23-05-2025
State's food banks pan $5 million legislative proposal to tell people where food is
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The state's food banks are wary of legislation that seeks to allocate $5 million for a program proponents say is designed to reduce food insecurity and waste.
'Until there is more data to demonstrate that this concept will increase access to food for our most vulnerable neighbors, we are concerned that this approach could disrupt an established, high-performing food rescue system,' Beth Martino, the CEO of Three Square wrote in a March 27 letter opposing the proposal.
Assembly Bill 476, which is scheduled to be heard by the Assembly Ways and Means Committee Saturday morning, would require the Division of Welfare and Supportive Services to create a 'Smart Surplus Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.'
The program would seek to reduce food waste via technology by directing SNAP recipients to areas with a surplus of food where they can also get discounted rates.
The legislation would allocate $5 million to administer the program.
Between potential for major federal cuts and the state's shaky economic outlook, the fate of many bills that require new or additional spending remains uncertain.
A Connecticut company founded by Priceline, r4 Technologies, has been used to develop the program elsewhere.
The legislation 'proposes allocation for the development of AI to help grocers better assess needs,' said Jason Frierson, a former Speaker of the Nevada State Assembly and Nevada U.S. Attorney who is now a lobbyist with Cornerstone Government Affairs, which represents r4 Technologies.
'It allows the grocers to sell more food and helps to decrease waste so there is less food going to places that aren't being purchased. It also helps SNAP recipients get a better bang for their buck,' Frierson said.
The company's program was launched for the first time last year in Delaware, funded by $1.5 million from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
Three Square Food Bank, which provides assistance in Clark, Esmeralda, Lincoln, and Nye counties, as well as the Food Bank of Northern Nevada opposed the legislation.
Shane Piccinini, the government relations director for the Food Bank of Northern Nevada, wrote in his opposition testimony in March that he didn't understand how the legislation would improve access.
'Many Nevadans facing food insecurity, particularly seniors, struggle to reach grocery stores—even when food is offered at discounted prices,' he wrote. 'Our research shows that transportation is a major obstacle to accessing food, which is why many of our neighbors rely on local food pantries or direct delivery services provided by nonprofit organizations like the Food Bank of Northern Nevada.'
AB 476 was first heard by the Assembly Health and Human Services Committee in March and hasn't received a vote yet. It is exempt from all deadlines.
Since that March hearing, U.S. House Republicans passed a massive budget reconciliation bill that is now headed for the U.S. Senate — Donald Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill' — that slashes Medicaid, food assistance and other programs.
Also since the bill's hearing in March, the body charged with making state revenue estimates that legislative budgeting can't exceed revised those estimates downward, citing projected negative impacts on Nevada's economy largely as a result of Trump's trade war.
Democratic Assemblymember Tracy Brown May in the March hearing raised concern that deep cuts to federal assistance programs – only proposed at the time – would limit the availability of the service described in the bill.
The legislation is sponsored by the Assembly Ways and Means Committee. Democratic Assemblymember Daniele Monroe-Moreno, who chairs the committee, said those currently eligible for SNAP benefits would be eligible to use the r4 Technologies application, but acknowledged that could change with shifts in federal policy.
'I wish I had a crystal ball and could say that any changes would not impact this program,' said Monroe-Moreno, who also chairs the Nevada State Democratic Party. 'I can't sit here and say that at this moment.'
