Hearing for No Senior Hungry Omnibus Amendment Act of 2021 set for December 6, 2022.

After DC Greens and partners championed No Senior Hungry Omnibus Amendment Act of 2021 languished in the office of Councilmember Anita Bonds for several months, and a toothless, “empty bill” of far weaker legislation was offered in its place, our Food Policy Strategist, Winnie Huston’s impassioned testimony along with a recent article by Washington City Paper appear to have prompted Bonds’ office to reach out with a markup of the original legislation. 

Both the No Senior Hungry Omnibus Amendment Act of 2021 and the B24-0996 – Senior Nutrition and Well-Being Equity Amendment Act of 2022 (dccouncil.gov) passed First Read of the bills in the DC Council. A final vote on the bills will be held on December 6, 2022. We’re making progress but the way forward is not clear.

On Tuesday, October 11, 2022, Councilmember Anita Bonds held a special hearing to introduce the Senior Nutrition and Well-Being Equity Amendment Act of 2022, legislation said to address senior hunger. Currently, DC has the highest rate of senior residents experiencing hunger in the country. 

This legislation was not the pillar of promise that advocates, including Huston and Councilmember Mary Cheh hoped would take place to advance the city’s movement in addressing to bring resources closer to senior residents that are experiencing this great challenge. 

DC Greens supports the No Senior Hungry Amendment Act of 2021 introduced by Councilmember Mary Cheh to the council earlier this year and is said to deliver on the need to connect seniors experiencing hunger to resources in real time. This act was highly supported by other local advocacy groups, such as DC Hunger Solutions.

Read article summarizing the October 11th hearing at this link. Read Huston’s statement for the hearing at this link.