Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) Reauthorization Act

What it does

If Congress passes it, the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) Reauthorization Act would reauthorize the HFFI program, which is a public-private partnership that provides more affordable, healthy, fresh food options in low-income communities.

HFFI provides loan and grant financing to attract grocery stores and other fresh food retailers to underserved urban, suburban, and rural areas, and renovates and expands existing stores so they can provide the healthy foods communities want and need. The HFFI program:

• expands the supply of, healthy foods in low-income, underserved communities
• creates and preserves quality jobs and businesses (like food co-ops!)
• revitalizes distressed rural, urban and small-town economies
• supports the development of local and regional food systems
• increases the distribution of locally produced agricultural products; and strengthen farm to consumer relationships

The bill would also change funding for this program in the federal budget from discretionary to mandatory, which would stabilize the program in order to build on its past successes.

Who supports this bill?

The Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) Reauthorization Act is a bicameral bill, which means it has some support in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Senators Bob Casey and Kristen Gillibrand and Representatives Barbara Lee, Shontel Brown and Dwight Evans introduced this bill. In the Senate, this bill is referred to as S.760 and these Senators are already supporting the bill. In the House, this bill is referred to as H.R. 1509 and these Representatives are already supporting the bill.

This bill is endorsed by Reinvestment Fund.

Want to support this bill?

If your Senators and House Representative aren’t already on the list of cosponsors for the bill:

• Ask your two Senators to “cosponsor the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) Reauthorization Act, S.760.”
• Ask your House Representative to “cosponsor the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) Reauthorization Act, H.R.1509.”

If your elected officials are already supporting this bill, you can always contact them to thank them and help spread the word among your networks.

Resources

If you’d like to learn more about the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) Reauthorization Act, you can:

• Find instructions for calling or writing your Senators and Representative (tip: enter your address)
• Track the bill’s progress on Congress.gov or GovTrack
• Learn why lawmakers are supporting this bill (Representative Shontel Brown’s press release)
• Read the full bill text

See more bills worthy of your support in the 2023 Farm Bill.