December 2, 2025
Mr. Vindman (for himself and Mr. Lawler) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture
To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a program for making payments to covered producers for the cost of carrying out GAP audits, and for other purposes.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Cutting Cumbersome Overhead for Small-farm Testing Savings Act of 2025
or the Cutting COSTS Act of 2025
.
Sec. 2. Good agricultural practices payment program
(a) In general
The Secretary shall establish a program for making payments to covered producers in an amount that is equal to the full cost incurred by each such producer for carrying out a GAP audit.
(b) Report
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually for each of the four years thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report regarding activities under the program established under subsection (a), including—
(1)
the number and type of covered producers who received payments under such program; and
(2)
the extent to which such payment increased, for each such producer, market access to a retail food store that requires a GAP audit as a condition for such access.
(c) Funding
The Secretary shall use the funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation to carry out this section.
(d) Definitions
In this Act:
(1) Covered producer
The term covered producer means a person—
(A)
that—
(i)
operates a small farm with an average adjusted gross income (as defined in section 1001D(a) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (7 U.S.C. 1308–3a(a))) of less than $350,000 each year; or
(ii)
is a beginning farmer or rancher (as defined in section 3430.602 of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations (or a successor regulation)); and
(B)
meets such other requirements as the Secretary may determine appropriate.
(2) GAP audit
The term GAP audit means an audit under the Agricultural Marketing Service Audit Verification and Accreditation Programs described in part 62 of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations), as such programs relate to good agricultural practices and guidance published by the Secretary of Health and Human Services under section 419(e)(1) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 350h(e)(1)).
(3) Retail food store
The term retail food store has the meaning given such term in section 3 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2012).
(4) Secretary
The term Secretary means the Secretary of Agriculture.
(e) Sunset
The authority under this section shall terminate on the date that is 5 years after the date of the enactment of this Act.