Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Massachusetts House Bill H128 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. 337 FILED ON: 1/8/2025
3	3	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 128
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 Middlesex1/8/2025 1 of 5
16	16	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 337 FILED ON: 1/8/2025
17	17	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 128
18	18	By Representative Howard of Lowell, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 128) of Vanna
19	19	Howard relative to establishing a food justice frontline providing compensated work involving
20	20	food production, distribution, preparation, or delivery for food insecure residents. Agriculture.
21	21	[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
22	22	SEE HOUSE, NO. 828 OF 2023-2024.]
23	23	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
24	24	_______________
25	25	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
26	26	(2025-2026)
27	27	_______________
28	28	An Act relative to establishing a food justice frontline.
29	29	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
30	30	of the same, as follows:
31	31	1 SECTION 1. The General Laws are hereby amended by inserting after Chapter 128A the
32	32	2following chapter:
33	33	3 Chapter 128B: Food Justice Frontline Program
34	34	4 Section 1. As used in this section, the following words shall have the following
35	35	5meanings, unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
36	36	6 “Department”, the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources.
37	37	7 “Food Security Job”, any financially compensated work involving food production, food
38	38	8distribution, food preparation, or food delivery for food insecure Massachusetts residents. 2 of 5
39	39	9 “Nonprofit Food Security Organization”, a nonprofit corporation or other nonprofit
40	40	10organization that has programs which (1) provide land to low- and moderate-income individuals
41	41	11for agricultural production, or (2) has programs which provide Food Security Jobs to low- and
42	42	12moderate-income individuals, including, but not limited to, food production jobs, food
43	43	13distribution jobs, food preparation jobs, and food delivery jobs.
44	44	14 “Overburdened Community” means a Census Block Group in Massachusetts that meets
45	45	15both of the following criteria:
46	46	16 (1) Is at or above the 75th statewide percentile for at least 2 of the following
47	47	17Environmental Indicators on the most recent available United States Environmental Protection
48	48	18Agency’s EJSCREEN Assessment: (a) PM 2.5; (b) Ozone; (c) NATA Diesel PM; (d) NATA
49	49	19Cancer Risk; (e) NATA Respiratory Hazard Index; (f) Traffic Proximity; (g) Lead Paint
50	50	20Indicator; (h) Superfund Proximity; (i) Risk Management Plan Facilities Proximity; (j)
51	51	21Hazardous Waste Proximity; and (k) Wastewater Discharge Indicator; and
52	52	22 (2) has a median household income, as calculated by the US Census Bureau, that is no
53	53	23greater than 80% of the statewide median household income, as calculated by the US Census
54	54	24Bureau.
55	55	25 Section 2. (a) The Department shall create the Food Justice Frontline Program.
56	56	26 (b) The purpose of the Food Justice Frontline Program is to fund Nonprofit Food Security
57	57	27Organizations to enable them to create new Food Security Jobs and provide those jobs to
58	58	28individuals living within Overburdened Communities. The Food Justice Frontline Program is
59	59	29intended to create jobs as rapidly as possible after the enactment of this Act, in order to
60	60	30immediately address the widespread food insecurity throughout Massachusetts. 3 of 5
61	61	31 (c) The Department shall create an application with which Nonprofit Food Security
62	62	32Organizations may apply to receive a financial grant, not to exceed $500,000. This application
63	63	33shall be known as the Food Justice Frontline Funding Application.
64	64	34 (d) No Food Justice Frontline Funding Application shall be considered complete unless
65	65	35the applicant: (1) Describes, in detail, the program or programs which the Nonprofit Food
66	66	36Security Organization operates that provide land or Food Security Jobs to low-income
67	67	37Massachusetts residents; and (2) Describes, in detail, the ways in which the Nonprofit Food
68	68	38Security Organization would use funding to create jobs for individuals living within
69	69	39Overburdened Communities.
70	70	40 (e) The Department shall establish regulations and guidelines regarding the process and
71	71	41criteria for approval of a Food Justice Frontline Funding Application. These regulations and
72	72	42guidelines shall prioritize Nonprofit Food Security Organizations which demonstrate a clear and
73	73	43credible plan to use the funding to quickly create Food Security Jobs for individuals living within
74	74	44Overburdened Communities.
75	75	45 (f) Nonprofit Food Security Organizations which receive a financial grant under the Food
76	76	46Justice Frontline Program must use the entirety of the financial grant money on programs which
77	77	47will create Food Security Jobs for individuals living within Overburdened Communities. These
78	78	48jobs must pay an hourly wage of not less than the quotient of one divided by two thousand and
79	79	49four hundred (1/2,400), multiplied by the statewide per capita income, as calculated by the
80	80	50United States Census Bureau.
81	81	51 (g) A Nonprofit Food Security Organization may apply for multiple financial grants
82	82	52under the Food Justice Frontline Program. 4 of 5
83	83	53 Section 3. The Department shall have the power enter contracts, hire employees, hire
84	84	54contractors, promulgate rules and regulations, levy fines, adjudicate administrative cases, or take
85	85	55any other lawful action in order to implement the Food Justice Frontline Program.
86	86	56 SECTION 2. Chapter 128 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after
87	87	57section 2E the following section:
88	88	58 Section 2F. (a) The Department of Transitional Assistance and the Executive Office of
89	89	59Housing and Economic Development shall establish a new program designed to increase public
90	90	60awareness of the availability of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the Healthy
91	91	61Incentives Program, and other similar food access programs for low-income Massachusetts
92	92	62residents and food insecure Massachusetts residents. In order to carry out this program, the
93	93	63Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development shall work with Massachusetts
94	94	64residents under the age of eighteen to promote public awareness of the Supplemental Nutrition
95	95	65Assistance Program. The Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development shall
96	96	66compensate these Massachusetts residents with a stipend of not less than 15 dollars for every
97	97	67hour in which they work to promote public awareness of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
98	98	68Program. The Department of Transitional Assistance and the Executive Office of Housing and
99	99	69Economic Development shall prioritize working with Massachusetts residents who live in
100	100	70Overburdened Communities or Census Block Groups with a median household income that is
101	101	71below 80% of the statewide median household income. This program shall be conducted in
102	102	72multiple languages in order to ensure that it benefits both English-speaking families and non-
103	103	73English speaking families. 5 of 5
104	104	74 (b) The Department of Transitional Assistance and the Executive Office of Housing and
105	105	75Economic Development shall apply for any available federal programs including, but not limited
106	106	76to, the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive Grants administered by the United States Department
107	107	77of Agriculture to provide matching benefits to be deposited in the Fund.
108	108	78 (c) The Department of Transitional Assistance and the Executive Office of Housing and
109	109	79Economic Development shall promulgate rules and regulations to implement these programs.