FOOD STAMP PROGRAM.

SEC. 401. FOOD STAMP PROGRAM. (a) Disqualification of a Store or Concern.— Section 12(b)(3)(B) of the Food Stamp Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 2021(b)(3)(B)) is amended— (1) by striking the second parenthetical; and (2) by striking “; or” and inserting the following: “, including evidence that— “(i) the ownership of the store or food concern was not aware of, did not approve of, did not benefit from, and was not involved in the conduct of the violation; and “(ii) (I) the management of the store or food concern was not aware of, did not approve of, did not benefit from, and was not involved in the conduct of the violation; or “(II) the management was aware of, approved of, benefited from, or was involved in the conduct of no more than 1 previous violation by the store or food concern; or”. (b) Employment and Training.— Section 16(h)(1) of the Food Stamp Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 2025(h)(1)) is amended by striking “1995” each place it appears and inserting “2002”. (c) Authorization of Pilot Projects.— The last sentence of section 17(b)(1)(A) of the Food Stamp Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 2026(b)(1)(A)) is amended by striking “1995” and inserting “2002”. (d) Outreach Demonstration Projects.— The first sentence of section 17(j)(D(A) of the Food Stamp Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 2026(j)(l)(A)) is amended by striking “1995” and inserting “2002”. (e) Authorization for Appropriations.— The first sentence of section 18(a)(1) of the Food Stamp Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 2027(a)(1)) is amended by striking “1995” and inserting “1997”. (f) Reauthorization of Puerto Rico Nutrition Assistance Program.— The first sentence of section 19(a)(1)(A) of the Food Stamp Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 2028(a)(1)(A)) is amended by striking “$974,000,000” and all that follows through “fiscal year 1995” and inserting “$1,143,000,000 for fiscal year 1996, $1,174,000,000 for fiscal year 1997, $1,204,000,000 for fiscal year 1998, $1,236,000,000 for fiscal year 1999, $1,268,000,000 for fiscal year 2000, $1,301,000,000 for fiscal year 2001, and $1,335,000,000 for fiscal year 2002”. 110 STAT. 1027 (g) American Samoa.— The Food Stamp Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: “SEC. 24. TERRITORY OF AMERICAN SAMOA. “Effective October 1, 1995, from amounts made available to carry out this Act, the Secretary shall pay to the Territory of American Samoa not more than $5,300,000 for each of fiscal years 1996 through 2002 to finance 100 percent of the expenditures for the fiscal year for a nutrition assistance program extended under section 601(c) of Public Law 96–597 (48 U.S.C. 1469d(c)).”. (h) Assistance for Community Food Projects.— The Food Stamp Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.) (as amended by subsection (g)) is amended by adding at the end the following: “SEC. 25. ASSISTANCE FOR COMMUNITY FOOD PROJECTS. “(a) Definition of Community Food Projects.— In this section, the term ‘community food project’ means a community-based project that requires a 1-time infusion of Federal assistance to become self-sustaining and that is designed to— “(1) meet the food needs of low-income people; “(2) increase the self-reliance of communities in providing for their own food needs; and “(3) promote comprehensive responses to local food, farm, and nutrition issues. “(b) Authority To Provide Assistance.— “(1) In general.— From amounts made available to carry out this Act, the Secretary may make grants to assist eligible private nonprofit entities to establish and carry out community food projects. “(2) Limitation on grants.— The total amount of funds provided as grants under this section may not exceed— “(A) $1,000,000 for fiscal year 1996; and “(B) $2,500,000 for each of fiscal years 1997 through 2002. “(c) Eligible Entities.— To be eligible for a grant under subsection (b), a private nonprofit entity must— “(1) have experience in the area of— “(A) community food work, particularly concerning small and medium-sized farms, including the provision of food to people in low-income communities and the development of new markets in low-income communities for agricultural producers; or “(B) job training and business development activities for food-related activities in low-income communities; “(2) demonstrate competency to implement a project, provide fiscal accountability, collect data, and prepare reports and other necessary documentation; and “(3) demonstrate a willingness to share information with researchers, practitioners, and other interested parties. “(d) Preference for Certain Projects.— In selecting community food projects to receive assistance under subsection (b), the Secretary shall give a preference to projects designed to— “(1) develop linkages between 2 or more sectors of the food system; “(2) support the development of entrepreneurial projects; “(3) develop innovative linkages between the for-profit and nonprofit food sectors; or 110 STAT. 1028 “(4) encourage long-term planning activities and multi-system, interagency approaches. “(e) Matching Funds Requirements.— “(1) Requirements.— The Federal share of the cost of establishing or carrying out a community food project that receives assistance under subsection (b) may not exceed 50 percent of the cost of the project during the term of the grant. “(2) Calculation.— In providing for the non-Federal share of the cost of carrying out a community food project, the entity receiving the grant shall provide for the share through a payment in cash or in kind, fairly evaluated, including facilities, equipment, or services. “(3) Sources.— An entity may provide for the non-Federal share through State government, local government, or private sources. “(f) Term of Grant.— “(1) Single grant.— A community food project may be supported by only a single grant under subsection (b). “(2) Term.— The term of a grant under subsection (b) may not exceed 3 years. “(g) Technical Assistance and Related Information.— “(1) Technical assistance.— In carrying out this section, the Secretary may provide technical assistance regarding community food projects, processes, and development to an entity seeking the assistance. “(2) Sharing Information.— “(A) In general.— The Secretary may provide for the sharing of information concerning community food projects and issues among and between government, private for profit and nonprofit groups, and the public through publications, conferences, and other appropriate forums. “(B) Other interested parties.— The Secretary may share information concerning community food projects with researchers, practitioners, and other interested parties. “(h) Evaluation.— “(1) In general.— The Secretary shall provide for the evaluation of the success of community food projects supported using funds under this section. “(2) Report.— Not later than January 30, 2002, the Secretary shall submit a report to Congress regarding the results of the evaluation.”.