Ossoff introduces bills to bring grocery stores to Ga. food deserts and more
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Sen. Jon Ossoff on Friday introduced legislation meant to help attract more grocery stores to Georgia communities and Georgia farmers.
The Georgia Democrat introduced the Fresh Food Act of 2024 to address food insecurity across Georgia by helping attract more grocery stores to Georgia communities with limited access to fresh foods, and to help Georgia farmers.
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According to a 2019 report from U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service, more than 39 million Americans live in areas with limited access to affordable and nutritious food.
In Georgia, over 50% of the state’s census tracts are considered “low-income” or “low- access,” which means at least 33% or more of the population live more than 1 mile from a food store in urban areas or more than 10 miles in rural areas.
That’s a documented so-called food deserts far from grocery stores.
The legislation would reduce taxes for grocery stores that open and operate locations in areas that are underserved.
“One thing I want to note about this legislation is that it also s Georgia farmers, because the tax benefit that grocery stores will get for operating in areas without food access will be even more generous where they are buying and selling locally grown products,” Ossoff said.
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Helping homeless veterans
$31 million is coming to help homeless Georgia veterans or vets at risk of becoming homeless.
And we now know how much of that our area will receive.
In an exclusive interview, Senator Jon Ossoff says the CSRA Economic Opportunity Authority is getting more than $1.8 million.
These are federal funds through the Department of Veterans Affairs ive Services for Veteran Families program.
“It’s a travesty that our fellow Americans who dedicated their careers to serving our country, who are now veterans, experience homelessness. They deserve our ,” said Ossoff.
The CSRA EOA tells us they serve 23 counties in our area and counting.
They just recently added the Athens area.
They help fill a long list of needs for veterans, including back rent, utility and rent deposits, childcare and transportation.
“We can never do enough for those who have served and sacrificed in our national defense,” said Ossoff.
For more information, visit https://www.csraeoa.org/programs/.
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Rent assistance
Help could be on the way for renters who hope to own their own home one day.
Right now, if you pay your rent late, your credit score goes down. But if you pay it early or on time, your credit score doesn’t go up.
Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff wants to change that.
“Credit means access to capital. Credit means access to homeownership. Credit can mean access to education, and as it stands now, of course, if you’re late on your rent, then your credit gets hit and your credit score goes down, but it’s not required under the law today that if you pay your rent on time, you get a favorable credit report,” said Ossoff.
The Access to Ownership Act would require landlords who receive federal funding to report on-time payments to credit bureaus.
“Home ownership is just out of reach for too many families. We want to help people build credit so that they can become homeowners, so they can access bank loans so they can achieve their dreams,” said Ossoff.
We’ll keep an eye on this for you and let you know what happens.
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