Local Procurement Act

The Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 is amended, in the undesignated matter preceding subtitle A (7 U.S.C. 1621 et seq.), by striking This title and inserting the following:

This title

Section 202 of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1621) is amended by striking the section designation and all that follows through hereby declares in the first sentence and inserting the following:

Congress declares

Section 203 of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1622) is amended by striking the section designation and all that follows through Agriculture is directed in the matter preceding subsection (a) and inserting the following:

Notwithstanding any other provision of law (including regulations), effective beginning on the date of enactment of the Local Procurement Act, in purchasing any meat or poultry agricultural product pursuant to a purchasing authority of the Department of Agriculture, the Secretary of Agriculture (referred to in this Act as the Secretary) shall, to the maximum extent practicable, purchase such an agricultural product that bears a Product of USA or Made in the USA label, as described in the final rule of the Food Safety and Inspection Service entitled Voluntary Labeling of FSIS-Regulated Products With U.S.-Origin Claims (89 Fed. Reg. 19470 (March 18, 2024)).

Notwithstanding any other provision of law (including regulations), effective beginning on the date of enactment of the Local Procurement Act, in purchasing any fruit or vegetable agricultural product pursuant to a purchasing authority of the Department of Agriculture, the Secretary shall, to the maximum extent practicable, purchase such an agricultural product that is grown in—

(1) the State in which the agricultural product will be delivered; or

(2) a State adjacent to the State described in paragraph (1).

In entering into contracts for the purchase of any meat, poultry, fruit, or vegetable agricultural product, the Secretary shall establish and utilize selection criteria for consideration of whether a contract proposal offers the Federal Government the overall best value, without limiting evaluation factors to—

(A) lowest price; or

(B) highest technical rating.

In entering into contracts for the purchase of any meat, poultry, fruit, or vegetable agricultural product, the Secretary shall give priority to purchasing from vendors that source meat, poultry, fruit, or vegetable agricultural products, as applicable, from small and mid-sized farms.

The Secretary is directed