Sec. 202. Establishment of Healthy Food Financing Initiative and eligible projects
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There is established in the Department of Agriculture a Healthy Food Financing Initiative. Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall select and enter into a grant agreement with a national fund manager that will be responsible for the management of the Initiative. Subject to the requirements of this section, the national fund manager shall establish the eligibility criteria for projects to be assisted by the Initiative. To be eligible to receive assistance through the Initiative, a project shall— include a supermarket, grocery store, regional food hub, farmers’ market, or other healthy food retailer; consist of a for-profit business enterprise, a member- or worker-owned cooperative, or a nonprofit organization; meet the eligibility criteria established under this section; continue to be a viable business enterprise with a financial viability plan; require an investment of public funding to move forward and be competitive; operate on a self-service basis; expand or preserve the availability of fresh fruits and vegetables in underserved areas and other healthy, fresh, high quality unprepared and unprocessed foods in such areas; and in the case of a regional food hub, serve retailers that accept benefits under the supplemental nutrition assistance program established under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 ( 7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq. ); or in the case of a retailer that is not a regional food hub, agree to accept such benefits.
Each eligible project shall be located in or, in the case of a project involving a regional food hub, shall serve— a low- or moderate-income census tract, as determined by the Bureau of the Census of the Department of Commerce; a population census tract that is treated as a low-income community under section 45D(e) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; or an area that significantly serves an adjacent area that meets the criteria described in paragraph
(1)or (2), as approved by the national fund manager. Each eligible project shall be located in, or in the case of a project involving a regional food hub, shall serve, an underserved area, as determined by the partnerships according to criteria established by the national fund manager. In determining whether an area is an underserved area, the following factors shall be taken into consideration: Population density. Below average supermarket density or sales. Car ownership. Geographical or physical barriers, such as highways, mountains, major parks, bodies of water, or areas with large amounts of vacant lots or foreclosed properties. On an annual basis, the national fund manager shall collect data and publish maps that show the location of underserved areas. Priority shall be given to projects that— are located in severely distressed low-income communities, as defined by the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund of the Department of the Treasury; and include 1 or more of the following characteristics: The project will create or retain quality jobs in the community, as determined in accordance with paragraph (2). The project has community support in terms of store quality, affordability, site location, and coordination with local community plans or other programs promoting community and economic development. The project supports regional food systems and locally grown foods, to the extent available. In major metropolitan areas, the project is associated with a transit-oriented development project. In areas with public transit, the project is accessible by public transit. The project involves the reuse of a building that is listed in or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. The project involves a brownfield or grayfield (as those terms are used in the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9601 et seq.)). The estimated energy consumption of the project, calculated using building energy software approved by the Department of Energy, will qualify the project for designation under the Energy Star program established by section 324A of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act ( 42 U.S.C. 6294a ). The project involves women- and minority-owned businesses. For purposes of paragraph (1)(B)(i), a quality job is a job that— provides wages that are comparable to or better than similar positions in existing businesses of similar size in similar local economies; offers benefits that are comparable to or better than what is offered for similar positions in existing local businesses of similar size in similar local economies; and is targeted for residents of neighborhoods with a high proportion of persons of low income (as that term is defined in section 102(a) of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 ( 42 U.S.C. 5302(a) )) through local targeted hiring programs.
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Sec. 202
Establishment of Healthy Food Financing Initiative and eligible projects
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