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Senate panel hears broad support for bill directing WSDA to craft statewide food-security strategy
Summary
The Senate Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee heard staff and sponsor testimony and more than a dozen stakeholder panels backing ESHB 2238, which directs the Washington State Department of Agriculture to develop a statewide food-security strategy addressing access, agricultural viability, and supply-chain resilience; the bill requires a strategy by Dec. 1, 2027 and recurring reporting on competitiveness beginning 2030.
The Senate Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee on Feb. 20 heard extensive testimony in favor of Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2238, which would require the Washington State Department of Agriculture to lead a statewide food-security strategy covering food access, agricultural viability and supply-chain resilience.
Representative Christine Reeves, the bill’s prime sponsor, told the committee the state is facing “an unprecedented food crisis,” saying “over 3,700 farms have closed in the state of Washington over the last 5 years” and that “1 in 4 families right now in Washington are experiencing food insecurity.” She said the bill would codify the coordinating role WSDA played during the COVID emergency so the state can…
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