Bill > HB2238

This bill aims to enhance statewide food security by directing the Department of Agriculture to develop a comprehensive strategy to end hunger, reduce diet-related health disparities, and strengthen the agricultural sector and its supply chains. The strategy will involve monitoring food system performance, considering factors like regulatory costs on fuel, packaging, and labor, and reporting on the competitiveness of Washington's agricultural regulations compared to other states. The Department will collaborate with various state agencies, tribes, nonprofit organizations, research institutions, and experts, including individuals with lived experience of food insecurity and small farmers from BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) communities. The strategy will define food security, establish metrics for monitoring agricultural viability, supply chain resilience, and food access, and propose measures to address policy and regulatory barriers, improve disaster response, support nutrition education, and research the root causes of hunger. This initiative is intended to make food more affordable and reduce the need for food assistance, with the strategy to be submitted to the legislature by December 1, 2027, and the relevant sections of the bill expiring on July 1, 2028.