District Of Columbia 2023-2024 Regular Session

District Of Columbia Council Bill B25-0547 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
2	2	The John A. Wilson Building
3	3	1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, nw
4	4	Washington, D.C. 20004
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8	8	1
9	9
10	10	Statement of Introduction
11	11	Food Access by Public Transit Study Amendment Act of 2023
12	12	October 24, 2023
13	13
14	14	Today, I am proud to introduce the Food Access by Public Transit Study Amendment Act of
15	15	2023, along with Councilmembers Charles Allen, Robert C. White, Jr., and Brooke Pinto. This
16	16	legislation would require the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) to conduct a study
17	17	on public transportation access to supermarkets in low food access areas. DDOT would be
18	18	required to administer the study to 500 District residents living in low food access areas to assess
19	19	current transportation modes and routes used to travel to and from supermarkets.
20	20
21	21	In the District, there are extreme geographic disparities in access to full-service grocery stores.
22	22	Despite rapid economic development in the District from 2010 to 2020, Wards 7 and 8 lost
23	23	four of their seven full-service grocery stores. In that same period, 37 grocery stores opened in
24	24	the other six Wards.
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26	26	Of the nearly 171,000 residents of Wards 7 and 8, 85 percent live more
27	27	than a mile from a full-service grocery store.
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29	29	These disparities are not limited to Wards 7 and 8.
30	30	In Ward 3, 85,301 residents can purchase groceries from 16 full-service grocery stores. Ward 5,
31	31	with a population of 89,617, has only six full-service grocers.
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35	35	The District government has attempted to attract new supermarkets to low food access areas for
36	36	years, but little progress has been made. The Supermarket Tax Exemption Act of 2000 waived
37	37	certain taxes and fees for grocery stores that opened in specific neighborhoods, and this initiative
38	38	was later expanded in 2010 by the FEED DC Act. This law included a Qualified Supermarket
39	39	incentive, which offered property tax, business license fee, personal property tax, and sales and
40	40	use tax exemptions to attract additional grocery stores, and cost the District $29 million
41	41	between 2010 and 2017.
42	42	4
43	43	Between 2000 and 2015, 22 supermarkets received incentives, but
44	44	only two of these supermarkets were located east of the Anacostia River. One of the two closed
45	45	shortly after opening.
46	46	5
47	47	When evaluating the effectiveness of these programs, the CFO said,
48	48	“the incentives on their original goals shows that almost $29 million of foregone District
49	49	revenues cannot be shown to have affected supermarkets’ location decisions, generally, or
50	50	produced economic or other benefits that would not have happened but for the incentive.”
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56	56	Opinion. Wards 7 and 8 are ‘food swamps.’ D.C. should make building grocery stores there a priority. Esther
57	57	Priscilla Ebuehi, Divya Vemulapalli and Emel Yavuzel, Washington Post.
58	58	2
59	59	Black-owned stores work to end D.C.’s food deserts. Vanessa G. Sánchez, Washington Post.
60	60	3
61	61	Still Minding the Grocery Gap in D.C. A 2023 Update. D.C. Hunger Solutions.
62	62	4
63	63	Good News for the District’s Food Deserts: FEED DC Act Passes. DCFPI.
64	64	5
65	65	November 2018 Review of Economic Development Tax Expenditures
66	66	6
67	67	Revenue Revealed: It’s Time to Amend DC’s Tax Expenditure Programs. Amy Lieber, DCFPI.
68	68	Christina Henderson Committee Member
69	69	Councilmember, At-Large Hospital and Health Equity
70	70	Chairperson, Committee on Health Judiciary and Public Safety
71	71	Transportation and the Environment
72	72	COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
73	73	The John A. Wilson Building
74	74	1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, nw
75	75	Washington, D.C. 20004
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80	80	Many residents in low food access areas rely on public transportation to buy food. Transit scores,
81	81	which describe how well a location is served by public transit, highlight that District residents in
82	82	Wards with fewer supermarkets not only have the lowest car ownership rates in the city, but also
83	83	have fewer public transportation options. On a scale of 0-100, Wards 7 and 8 have median transit
84	84	scores of 48.5 and 43, respectively, and have a total of three grocery stores. Wards 1, 2, and 6,
85	85	have median transit scores over 88, and have a total of 35 grocery stores.
86	86	7
87	87	Studying the existing
88	88	public transportation routes in low food access areas, while not a substitute for efforts to open
89	89	new stores, will better inform the District and its public transportation partners of the areas
90	90	where routes need to be added or modified, and represents a necessary first step to improve
91	91	underserved residents’ access to healthy and nutritious food options.
