Food Deserts Act This bill establishes a grant program within the Department of Agriculture to reduce food deserts. Under the program, grants are provided to states for revolving funds that support the establishment and operation of grocery stores in underserved communities. Underserved communities are communities that have (1) limited access to affordable, healthy foods, including fresh fruits and vegetables, in grocery retail stores or farmer-to-consumer direct markets; and (2) a high rate of hunger, a high rate of food insecurity, or a high poverty rate. The bill requires states to use such funds for loans that support grocery stores in underserved communities, including for opening a store (excluding new construction), or supporting an existing store. In order to qualify for loans, grocery stores must meet criteria enumerated in the bill. For example, grocery stores must (1) emphasize unprocessed, healthful foods; (2) provide staple foods and a variety of raw fruits and vegetables; and (3) charge affordable prices at or below market values. Further, states must prioritize loan applications from entities that meet criteria related to hiring workers from the underserved community, providing classes or educational information about a healthful diet, sourcing food from local urban farms and gardens, and demonstrating existing supply chain relationships in the grocery industry.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development.
Bill introduced
Referred to the Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture.
Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
No lobbying report on the 119th Congress cites this bill.
The lobbying table lists Senate LDA quarterly reports (LD-2) that cite this bill by number and cover a quarter of the 119th Congress. An LD-2 names a bill as “H.R. 1234” with no Congress, so a report on another Congress, which can only concern a different bill with the same number, is left out, even when it was filed after this Congress began. The amount is what the registrant reported for the whole filing, across every issue on it, not spending on this bill. Official actions and the bill summary come from Congress.gov, and votes from the roll-call record. This page no longer pairs the bill with members' stock trades: matching lobbying clients to traded companies by name, and trades to a bill by date, is not something the records establish.
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E41)