Food Deserts Act of 2016
Latest action · Mar 31, 2016 Referred to the Subcommittee on Nutrition.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedMar 22, 2016
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Food Deserts Act of 2016
This bill establishes a Department of Agriculture program to provide grants to states for revolving funds to support the establishment and operation of grocery stores in underserved communities.
An underserved community is a community that has: (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 or food insecurity or a high poverty rate.
States must use the funds to make loans to support grocery stores in underserved communities, including for:
- opening a store (excluding new construction),
- supporting an existing store,
- purchasing an existing store, or
- supporting a store located in a community that would be underserved without the store.
States may only make loans for qualified grocery stores that:
- emphasize unprocessed, healthful foods;
- provide staple foods and a variety of raw fruits and vegetables;
- have a plan to keep the foods in stock; and
- charge prices at or below municipal averages.
States must prioritize loan applications from entities that meet criteria, including:
- hiring workers from the underserved community,
- providing classes or educational information about a healthful diet,
- sourcing food from local urban farms and gardens,
- not selling alcohol or tobacco products, or
- demonstrating existing supply chain relationships or expertise in the grocery industry.
Cosponsors 24
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Mar 22, 2016 to Dec 7, 2016; 8 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-NJ | Donald M. Payne, Jr. | Original | Mar 22, 2016 |
| D-DC | Eleanor Holmes Norton | Original | Mar 22, 2016 |
| D-MD | Elijah E. Cummings | Original | Mar 22, 2016 |
| D-FL | Frederica S. Wilson | Original | Mar 22, 2016 |
| D-WI | Gwen Moore | Original | Mar 22, 2016 |
| D-SC | James E. Clyburn | Original | Mar 22, 2016 |
| D-VI | Stacey E. Plaskett | Original | Mar 22, 2016 |
| D-MO | Wm. Lacy Clay | Original | Mar 22, 2016 |
| D-MD | Chris Van Hollen | Apr 15, 2016 | |
| D-AZ | Ann Kirkpatrick | May 10, 2016 | |
| D-CA | Barbara Lee | May 10, 2016 | |
| D-CA | Grace F. Napolitano | May 10, 2016 | |
| D-CA | Michael M. Honda | May 10, 2016 | |
| D-TX | Sheila Jackson Lee | May 10, 2016 | |
| D-NY | Hakeem S. Jeffries | May 18, 2016 | |
| D-CA | Mark DeSaulnier | May 18, 2016 | |
| D-FL | Alcee L. Hastings | Jul 14, 2016 | |
| D-NJ | Donald Norcross | Sep 28, 2016 | |
| D-OH | Joyce Beatty | Sep 28, 2016 | |
| D-OR | Earl Blumenauer | Nov 14, 2016 | |
| D-MD | John K. Delaney | Nov 14, 2016 | |
| D-MN | Keith Ellison | Nov 14, 2016 | |
| D-TX | Al Green | Dec 7, 2016 | |
| D-IL | Luis V. Gutierrez | Dec 7, 2016 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Agriculture Committee | Referred Mar 22, 2016 |
| Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee | Referred Mar 31, 2016 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Mar 31, 2016Referred to the Subcommittee on Nutrition.
- Mar 22, 2016Introduced in House
- Mar 22, 2016Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 162, no. 45, March 22, 2016, page H1553.
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to make grants to States to support the establishment and operation of grocery stores in underserved communities, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Food Deserts Act of 2016
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Agriculture and Food.
- Agricultural marketing and promotion
- Agriculture and Food
- Drug, alcohol, tobacco use
- Employee hiring
- Food assistance and relief
- Fruit and vegetables
- Government lending and loan guarantees
- Health promotion and preventive care
- Inflation and prices
- Nutrition and diet
- Poverty and welfare assistance
- Retail and wholesale trades
- Urban and suburban affairs and development
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Mar 22, 2016Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
