By Anthony Smith, The Seattle Medium
With access to healthy food remaining a pressing issue across Washington, state lawmakers are advancing a bill that could lay the groundwork for a long-term, statewide food security plan. House Bill 2238, sponsored by Rep. Kristine Reeves (D), aims to reduce hunger, address diet-related health disparities, and support agricultural viability throughout the state.
In an executive session last week, the House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources unanimously voted to move the bill forward. If enacted, the legislation would direct the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) to lead the development of a proactive, year-round food security strategy.
“People of color, seniors, and the poor are disproportionately reliant on safety net systems,” Reeves said. “Our vision is for a proactive food security strategy. We want to make sure every Washingtonian has a healthy plate every single day. We can’t do that without looking upstream and working with our farmers.”
The WSDA currently oversees programs related to agriculture and food safety, including animal and livestock health, commodity inspections, food safety regulations, and food assistance services. Under the bill, the department would collaborate with the Department of Health, the Office of Farmland Preservation, nonprofit hunger relief organizations, state universities, and a broad range of experts from the public, private, nonprofit, and research sectors focused on food access and agricultural resilience.
“There’s a lot of important work in front of us. I think no policy can be more impactful this session than the passage of this policy,” said Rep. Greg Nance (D). “A lot of our neighbors across the state and all 39 counties are struggling with where their next meal will come from.”
Nance expressed confidence in Washington’s capacity to tackle hunger through smarter, more inclusive planning.
“We have an enormous abundance in our state, and with thoughtful policies and better collaboration, we can bring these abundant resources to the dinner plates of our neighbors,” Nance said.
Support for the bill was bipartisan, although some representatives posed concerns about not overlooking agricultural workers and their needs as well.
“Our agriculture community is in a tight spot right now,” said Rep. Tom Dent (R). “It’s probably, in my 76 years, the worst I’ve seen it. I’m all in for making sure that we feed people, but I also believe that right now we need to support the agriculture community in order for them to do that.”
“I will vote yes for this bill,” Dent said. “No one that I know in the agriculture community wants to see anyone go hungry.”
The bill will now move to the fiscal, then the rules committee, before possibly reaching the House floor for debate and a final decision.
“I look forward to partnering with my colleagues across the aisle to ensure that we continue improving this bill as we move it out of committee today,” Reeves said.
