Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Massachusetts House Bill H2516 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1 of 1
2	2	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 781 FILED ON: 1/13/2025
3	3	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2516
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Orlando Ramos
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 establishing an advisory committee on the accessibility of fresh food retail in
13	13	communities throughout the Commonwealth.
14	14	_______________
15	15	PETITION OF:
16	16	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Orlando Ramos9th Hampden1/13/2025Jacob R. OliveiraHampden, Hampshire and Worcester2/10/2025 1 of 2
17	17	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 781 FILED ON: 1/13/2025
18	18	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2516
19	19	By Representative Ramos of Springfield, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2516) of
20	20	Orlando Ramos and Jacob R. Oliveira relative to establishing an advisory committee (including
21	21	members of the General Court) on the accessibility of fresh food retail in communities. Public
22	22	Health.
23	23	[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
24	24	SEE HOUSE, NO. 3632 OF 2023-2024.]
25	25	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
26	26	_______________
27	27	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
28	28	(2025-2026)
29	29	_______________
30	30	An Act establishing an advisory committee on the accessibility of fresh food retail in
31	31	communities throughout the Commonwealth.
32	32	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
33	33	of the same, as follows:
34	34	1 SECTION 1. (a) There shall be an advisory committee to examine the accessibility of
35	35	2fresh food retail in communities throughout the commonwealth. The advisory committee shall:
36	36	3(i) develop criteria to determine which communities lack adequate access to fresh food retail,
37	37	4particularly urban and rural communities; (ii) investigate the causes of inadequate access to fresh
38	38	5food retail; (iii) study the public health impact of inadequate access to fresh food retail; (iv)
39	39	6develop innovative strategies and recommendations to increase access to fresh food retail,
40	40	7including: legislation, economic incentives and financing options, improvements to
41	41	8transportation, public-private partnerships, pilot programs and the improvement of food
42	42	9programs already in existence; and (v) calculate the costs and potential savings of all strategies 2 of 2
43	43	10and recommendations and determine the benefits, drawbacks and feasibility of all strategies and
44	44	11recommendations.
45	45	12 (b) The advisory committee shall consist of: (i) the commissioner of public health, or a
46	46	13designee, who shall serve as chair of the advisory committee; (ii) the secretary of housing and
47	47	14economic development, or a designee; (iii) the commissioner of agricultural resources, or a
48	48	15designee; (iv) the chairs of the joint committee on public health; (v) a nutritionist appointed by
49	49	16the commissioner of public health; and (vi) 5 members to be appointed by the governor, 1 of
50	50	17whom shall be a representative of the supermarket industry, 1 of whom shall be a representative
51	51	18of farmers markets, 1 of whom shall be a representative of the gateway cities, 1 of whom shall be
52	52	19a representative of nonprofit and not-for-profit hunger relief organizations and 1 of whom shall
53	53	20be a representative of the Massachusetts Public Health Association.
54	54	21 (c) The advisory committee shall commence no later than 90 days after the effective date
55	55	22of this act.
56	56	23 (d) The advisory committee shall file a report with its findings, recommendations and
57	57	24draft legislation to the senate and house committees on ways and means, the chairs of the joint
58	58	25committee on community development and small business, the chairs of the joint committee on
59	59	26public health and the chairs of the joint committee on children, families and persons with
60	60	27disabilities no later than 18 months after enactment of this section.
61	61	28 SECTION 2. The advisory committee shall expire upon submission of the report pursuant
62	62	29to subsection (d) of section 1.