Senate committee hears bill to fund grocery grants, define food deserts and expand healthy food access

Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro, D-Las Vegas, presented Senate Bill 282 to the Senate Committee on Government Affairs, saying the bill would establish a grocery initiative intended to expand access to healthy foods in areas the bill defines as "food deserts." Cannizzaro told the committee the initiative would be administered by the Department of Health and Human Services and provide grants and technical assistance to grocery stores.

"This bill establishes the grocery initiative in our state to address food in food insecurity and to expand access to healthy foods in food deserts," Cannizzaro said during the committee hearing. She cited a 2023 estimate that more than 341,000 people in Southern Nevada faced food insecurity and noted that one in five children in Southern Nevada lives in a food‑insecure household.

Supporters at the hearing said the bill would add a new tool to existing food‑security efforts. Lisonbee Herczyk, director of government relations for Dignity Health St. Rose Dominican and chair of the Governor's Council on Food Security, told the committee the council supports the measure and asked that the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) be the regulatory body. Shane Piccinini of the Food Bank of Northern Nevada described the Food Bank's Mobile Harvest program and said SB 282 "is one of many tools that are available to be able to actually meet the food security needs of all Nevadans." Chip Carter of the Children's Advocacy Alliance of Nevada and Marie Baxter of Catholic Charities of Northern Nevada also testified in support.

Key provisions described in the sponsor's presentation and the bill text:

- Definitions and designation: Section 2 defines a food desert as a census tract meeting specified poverty, population and grocery access standards; DHHS also may designate additional areas as food deserts by regulation based on data, with the Governor's Council on Food Security advising.

- Grants and eligible uses: Section 3 authorizes DHHS, "to the extent of available funding," to award grants and provide technical assistance. Grant‑eligible costs listed include feasibility studies, marketing, employee salaries and benefits, rent or down payments, purchase of existing grocery stores, capital improvements, demolition, equipment purchases and other costs DHHS determines eligible.

- Energy upgrades cap: DHHS may award grants for energy‑efficient equipment upgrades for existing stores, but such grants are limited to no more than 20 percent of the total grant funds available in any fiscal year.

- Store eligibility: Section 4 requires grantee grocery stores to be principally devoted to selling groceries, accept SNAP and WIC, and sell a substantial variety of perishable foods. The bill includes a provision limiting assistance for stores that derive more than 30 percent of gross annual revenue from tobacco or alcohol, but that limit applies only in counties with more than 100,000 residents to accommodate rural and tribal areas that may rely on single stores serving many needs.

- Technical assistance and partnerships: Section 5 requires DHHS, as funding allows, to provide business planning, marketing, supply‑chain and workforce development assistance to grantees and authorizes DHHS to contract with public or private entities and to accept gifts, grants and donations to support the initiative.

- Funding and reporting: Section 8 appropriates $10,000,000 to DHHS to establish the initiative. Section 9 requires the Governor's Council on Food Security to submit a report on research and recommendations to the 2027 Legislature.

Supporters from local government and universities said SB 282 would complement existing efforts. Kelly Crompton of the City of Las Vegas cited a local pilot that used ARPA dollars to fund a small market, saying the city sees benefits in that kind of targeted investment. Austin Daley of the University of Nevada said student surveys show food insecurity on campus and identified local grocery access gaps.

Opponents and neutral commenters raised concerns about timing and design. A caller identified as Barry Johnston said the bill risked cronyism and argued local crime, not lack of markets, was the primary reason stores close. Cyrus Hojjat, speaking in a neutral position, asked whether zoning, theft, or other structural issues explained store closures, and whether the bill would prioritize local producers.

The committee held a public hearing that included sponsor remarks, multiple supporters, neutral witnesses and an opponent who called in. No committee vote on SB 282 was recorded during the hearing.

The hearing record shows the bill was presented, discussed and supported by several nonprofit and local government witnesses; the bill contains a fiscal appropriation that Cannizzaro said is not included in the governor's recommended budget and would need consideration by the Legislature's finance process if the bill advances.

Looking ahead, SB 282 would require DHHS rulemaking and coordination with the Governor's Council on Food Security if the bill is enacted; the appropriation and the department's rulemaking are conditions to implementation.