,,ii #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #acgd ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,july #be1 #bjac ,mr4 ,begich introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,indian ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to allow traditional foods to be served at public facilities4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,traditional ,foods ,nourishment ,act of #bjac4 #b4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,alaska ,native ,the term ,alaska ,native means a person who is a member of any ,native village1 ,village ,corporation1 or ,regional ,corporation1 as those terms are defined in section #c of the ,alaska ,native ,claims ,settlement ,act 7#dc ,u4,s4,c4 #afjb74 7#b7 ,food service program ,the term food service program includes-- 7,a7 food service at a residential child care facility with a license from an appropriate ,state agency2 7,b7 a child nutrition program 7as defined in section #be7;b7 of the ,richard ,b4 ,russell ,national ,school ,lunch ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #agfi;f7b772 7,c7 food service at a hospital1 clinic1 or long-term care facility2 and 7,d7 a senior meal program4 7#c7 ,indian2 ,indian tribe ,the terms ,indian and ,indian tribe have the meanings given those terms in section #d of the ,indian ,self-,determination and ,education ,assistance ,act 7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #dej;b74 7#d7 ,secretary ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,agriculture4 7#e7 ,traditional food 7,a7 ,in general ,the term traditional food means food that has traditionally been prepared and consumed by an ,indian tribe4 7,b7 ,inclusions ,the term traditional food includes-- 7i7 wild game meat2 7ii7 fish2 7iii7 seafood2 7iv7 marine mammals2 7v7 plants2 and 7vi7 berries4 7#f7 ,tribal organization ,the term tribal organization has the meaning given the term in section #d of the ,indian ,self-,determination and ,education ,assistance ,act 7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #dej;b74 #c4 ,findings2 purposes 7a7 ,findings ,congress finds that-- 7#a7 consumption of traditional foods is proven to benefit health1 physical well-being1 and fitness2 7#b7 the ,national ,institutes of ,health has indicated that an increase in the consumption of traditional foods results in positive health effects among ,alaska ,natives2 7#c7 the leading cause of death among ,alaska ,natives is diet-related health problems resulting in cancer and heart disease2 7#d7 traditional foods such as wild salmon1 marine mammals1 migratory birds1 moose1 caribou1 berries1 and plants can have a positive health impact when consumed regularly2 7#e7 the ,department of ,agriculture and the ,economic ,research ,center have indicated that food from local sources is proven to be fresher and less processed and to retain more nutrients2 7#f7 providing access to traditional foods in food service programs promotes healthier lifestyles2 7#g7 many patients find that traditional foods provide comfort while undergoing treatment or recovery2 7#h7 opening food service programs to the donation of traditional foods would aid patients receiving care in a public facility physically and mentally during the healing process2 7#i7 food plays an incredibly large part in the culture and lifestyle of a community and expanding traditional food options to school systems would promote more extensive cultural education2 7#aj7 by increasing demand for local produce1 economic stimulation can occur1 furthering the development of local communities2 7#aa7 providing local food donations can lower the cost of meal programs in schools1 resulting in more financially stable beneficiaries and a reduction in expenditures by the ,federal ,government on the child nutrition program 7as defined in section #be7;b7 of the ,richard ,b4 ,russell ,national ,school ,lunch ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #agfi;f7b772 7#ab7 the program established by this ,act would bring communities together2 7#ac7 the expansion of opportunities for the donation of traditional foods supports hunters2 7#ad7 game hunters are required to harvest all of the edible meat from most large game2 and 7#ae7 this ,act provides a direct opportunity for hunters to donate the meat to food service programs4 7b7 ,purposes ,the purposes of this ,act are-- 7#a7 to provide access to traditional foods in food service programs2 7#b7 to encourage increased consumption of traditional foods to decrease health disparities among ,indians1 particularly ,alaska ,natives2 and 7#c7 to provide alternative food options for food service programs4 #d4 ,service of traditional foods in food service programs 7a7 ,program ,notwithstanding any other provision of law1 the ,secretary shall allow the donation to and serving of traditional food through a food service program at a public facility or a nonprofit facility1 including a facility operated by an ,indian tribe or a tribal organization1 that primarily serves ,indians if the operator of the food service program-- 7#a7 ensures that the food is received whole1 gutted1 gilled1 as quarters1 or as a roast1 without further processing2 7#b7 makes a reasonable determination that-- 7,a7 the animal was not diseased2 7,b7 the food was butchered1 dressed1 transported1 and stored to prevent contamination1 undesirable microbial growth1 or deterioration2 and 7,c7 the food will not cause a significant health hazard or potential for human illness2 7#c7 carries out any further preparation or processing of the food at a different time or in a different space from the preparation or processing of other food for the applicable program to prevent cross-contamination2 7#d7 cleans and sanitizes food-contact surfaces of equipment and utensils after processing the traditional food2 and 7#e7 labels donated traditional food with the name of the food and stores the traditional food separately from other food for the applicable program1 including through storage in a separate freezer or refrigerator or in a separate compartment or shelf in the freezer or refrigerator4 7b7 ,liability 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,united ,states1 an ,indian tribe1 and a tribal organization shall not be liable in any civil action for any damage1 injury1 or death caused to any person by the donation to or serving of traditional foods through a food service program4 7#b7 ,rule of construction ,nothing in paragraph 7#a7 alters any liability or other obligation of the ,united ,states under the ,indian ,self-,determination and ,education ,assistance ,act 7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #dej et seq474