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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2021 - 2022
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | May 21, 2021 09:34 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Judith L. Schwank |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Agriculture infrastructure, supply chain, and food insecurity |
| In the near future I plan on introducing legislation to allocate $100 million of the Commonwealth’s allocation from the State Fiscal Relief Fund authorized through the American Rescue Plan (ARP) to address agriculture-related infrastructure, enhance the food supply chain, and address food insecurity. An estimated 17 million adults are living in households where there is too often not enough food. COVID-19 has exposed how too many American families live paycheck to paycheck and that a disruption in a single paycheck can lead a family to struggle to put food on their table. We have all seen the images of cars miles long outside of foodbanks. We all have heard the stories of a local food bank forced to turn people away because they didn’t have enough food to meet the demand. The pandemic has shown that the need to build resiliency in the food supply chain is imperative. Utilizing the ARP funds to enhance agriculture-related infrastructure, strentgthen the food supply chain, and address food insecurity will support this goal. U.S. Treasury recognized the need to address these issues by ensuring the provisions of the ARP relating to negative economic impacts may be used to address “pre-existing vulnerabilities” that existed prior to COVID-19 and were made worse by the pandemic. Under my plan, $100 million would be split between the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Community and Economic Development. Department of Agriculture funds would be used to support and enhance agriculture infrastructure across the Commonwealth and build resiliency into the supply chain, including modifying agriculture-related and manufacturing facilities to comply with COVID-related mitigation. It is estimated that a $50 million investments would create over 800 jobs, either direct, indirect or induced. DCED funds would be targeted to enhance food supply, including funding for urban agriculture and the Fresh Food Financing Initiative (FFFI) which aids communities that lack access to fresh and healthy food, often known as “food deserts.” Funding would also be provided to food banks and other hunger-focused organizations across the Commonwealth to mitigate the negative economic impacts of COVID-19 and to increase their ability to access and provide fresh and healthy food through equipment purchases and upgrades and other similar activities. I hope you will join me in sponsoring this legislation. |