,i #aagth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #ffjh ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,february #d1 #bjbb,mrs4 ,hayes 7for herself1 ,ms4 ,brownley1 ,mrs4 ,mc,bath1 and ,mr4 ,fitzpatrick7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,education and ,labor ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,richard ,b4 ,russell ,national ,school ,lunch ,act to establish a pilot program promoting scratch cooking in school meal programs4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,scratch ,cooked ,meals for ,students ,act4 #b4 ,pilot program for grants promoting scratch cooking in school meal programs ,section #ah of the ,richard ,b4 ,russell ,national ,school ,lunch ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #agfi7 is amended by inserting before subsection 7b7 the following new subsection3 7a7 ,scratch cooking pilot program 7#a7 ,in general 7,a7 ,establishment ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this subsection1 the ,secretary shall establish a pilot program to award competitive grants to school food authorities and local educational agencies to promote scratch cooking4 7,b7 ,scratch cooking defined ,in this subsection1 the term scratch cooking means the preparation of food using ingredients that are unprocessed or minimally processed4 7#b7 ,grant amounts and duration ,a grant awarded under this subsection shall be made-- 7,a7 for a period of #b school years2 and 7,b7 in #a installment in the first school year and #a installment in the second school year1 with each such installment equal to or less than #ajj1jjj4 7#c7 ,eligible uses ,a grant awarded under this subsection shall be used by a school food authority or local educational agency to promote scratch cooking1 which may include-- 7,a7 promoting professional development and training related to preparing1 procuring1 advertising1 serving1 and creating menus of meals made with scratch cooking2 7,b7 purchasing cafeteria equipment or making infrastructure modifications necessary for scratch cooking2 7,c7 employee compensation for additional food preparation necessary for scratch cooking2 and 7,d7 providing technical assistance1 pupil engagement1 and education related to scratch cooking1 such as taste tests1 recipe development1 and culinary education4 7#d7 ,priority ,in evaluating grant applications under this subsection1 the ,secretary shall give the highest priority to school food authorities and local educational agencies that-- 7,a7 serve the greatest proportion of students eligible for free or reduced price lunch under this ,act2 7,b7 are-- 7i7 self-operated2 or 7ii7 provide an assurance to the ,secretary that the school food authority or local educational agency will be self-operated on or before the date that is #a year before the last day of the grant period2 and 7,c7 either-- 7i7 have employees who are represented by a collective bargaining agreement or memorandum of understanding2 or 7ii7 provide an assurance to the ,secretary that the school food authority or local educational agency will1 with respect to the employees of such school food authority or local educational agency1 negotiate a collective bargaining agreement or memorandum of understanding on or before the date that is #a year before the last day of the grant period4 7#e7 ,technical assistance 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall enter into an agreement with one or more nonprofit organizations to establish and carry out a technical assistance and resource center to provide technical assistance with respect to carrying out subparagraphs 7,a7 through 7,c7 of paragraph 7#c74 7,b7 ,collaboration requirement ,as soon as practicable after receiving a grant under this subsection1 a school food authority or local educational agency shall collaborate with the technical assistance and resource center established under subparagraph 7,a7 to-- 7i7 conduct a needs assessment to evaluate equipment needs1 equipment utilization1 procurement processes1 and workforce capabilities of the school food authority or local educational agency2 and 7ii7 based on such needs assessment1 establish a strategic plan to carry out the grant under this subsection4 7#f7 ,reporting requirements ,each school food authority and local educational agency that receives a grant under this subsection shall report to the ,secretary at the end of the grant period-- 7,a7 the change1 from the beginning of the grant period1 in the overall percentage of the #bj most expensive procurement items with whole ingredients1 raw ingredients1 or both2 7,b7 the change1 from the beginning of the grant period1 in the overall percentage of procured food items that are locally procured2 7,c7 the change1 from the beginning of the grant period1 in the overall percentage of menu items in a #d-week menu cycle prepared with scratch cooking2 7,d7 the change1 from the beginning of the grant period1 in the overall percentage of packaging that is single-serve packaging2 7,e7 the change1 from the beginning of the grant period1 to overall culinary1 fiscal1 procurement1 and management operations2 and 7,f7 the change1 from the beginning of the grant period1 in the overall percentage of students who participate in the school lunch program under this ,act4 7#g7 ,authorization of appropriations 7,a7 ,in general ,there is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection #bj1jjj1jjj for the first fiscal year beginning after the date of the enactment of this subsection and for each of the four subsequent fiscal years4 7,b7 ,reservations ,of the amounts made available under subparagraph 7,a71 the ,secretary shall reserve-- 7i7 not more than #ae percent for purposes of carrying out paragraph 7#e71 including administrative expenses2 and 7ii7 not more than #e percent for other administrative expenses of the ,secretary4 4