ATLANTA (March 3, 2022) | Today, Senate Bill 537, sponsored by Sen. Harold Jones II (D – Augusta), passed the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Consumer Affairs. SB 537 would create the Georgia Food Security Advisory Council, which will be charged with eradicating food insecurity in Georgia.
“This is a great first step which will help all Georgians living in all parts of the state become more food secure,” said Sen. Jones. “This legislation has been in the works for some time and would not have been possible without the input we gathered over the summer through our bipartisan Senate Study Committee on Food Deserts. I am honored to sponsor this legislation and am looking forward to working to see it pass in both the Senate and the House and eventually become law.”
Senate Bill 537, known as the “Georgia Food Insecurity Eradication Act,” would establish the Georgia Food Security Advisory Council within the Department of Agriculture, which will be tasked with a number of duties including: recommending regulatory solutions to the WIC Program,
recommending ways the State of Georgia can use tax credits as an economic incentive to create and maintain grocery stores in food insecure areas, and recommending ways to maximize current educational programs which educate the public on purchasing and consuming healthy foods, among other duties.
You can view the full text of SB 537 here: legis.ga.gov/legislation/62241
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For Immediate Release:
March 3, 2022
Andrew Allison, Director
404.656.0028