Louisiana gov. vetoes bill that would’ve required funding for healthy food access in food deserts

Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to reflect that the food program still exists but is not required to be funded by the state.

BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — Gov. Jeff Landry vetoed a bill that would have ensured that a state program would give grants and loans to retailers to increase access to healthy food in food deserts.

According to Senate Bill 287, authored by State Sen. Royce Duplessis, the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry would’ve given grants and loans to healthy food retailers. The program would’ve contracted one or more nonprofit organizations or community development financial groups to manage the program.

The bill passed the House with 89 yeas and 5 nays on Wednesday, May 15.

Landry vetoed the bill on Friday, May 24.

The Healthy Food Retail Act still exists, but Landry said he vetoed the bill due to an unfunded mandate.

“SB 287 changed this program by making it mandatory. The bill changed the ‘may’ to ‘shall’ and eliminated the clause, ‘To the extent funding is available.’ Making it mandatory without providing an appropriation and without Federal Grants being available means you had a required program that was unfunded. The bill would not have increased access to healthy food in food deserts because there is no funding.

“However, the program still exists in law and says it will operate, ‘to the extent that funding is available,’ and if the legislature appropriates money or if Federal Grants become available then the program will be operative.”

Kate Kelly, Gov. Jeff Landry’s director of communications

Feeding Louisiana said an estimated 683,110 people in the state live with food insecurity.