Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Massachusetts Senate Bill S63 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1 of 1
2	2	SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1095 FILED ON: 1/15/2025
3	3	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 63
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Patricia D. Jehlen
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 :Patricia D. JehlenSecond Middlesex 1 of 5
16	16	SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1095 FILED ON: 1/15/2025
17	17	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 63
18	18	By Ms. Jehlen, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 63) of Patricia D. Jehlen for
19	19	legislation to establish a food justice frontline. Agriculture.
20	20	[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
21	21	SEE SENATE, NO. 507 OF 2023-2024.]
22	22	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
23	23	_______________
24	24	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
25	25	(2025-2026)
26	26	_______________
27	27	An Act relative to establishing a food justice frontline.
28	28	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
29	29	of the same, as follows:
30	30	1 SECTION 1. The General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, are hereby
31	31	2amended by inserting after Chapter 128A the following chapter:
32	32	3 Chapter 128B: Food Justice Frontline Program
33	33	4 Section 1. As used in this section, the following words shall have the following
34	34	5meanings, unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
35	35	6 “Department”, the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources.
36	36	7 “Food Security Job”, any financially compensated work involving food production, food
37	37	8distribution, food preparation, or food delivery for food insecure Massachusetts residents. 2 of 5
38	38	9 “Nonprofit Food Security Organization”, a nonprofit corporation or other nonprofit
39	39	10organization that has programs which (1) provide land to low- and moderate-income individuals
40	40	11for agricultural production, or (2) has programs which provide Food Security Jobs to low- and
41	41	12moderate-income individuals, including, but not limited to, food production jobs, food
42	42	13distribution jobs, food preparation jobs, and food delivery jobs.
43	43	14 “Overburdened Community” means a Census Block Group in Massachusetts that meets
44	44	15both of the following criteria:
45	45	16 (1) Is at or above the 75th statewide percentile for at least 2 of the following
46	46	17Environmental Indicators on the most recent available United States Environmental Protection
47	47	18Agency’s EJSCREEN Assessment: (a) PM 2.5; (b) Ozone; (c) NATA Diesel PM; (d) NATA
48	48	19Cancer Risk; (e) NATA Respiratory Hazard Index; (f) Traffic Proximity; (g) Lead Paint
49	49	20Indicator; (h) Superfund Proximity; (i) Risk Management Plan Facilities Proximity; (j)
50	50	21Hazardous Waste Proximity; and (k) Wastewater Discharge Indicator; and
51	51	22 (2) has a median household income, as calculated by the US Census Bureau, that is no
52	52	23greater than 80% of the statewide median household income, as calculated by the US Census
53	53	24Bureau.
54	54	25 Section 2. (a) The Department shall create the Food Justice Frontline Program.
55	55	26 (b) The purpose of the Food Justice Frontline Program is to fund Nonprofit Food Security
56	56	27Organizations to enable them to create new Food Security Jobs and provide those jobs to
57	57	28individuals living within Overburdened Communities. The Food Justice Frontline Program is
58	58	29intended to create jobs as rapidly as possible after the enactment of this Act, in order to
59	59	30immediately address the widespread food insecurity throughout Massachusetts. 3 of 5
60	60	31 (c) The Department shall create an application with which Nonprofit Food Security
61	61	32Organizations may apply to receive a financial grant, not to exceed $500,000. This application
62	62	33shall be known as the Food Justice Frontline Funding Application.
63	63	34 (d) No Food Justice Frontline Funding Application shall be considered complete unless
64	64	35the applicant: (1) Describes, in detail, the program or programs which the Nonprofit Food
65	65	36Security Organization operates that provide land or Food Security Jobs to low-income
66	66	37Massachusetts residents; and (2) Describes, in detail, the ways in which the Nonprofit Food
67	67	38Security Organization would use funding to create jobs for individuals living within
68	68	39Overburdened Communities.
69	69	40 (e) The Department shall establish regulations and guidelines regarding the process and
70	70	41criteria for approval of a Food Justice Frontline Funding Application. These regulations and
71	71	42guidelines shall prioritize Nonprofit Food Security Organizations which demonstrate a clear and
72	72	43credible plan to use the funding to quickly create Food Security Jobs for individuals living within
73	73	44Overburdened Communities.
74	74	45 (f) Nonprofit Food Security Organizations which receive a financial grant under the Food
75	75	46Justice Frontline Program must use the entirety of the financial grant money on programs which
76	76	47will create Food Security Jobs for individuals living within Overburdened Communities. These
77	77	48jobs must pay an hourly wage of not less than the quotient of one divided by two thousand and
78	78	49four hundred (1/2,400), multiplied by the statewide per capita income, as calculated by the
79	79	50United States Census Bureau.
80	80	51 (g) A Nonprofit Food Security Organization may apply for multiple financial grants
81	81	52under the Food Justice Frontline Program. 4 of 5
82	82	53 Section 3. The Department shall have the power enter contracts, hire employees, hire
83	83	54contractors, promulgate rules and regulations, levy fines, adjudicate administrative cases, or take
84	84	55any other lawful action in order to implement the Food Justice Frontline Program.
85	85	56 SECTION 2. Chapter 128 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after
86	86	57section 2E the following section:
87	87	58 Section 2F. (a) The Department of Transitional Assistance and the Executive Office of
88	88	59Housing and Economic Development shall establish a new program designed to increase public
89	89	60awareness of the availability of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the Healthy
90	90	61Incentives Program, and other similar food access programs for low-income Massachusetts
91	91	62residents and food insecure Massachusetts residents. In order to carry out this program, the
92	92	63Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development shall work with Massachusetts
93	93	64residents under the age of eighteen to promote public awareness of the Supplemental Nutrition
94	94	65Assistance Program. The Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development shall
95	95	66compensate these Massachusetts residents with a stipend of not less than 15 dollars for every
96	96	67hour in which they work to promote public awareness of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
97	97	68Program. The Department of Transitional Assistance and the Executive Office of Housing and
98	98	69Economic Development shall prioritize working with Massachusetts residents who live in
99	99	70Overburdened Communities or Census Block Groups with a median household income that is
100	100	71below 80% of the statewide median household income. This program shall be conducted in
101	101	72multiple languages in order to ensure that it benefits both English-speaking families and non-
102	102	73English speaking families. 5 of 5
103	103	74 (b) The Department of Transitional Assistance and the Executive Office of Housing and
104	104	75Economic Development shall apply for any available federal programs including, but not limited
105	105	76to, the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive Grants administered by the United States Department
106	106	77of Agriculture to provide matching benefits to be deposited in the Fund.
107	107	78 (c) The Department of Transitional Assistance and the Executive Office of Housing and
108	108	79Economic Development shall promulgate rules and regulations to implement these programs.