PRINTER'S NO. 1129
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No.
190
Session of
2019
INTRODUCED BY LEACH AND HUGHES, AUGUST 7, 2019
REFERRED TO AGRICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS, AUGUST 7, 2019
A RESOLUTION
Directing the Joint State Government Commission to establish a
bipartisan task force and an advisory committee to study this
Commonwealth's food waste problem, analyze potential
solutions and report their findings and recommendations to
the Senate.
WHEREAS, Forty percent of all food produced in the United
States is discarded, which amounts to an average of more than
62.5 million tons of wasted food each year; and
WHEREAS, Approximately 10 million tons of this waste is left
unharvested on farms, while 52 million tons of food ends up in
landfills; and
WHEREAS, An estimated 1.7 million Pennsylvanians, or 13% of
this Commonwealth's population, experience food insecurity; and
WHEREAS, Reducing food waste by 15% could reduce food
insecurity in our Commonwealth by half; and
WHEREAS, Redirecting food waste to biofuel technologies will
create jobs, energy and revenue for farms, municipalities,
landfills and businesses; and
WHEREAS, Food waste utilizes more of our landfill capacity
than any other type of waste; and
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WHEREAS, In September 2017 the Harvard Food Law and Policy
Clinic published a report on Pennsylvania's food waste problem
and possible solutions called Moving Food Waste Forward: Policy
Recommendations for Next Steps in Pennsylvania; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate direct the Joint State Government
Commission to establish a bipartisan task force of four members
of the Senate to conduct a comprehensive study on the magnitude
of this Commonwealth's food waste problem and solutions to
address this problem; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the President pro tempore of the Senate
appoint two members of the task force and the Minority Leader of
the Senate appoint two members of the task force; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That the Joint State Government Commission oversee
the establishment of an advisory committee to assist the task
force in conducting the study and making recommendations; and be
it further
RESOLVED, That the advisory committee be comprised of
approximately 30 members and include people who are most likely
to make useful and insightful contributions, such as
representatives of hunger relief organizations, members of
academia, recycling and waste management officials, agriculture
stakeholders, food manufacturers, restaurant industry personnel,
transportation industry leaders and food waste experts; and be
it further
RESOLVED, That the task force, with the assistance of the
advisory committee, conduct a study that includes the following
topics:
(1) the magnitude of Pennsylvania's food waste problem;
(2) the magnitude of Pennsylvania's hunger problem;
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(3) the environmental costs associated with
Pennsylvania's food waste problem;
(4) the feasibility and effectiveness of implementing
the recommendations from the Harvard Law School Food Law and
Policy Clinic's 2017 report;
(5) a survey of Federal and State laws and initiatives
that reduce food waste; and
(6) an analysis of the effect of the Agriculture
Improvement Act of 2018, enacted by the Congress of the
United States in 2018, on Pennsylvania's food waste problem;
and be it further
RESOLVED, That the task force and advisory committee hold
public hearings as necessary to receive oral and written
testimony about any of the subjects of the study; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That the task force and advisory committee report
their findings and recommendations to the Senate no later than
two years after the date this resolution is adopted.
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