Healthy Food Access for All Americans Act
Sponsored By: Representative Sykes, Emilia Strong [D-OH-13]
In Committee
Summary
This bill creates a two-track plan to expand access to healthy food in designated food deserts by combining a new tax credit with a grant program. It focuses on encouraging grocery stores, mobile markets, farmers markets, food banks, and related facilities to locate in or serve underserved areas.
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- Families and households: Residents in targeted food deserts could gain more local options for fresh produce and groceries through new or expanded stores and mobile markets.
- Local food retailers and investors: Establishes a "special access food provider" tax credit (Sec. 45BB) and adds it to the General Business Credit to lower the cost of investing in underserved areas. Treasury will work with USDA to set allocations, certifications, reporting, and enforcement, and the bill authorizes appropriations and an effective date for the tax rules.
- Food banks, temporary merchants, and planners: Creates a grant program to help food banks and temporary access merchants start or expand services. USDA must update the Food Access Research Atlas at least annually to reflect retailers placed in service and to guide targeting.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 3 mixed.
Tax credit for food-access businesses
If enacted, certified food-access businesses would get a federal tax credit. For a new grocery store in a food desert, the credit would be the smaller of your allocation or 15% of the store’s tax basis. For a renovation area, it would be the smaller of the allocation or 10% of renovation costs. The credit would be part of the general business credit. If rules are not met, some or all of the credit could be recaptured within 5 years and your property basis would be reduced.
Anti-abuse rules and updated maps
USDA and Treasury would write rules to run the program. They would set anti‑abuse checks and reporting. They would ensure a fair share of allocations go to rural areas. The Food Access Research Atlas would be updated at least once each year to reflect new stores.
Grants for food banks and markets
The government would give grants to certified providers. Permanent food banks could get the smaller of their allocation or 15% of construction costs. Temporary access merchants could get the smaller of their allocation or 10% of yearly operating costs, for up to 10 years. Grants would be paid within 60 days after certification and placement for food banks, or after year-end for temporary merchants. Grants would not be taxable income. Funding would depend on future appropriations.
Certification rules for food-access providers
To get credits or grants, each site would need certification. Grocery projects must be in a food desert when work starts and meet Healthy Food Financing rules. Permanent food banks and temporary access merchants must be nonprofit. Farmers markets could not be certified if they receive other USDA grants, except nutrition incentive grants. Temporary vendors must meet minimum hours: farmers markets 10 hours per week; other temporary merchants 5 days and 50 hours per week, or meet USDA distribution rules.
Definitions for deserts and grocery stores
The bill would set who and where counts. A food desert would be a tract where at least 500 people or 33% live more than 1 mile (metro) or 10 miles (non‑metro) from a grocery, and the area has 20%+ poverty or income at or below 80% of the median. A store would count as a grocery if 35% or more of sales are groceries like produce, meat, dairy, and deli items. These tests would decide who can get credits or grants.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Sykes, Emilia Strong [D-OH-13]
OH • D
Cosponsors
McClellan
VA • D
Sponsored 3/27/2025
Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
DC • D
Sponsored 4/7/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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