Issue #50 | February 2024







Supporting collective action
toward an equitable, sustainable, resilient, and connected local
food system in Massachusetts.
Advocate
Things you can do right now to
support systemic policy change.
Get ready for budget season!

On January 24 Governor Healey released her second budget proposal, proposing continuing and increasing some important investments in a challenging fiscal environment. The Governor’s commitment to environmental justice is reaffirmed, proposing Environmental Justice liaisons across the EEA agencies, $25 million for the Healthy Incentives Program, $25 million for the Food Security Infrastructure Grant program, and more. Read our full thoughts on the Governor’s Budget on the Collaborative’s website here.

What can you do as an advocate? Remember, the Governor’s budget proposal is just the start of the budget process, and we will need to ensure investments in the local food system are supported by the legislature in the coming months. While it is a great starting point for future budget discussions, the legislature does not have to agree with the line item amounts suggested in the Governor’s budget.

In the upcoming months, the Joint Committee on Ways and Means will hold hearings and the House and Senate will develop their own budgets. Advocates can call their legislators, write letters with personal stories, and meet with legislators or their staff. Keeping the pressure on the legislature lets them know how important it is to continue to support the local food system in the budget. 

Looking for something immediate? Write a letter to the House Ways and Means members supporting local food system budgetary requests. For further tips, please see the Collaborative’s budget advocacy tips sheet; these can be found here.
Collaborate
Highlights of the
Collaborative's work.
HIP will run without interruption this spring!

The Collaborative is pleased to report the Governor and the Department of Transitional Assistance have committed to fully funding the Healthy Incentives Program through the end of fiscal year 2024. A supplemental budget containing the funding for HIP is expected to be filed later this spring. This is thanks to the hard work of the Campaign for HIP Funding over the last few months. We will continue to share updates and calls to action once the supplemental budget has been filed.

Save the date for HIP Lobby Day on March 26th!
Join farmers, advocates, and HIP consumers at the State House to advocate for $25 million for HIP in the fiscal year 2025 budget! More information will be shared with the Campaign for HIP Funding soon.
Update on food system bills

With the support of our partners, the Collaborative identified our policy priorities for the 2023-24 session. As we pass Joint Rule 10 Day, where the fate of bills is determined, our bills that received a favorable report include: agricultural equity (S.41 / H.87), supporting the Commonwealth’s food system
(H.92), protecting our soils and farms from PFAS contamination (S.39 / H.101), strengthening local food systems (S.42 / H.88), and the HIP enabling bill (S.85 / H.150). The food literacy bill (S.310 / H.601) was moved out, but the legislature's website was not updated as to where at the time of this writing.

An act encouraging the donation of food to persons in need (S.920 / H.1594)'s deadline to report of the judiciary committee was extended to April.

Many committees are working on consolidated bills that we expect to see published in the coming weeks.
Celebrate
Inspiring work being done by some
of our friends in Massachusetts.
Urban Farming Institute closes on Fowler Clark Epstein Farm

In January, the Urban Farming Institute completed the purchase of the 1786 Fowler Clark Epstein Farm in Mattapan from Historic Boston, Inc. “We’re thrilled to now own and control this space. This has been a 9-year Odyssey for everyone involved, and through it, we found a home for our mission of healthy food production, and created a place that is deeply meaningful to our neighborhood.” -Pat Spence, President & CEO of the Urban Farming Institute. Read more here!
Discover
Thoughtful insights about
food system issues.
Legislature's Food System Caucus welcomes new Senate Co-Chair

As we continue our advocacy for our policy priorities, we wanted to recognize a new leader of the Food System Caucus; Senator Bruce Tarr has been tapped as the co-chair of the Massachusetts Food System Caucus. Welcome, Senator Tarr.
Participate

The Massachusetts Food System Collaborative envisions a local food system where everyone has access to healthy food, to land to grow food, to good jobs, and to the systems where policy decisions are made. Read more about our vision and our work.