Massachusetts 2023-2024 Regular Session

Massachusetts House Bill H828 Compare Versions

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

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1	1	1 of 1
2	2	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2115 FILED ON: 1/19/2023
3	3	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 828
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Vanna Howard
8	8	_________________
9	9	To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
10	10	Court assembled:
11	11	The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
12	12	An Act relative to establishing a food justice frontline.
13	13	_______________
14	14	PETITION OF:
15	15	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Vanna Howard17th Middlesex1/19/2023Christopher Hendricks11th Bristol1/26/2023Patrick M. O'ConnorFirst Plymouth and Norfolk2/9/2023Priscila S. Sousa6th Middlesex2/14/2023James B. EldridgeMiddlesex and Worcester2/19/2023Rebecca L. RauschNorfolk, Worcester and Middlesex3/7/2023 1 of 5
16	16	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2115 FILED ON: 1/19/2023
17	17	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 828
18	18	By Representative Howard of Lowell, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 828) of Vanna
19	19	Howard and others relative to establishing a food justice frontline providing compensated work
20	20	involving food production, distribution, preparation, or delivery for food insecure residents.
21	21	Environment and Natural Resources.
22	22	[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
23	23	SEE HOUSE, NO. 973 OF 2021-2022.]
24	24	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
25	25	_______________
26	26	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
27	27	(2023-2024)
28	28	_______________
29	29	An Act relative to establishing a food justice frontline.
30	30	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
31	31	of the same, as follows:
32	32	1 SECTION 1. The General Laws are hereby amended by inserting after Chapter 128A the
33	33	2following chapter:
34	34	3 Chapter 128B: Food Justice Frontline Program
35	35	4 Section 1. As used in this section, the following words shall have the following
36	36	5meanings, unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
37	37	6 “Department”, the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources.
38	38	7 “Food Security Job”, any financially compensated work involving food production, food
39	39	8distribution, food preparation, or food delivery for food insecure Massachusetts residents. 2 of 5
40	40	9 “Nonprofit Food Security Organization”, a nonprofit corporation or other nonprofit
41	41	10organization that has programs which (1) provide land to low- and moderate-income individuals
42	42	11for agricultural production, or (2) has programs which provide Food Security Jobs to low- and
43	43	12moderate-income individuals, including, but not limited to, food production jobs, food
44	44	13distribution jobs, food preparation jobs, and food delivery jobs.
45	45	14 “Overburdened Community” means a Census Block Group in Massachusetts that meets
46	46	15both of the following criteria:
47	47	16 (1) Is at or above the 75th statewide percentile for at least 2 of the following
48	48	17Environmental Indicators on the most recent available United States Environmental Protection
49	49	18Agency’s EJSCREEN Assessment: (a) PM 2.5; (b) Ozone; (c) NATA Diesel PM; (d) NATA
50	50	19Cancer Risk; (e) NATA Respiratory Hazard Index; (f) Traffic Proximity; (g) Lead Paint
51	51	20Indicator; (h) Superfund Proximity; (i) Risk Management Plan Facilities Proximity; (j)
52	52	21Hazardous Waste Proximity; and (k) Wastewater Discharge Indicator; and
53	53	22 (2) has a median household income, as calculated by the US Census Bureau, that is no
54	54	23greater than 80% of the statewide median household income, as calculated by the US Census
55	55	24Bureau.
56	56	25 Section 2. (a) The Department shall create the Food Justice Frontline Program.
57	57	26 (b) The purpose of the Food Justice Frontline Program is to fund Nonprofit Food Security
58	58	27Organizations to enable them to create new Food Security Jobs and provide those jobs to
59	59	28individuals living within Overburdened Communities. The Food Justice Frontline Program is
60	60	29intended to create jobs as rapidly as possible after the enactment of this Act, in order to
61	61	30immediately address the widespread food insecurity throughout Massachusetts. 3 of 5
62	62	31 (c) The Department shall create an application with which Nonprofit Food Security
63	63	32Organizations may apply to receive a financial grant, not to exceed $500,000. This application
64	64	33shall be known as the Food Justice Frontline Funding Application.
65	65	34 (d) No Food Justice Frontline Funding Application shall be considered complete unless
66	66	35the applicant: (1) Describes, in detail, the program or programs which the Nonprofit Food
67	67	36Security Organization operates that provide land or Food Security Jobs to low-income
68	68	37Massachusetts residents; and (2) Describes, in detail, the ways in which the Nonprofit Food
69	69	38Security Organization would use funding to create jobs for individuals living within
70	70	39Overburdened Communities.
71	71	40 (e) The Department shall establish regulations and guidelines regarding the process and
72	72	41criteria for approval of a Food Justice Frontline Funding Application. These regulations and
73	73	42guidelines shall prioritize Nonprofit Food Security Organizations which demonstrate a clear and
74	74	43credible plan to use the funding to quickly create Food Security Jobs for individuals living within
75	75	44Overburdened Communities.
76	76	45 (f) Nonprofit Food Security Organizations which receive a financial grant under the Food
77	77	46Justice Frontline Program must use the entirety of the financial grant money on programs which
78	78	47will create Food Security Jobs for individuals living within Overburdened Communities. These
79	79	48jobs must pay an hourly wage of not less than the quotient of one divided by two thousand and
80	80	49four hundred (1/2,400), multiplied by the statewide per capita income, as calculated by the
81	81	50United States Census Bureau.
82	82	51 (g) A Nonprofit Food Security Organization may apply for multiple financial grants
83	83	52under the Food Justice Frontline Program. 4 of 5
84	84	53 Section 3. The Department shall have the power enter contracts, hire employees, hire
85	85	54contractors, promulgate rules and regulations, levy fines, adjudicate administrative cases, or take
86	86	55any other lawful action in order to implement the Food Justice Frontline Program.
87	87	56 SECTION 2. Chapter 128 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after
88	88	57section 2E the following section:
89	89	58 Section 2F. (a) The Department of Transitional Assistance and the Executive Office of
90	90	59Housing and Economic Development shall establish a new program designed to increase public
91	91	60awareness of the availability of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the Healthy
92	92	61Incentives Program, and other similar food access programs for low-income Massachusetts
93	93	62residents and food insecure Massachusetts residents. In order to carry out this program, the
94	94	63Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development shall work with Massachusetts
95	95	64residents under the age of eighteen to promote public awareness of the Supplemental Nutrition
96	96	65Assistance Program. The Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development shall
97	97	66compensate these Massachusetts residents with a stipend of not less than 15 dollars for every
98	98	67hour in which they work to promote public awareness of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
99	99	68Program. The Department of Transitional Assistance and the Executive Office of Housing and
100	100	69Economic Development shall prioritize working with Massachusetts residents who live in
101	101	70Overburdened Communities or Census Block Groups with a median household income that is
102	102	71below 80% of the statewide median household income. This program shall be conducted in
103	103	72multiple languages in order to ensure that it benefits both English-speaking families and non-
104	104	73English speaking families. 5 of 5
105	105	74 (b) The Department of Transitional Assistance and the Executive Office of Housing and
106	106	75Economic Development shall apply for any available federal programs including, but not limited
107	107	76to, the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive Grants administered by the United States Department
108	108	77of Agriculture to provide matching benefits to be deposited in the Fund.
109	109	78 (c) The Department of Transitional Assistance and the Executive Office of Housing and
110	110	79Economic Development shall promulgate rules and regulations to implement these programs.