,i #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #fehf ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,december #aj1 #bjbe,mr4 ,panetta introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,armed ,services ,a ,,bill ,to authorize the ,secretary of ,defense to establish a pilot program to assess the efficacy of providing junior enlisted members of the ,armed ,forces a monthly coupon for use in procuring food at commissaries4 #a4 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that-- 7#a7 members of the ,armed ,forces and their families deserve access to affordable and healthy food options1 including during their duty day2 7#b7 there has been increased awareness about the challenges members and their families face in accessing affordable and healthy food options2 7#c7 those challenges have been especially acute for unaccompanied junior enlisted members who live in government-provided quarters on military installations2 and 7#d7 the ,department of ,defense should explore a variety of proposals for expanding the accessibility of healthy and affordable food options to members1 especially members who live in unaccompanied housing on military installations4 #b4 ,pilot program to provide coupons to junior enlisted members to purchase food at commissaries 7a7 ,pilot program ,the ,secretary of ,defense may conduct a pilot program to assess the efficacy of providing junior enlisted members of the ,armed ,forces a monthly coupon for use in procuring food at commissaries4 7b7 ,selection of installations 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary may conduct the pilot program authorized by subsection 7a7 at #b military installations4 7#b7 ,considerations ,in selecting installations for the pilot program authorized by subsection 7a71 the ,secretary shall consider installations with-- 7,a7 large numbers of enlisted members who live in unaccompanied housing2 7,b7 the largest ratios of enlisted members to commissioned officers2 7,c7 unaccompanied housing that provides access to functioning kitchens that residents may use to prepare meals2 7,d7 commissaries that are experimenting with or expanding their selection of nutritious and minimally processed ready-made and easy-to-make food options2 7,e7 low rates of attendance at dining facilities2 7,f7 low customer satisfaction ratings for dining facilities1 including installations with complaints about dining facilities submitted through the ,interactive ,customer ,evaluation system of the ,department of ,defense2 and 7,g7 commissaries located within easily accessible distances from unaccompanied housing4 7c7 ,coupons 7#a7 ,amount ,the ,secretary may determine the amount of the coupons to be provided under the pilot program authorized by subsection 7a74 7#b7 ,use for food at commissaries required ,a coupon provided under the pilot program authorized by subsection 7a7 may be used only to purchase food at commissaries4 7#c7 ,prohibited uses ,a coupon provided under the pilot program authorized by subsection 7a7 may not be used to-- 7,a7 purchase alcoholic beverages or tobacco2 or 7,b7 pay any deposit fee in excess of the amount of the ,state fee reimbursement 7if any7 required to purchase any food or food product contained in a returnable bottle or can1 without regard to whether the fee is included in the shelf price posted for the food or food product4 7#d7 ,supplement to other food assistance ,a coupon provided to a member under the pilot program authorized by subsection 7a7 shall supplement and not supplant-- 7,a7 the basic allowance for subsistence under section #djb of title #cg1 ,united ,states ,code2 and 7,b7 any program to provide meals or rations in kind for which the member is eligible4 7d7 ,duration of pilot program ,the pilot program authorized by subsection 7a7 shall terminate not later than one year after the date on which the pilot program commences4 7e7 ,report required 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #ij days after the termination under subsection 7d7 of the pilot program authorized by subsection 7a71 the ,secretary of ,defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report detailing the results of the pilot program4 7#b7 ,elements ,the report required by paragraph 7#a7 shall include an assessment of the following3 7,a7 ,the use of coupons by members who received coupons under the pilot program4 7,b7 ,the satisfaction of and feedback from such members relating to the coupons4 7,c7 ,the impact of providing the coupons on-- 7i7 the rates at which such members used commissaries2 and 7ii7 the rates at which such members used dining facilities on their installations4 7,d7 ,historical rates of use of dining facilities on installations and historical customer satisfaction metrics for such facilities1 including the number of complaints with respect to such facilities submitted through the ,interactive ,customer ,evaluation system of the ,department of ,defense4 7,e7 ,the efficacy of the pilot program in-- 7i7 reducing food insecurity rates among junior enlisted members2 7ii7 increasing the availability of nutritious food options for such members at commissaries2 and 7iii7 increasing the availability of nutritious food options for such members generally1 including such members living in unaccompanied housing4 7f7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,congressional defense committees ,the term congressional defense committees has the meaning given the term in section #aja7;a7 of title #aj1 ,united ,states ,code4 7#b7 ,coupon ,the term coupon means a voucher or monetary benefit for a member of the ,armed ,forces that may be used only at a commissary for the purchase of food4 7#c7 ,food ,the term food means any food or food product intended for home consumption1 including a ready-made food item4