couldn't
afford that.
(III) The children were not eating
enough because there wasn't enough
money for food.
(ii) In the last 12 months, did you ever
cut the size of any of the children's meals
because there wasn't enough money for food?
(iii) In the last 12 months, were the
children ever hungry because there wasn't
enough money for food?
(iv) In the last 12 months, did any of the
children ever skip a meal because there wasn't
enough money for food?
(v) If the answer is yes to clause (iv),
how often did this happen--almost every month,
some months but not every month, or in only 1
or 2 months?
(vi) In the last 12 months, did any of the
children ever not eat for a whole day because
there wasn't enough money for food?
(c) Funding.--
(1) Appropriation.--There is appropriated to the Secretary
of Agriculture such sums as may be necessary to carry out this
section.
(2) Transfer.--Of the funds appropriated under paragraph
(1), the Secretary of Agriculture shall provide funding for the
costs incurred by the Census Bureau in conducting the annual
food security supplement.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, 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.
Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, 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.
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