Received from Policy Link today:
"Today, a bipartisan coalition in the House and Senate introduced Healthy Food Financing Initiative bills to dramatically reduce the number of low-income Americans living in "food deserts."
Based off of a highly successful model in Pennsylvania, the $500 million Healthy Food Financing Initiative would authorize USDA to administer a mix of federal loans and grants to provide one-time start-up assistance for supermarkets, corner stores, co-ops, and farmers' markets in under-served, low-income areas. If passed, the initiative is projected to create or preserve 44,500 long-term jobs and 50,000 construction jobs - all while helping millions of Americans eat healthier."
For the past two years, PolicyLink has worked with The Food Trust and The Reinvestment Fundto bring the power of the Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative to the federal level. Since it began in 2004, the Pennsylvania initiative turned $30 million of state seed money into $190 million in total projects - opening 88 new or improved fresh food stores throughout the state."
The bipartisan bill is sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), with co-sponsors Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Tom Carper (D-DE), Bob Casey (D-PA), Tom Harkin (D-IA), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Bernie Sanders (I-VT) , Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Arlen Specter (D-PA), and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI); and is sponsored in the House by lead sponsor Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-PA-13) and co-sponsors Dr. Michael Burgess (R-TX-26), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-3), Chaka Fattah (D-PA-2), Nydia Velazquez (D-NY-12), and Bobby L. Rush (D-IL-1).
Read more about the Healthy Food Financing Initiative at www.policylink.org/HFFI.
"Today, a bipartisan coalition in the House and Senate introduced Healthy Food Financing Initiative bills to dramatically reduce the number of low-income Americans living in "food deserts."
Based off of a highly successful model in Pennsylvania, the $500 million Healthy Food Financing Initiative would authorize USDA to administer a mix of federal loans and grants to provide one-time start-up assistance for supermarkets, corner stores, co-ops, and farmers' markets in under-served, low-income areas. If passed, the initiative is projected to create or preserve 44,500 long-term jobs and 50,000 construction jobs - all while helping millions of Americans eat healthier."
For the past two years, PolicyLink has worked with The Food Trust and The Reinvestment Fundto bring the power of the Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative to the federal level. Since it began in 2004, the Pennsylvania initiative turned $30 million of state seed money into $190 million in total projects - opening 88 new or improved fresh food stores throughout the state."
The bipartisan bill is sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), with co-sponsors Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Tom Carper (D-DE), Bob Casey (D-PA), Tom Harkin (D-IA), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Bernie Sanders (I-VT) , Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Arlen Specter (D-PA), and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI); and is sponsored in the House by lead sponsor Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-PA-13) and co-sponsors Dr. Michael Burgess (R-TX-26), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-3), Chaka Fattah (D-PA-2), Nydia Velazquez (D-NY-12), and Bobby L. Rush (D-IL-1).
Read more about the Healthy Food Financing Initiative at www.policylink.org/HFFI.
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