92	92
93	93	As the Chair of the Committee on Health, I am committed to addressing the social determinants
94	94	of health for District residents, including access to healthy food. This legislation will build on my
95	95	previously introduced legislation that would address food insecurity, the Give SNAP A Raise
96	96	Amendment Act of 2022, and the Universal Free School Meals Amendment Act of 2023.
97	97	Studying public transportation options in low food access areas is not at all a replacement for
98	98	building new stores, but it is a fundamental part of the equation, particularly given the lack of
99	99	lasting progress made on attracting and retaining new stores in low food access areas. I will
100	100	continue to work to ensure that District residents have their nutrition and overall health needs
101	101	met, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Council to pass this legislation.
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108	108	Still Minding the Grocery Gap in D.C. 10th Anniversary Grocery Store Report. D.C. Hunger Solutions.
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110	110	______________________________ ______________________________ 1
111	111	Councilmember Charles Allen Councilmember Christina Henderson 2
112	112	3
113	113	4
114	114	______________________________ ______________________________ 5
115	115	Councilmember Robert C. White, Jr. Councilmember Brooke Pinto 6
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121	121	A BILL 12
122	122	13
123	123	________ 14
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125	125	16
126	126	IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 17
127	127	18
128	128	________________ 19
129	129	20
130	130	To amend the Department of Transportation Establishment Act of 2002 to require the District 21
131	131	Department of Transportation to conduct a study on public transportation access to 22
132	132	supermarkets in low food access areas. 23
133	133	24
134	134	BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this 25
135	135	act may be cited as the “Food Access by Public Transit Study Amendment Act of 2023”. 26
136	136	Sec. 2. The Department of Transportation Establishment Act of 2002, effective May 21, 27
137	137	2002 (D.C. Law 14-137; D.C. Official Code § 50-921.01 et seq.), is amended by adding a new 28
138	138	section 9r to read as follows: 29
139	139	“Sec. 9r. Food access by public transit study. 30
140	140	“(a)(1) DDOT shall conduct a study on the accessibility of supermarkets by public 31
141	141	transportation in low food access areas in the District of Columbia. 32
142	142	“(2) DDOT shall submit the study required by this subsection to the Council and 33
143	143	the Mayor by September 1, 2024. 34
144	144	“(b) The study required by subsection (a) of this section shall include: 35 2
145	145	“(1) Data on the number and percentage of residents in low food access areas 36
146	146	residing within walking distance of direct public transportation routes to supermarkets; 37
147	147	“(A) DDOT may include in this data analysis supermarkets under active 38
148	148	construction on the District that have not yet opened. 39
149	149	“(2) Data on the transportation modes used by residents in low food access areas 40
150	150	to travel to supermarkets, including private vehicles, public transportation, rideshare, and other 41
151	151	means, based on the findings of the survey required in subsection (c) of this section and other 42
152	152	data sources identified by DDOT; 43
153	153	“(3) Recommendations for changes to existing public transportation routes that 44
154	154	would increase access to supermarkets by public transportation in low food access areas; 45
155	155	“(4) Recommendations for additional public transportation routes that would 46
156	156	increase access to supermarkets by public transportation in low food access areas; and 47
157	157	“(5) Recommendations for decreasing the cost of public transportation for 48
158	158	individuals in low food access areas. 49
159	159	“(c) Prior to administering the study required by subsection (a) of this section, DDOT 50
160	160	shall administer a survey to at least 500 District residents in low-food access areas to assess 51
161	161	current transportation modes and routes used to travel to and from supermarkets, including the 52
162	162	extent to which residents use grocery delivery services. Survey respondents should represent all 53
163	163	Wards in which low food access areas exist. 54
164	164	“(d) For purposes of this section, the term: 55
165	165	“(1) “Low food access area” shall have the same meaning as the term “eligible 56
166	166	area” as defined in D.C. Official Code § 47-3801(1D)(A). 57 3
167	167	(2) “Supermarket” shall have the same meaning as defined in D.C. Official Code 58
168	168	§ 47-3801(3).”. 59
169	169	Sec. 3. Fiscal impact statement. 60
170	170	The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal 61
171	171	impact statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975, 62
172	172	approved October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a) 63
173	173	Sec. 4. Effective date. 64
174	174	This act shall take effect following approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the 65
175	175	Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto), a 30-day period of Congressional review as 66
176	176	provided in section 602(c)(1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 67
177	177	24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813: D.C. Official Code § 1-206.02(c)(1)), and publication in the District of 68
178	178	Columbia Register. 69