Policy Resolution AGR-15-41

WHEREAS, the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) recognizes that underserved and low-income communities in distressed urban, suburban, and rural geographic areas often have limited access to supermarkets or large grocery stores;

WHEREAS, individuals and families living in food deserts often rely on corner stores for their food—stores that do not typically carry the nutritious food they need;

WHEREAS, NBCSL advocated for the elimination of food deserts in rural and urban areas in Resolution AGR-14-09 “ADVOCATING THE ELIMINATION OF FOOD DESERTS”;

WHEREAS, childhood obesity is afflicting African-American populations at a rate that is disproportionately higher than the rest of the country;

WHEREAS, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the National Urban League have both expressed the need to provide African-American communities better access to healthy, affordable foods in order to improve their health outcomes;

WHEREAS, federal, state, and city governments are enacting legislation and policies to attract healthy food retail and improve the quality of available food in underserved and low-income communities;

WHEREAS, healthy food financing initiatives attract investment in underserved communities by providing critical loan and grant financing;

WHEREAS, these resources help healthy food retailers overcome barriers to entry into underserved and low-income communities, and support renovation and expansion of existing stores; and

WHEREAS, these programs improve community health and revitalize neighborhoods by creating jobs and serving as anchors to other commercial development, increasing retail activity, increasing employment rates, and raising property values in surrounding neighborhoods.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) recognizes the importance of access to supermarkets and grocery stores and the need to eliminate food deserts in our communities;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NBCSL applauds the work of the Obama Administration, particularly the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Education that have worked to implement the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 and to bring healthy foods to underserved areas;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NBCSL applauds Congress for its passage of the Agriculture Act of 2014 (the Farm Bill), which particularly supports the Healthy Food Financing Initiative and allocates funding for fresh food in underserved areas;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NBCSL urges Congress to fully fund the Healthy Food Financing Initiative;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NBCSL urges the development and implementation of state- and community-based programs to support healthy food financing initiatives, in order to bring healthy food retailers to underserved communities across America; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, the Vice President of the United States, members of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, and other federal and state government officials as appropriate.

• SPONSORS: Senator David Haley (KS) and Senator Connie Johnson (OK)
• Committee of Jurisdiction: Agriculture Policy Committee
• Certified by Committee Chair: Representative Helen Miller (IA)
• Ratified in Plenary Session: Ratification Date is December 12, 2014
• Ratification is certified by: Representative Joe Armstrong (TN), President