Sen. Murkowski Introduces Bill to Boost Rural Food Access and Require New Seafood Labels
A bill to support nutrition, farmers, the seafood industry, agricultural research, wood energy and innovation, and indigenous self-determination, and for other purposes.
This bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process. It was recently sent to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry for review. No further actions are scheduled at this time, and the bill is considered active.
This bill covers many topics that are usually part of the larger Farm Bill, making it hard to pass on its own.
Scores run from -100 (strongly harmful) to +100 (strongly beneficial) for each group, combining impact, certainty, scope, and duration ratings of 1-5. How impact scoring works
USDA employees would take on new administrative responsibilities related to the Arctic Agriculture Accelerator Loan Program, frontier community food distribution grants, seafood labeling enforcement, and the new Wild USA Seafood label program. The bill also requires USDA to establish an Office of Self-Governance and manage new Tribal self-determination contracts, adding new operational duties.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Senator Lisa Murkowski introduced a comprehensive bill to establish a 'Wild USA Seafood' label and provide new economic tools for Alaska's fishing industry. The legislation includes grants for food banks in remote areas and allows SNAP benefits to cover delivery costs for rural residents.
The Improving ARCTIC Act, reintroduced as S. 4779, aims to strengthen the seafood industry through new labeling requirements for genetically engineered and lab-grown fish. It also creates a pilot grant program for domestic seafood processing in coastal communities.
Senator Murkowski's legislation would prioritize food security and small-scale food producers, offering forgivable loans up to $250,000 to help small processors expand capacity. The bill also seeks to give commercial fishermen parity with farmers in accessing federal grant programs.
No votes recorded for this bill yet.
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
A bill to support nutrition, farmers, the seafood industry, agricultural research, wood energy and innovation, and indigenous self-determination, and for other purposes.
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