Durbin, McGovern Introduce Hunger-Free Communities Act of 2007

Press Release

DURBIN, MCGOVERN INTRODUCE HUNGER-FREE COMMUNITIES ACT OF 2007

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA) today introduced the Hunger-Free Communities Act of 2007, legislation to increase federal resources available to locally-based organizations working to end hunger in their communities. Additionally, the Act reaffirms the goal of cutting food insecurity and ending hunger in the United States and requires the Secretary of Agriculture to provide status reports on the progress toward that goal. The bipartisan bill is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Pete Domenici (R-NM), Russell Feingold (D-WI), Edward Kennedy (D-MA), Richard Lugar (R-IN), Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Barack Obama (D-IL), Jack Reed (D-RI), Gordon Smith (R-OR), Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO).

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's most recent report on hunger and food insecurity, 13.4 million households - representing 38.1 million people, nearly 14 million children - experienced hunger or the risk of hunger. This represents more than one in ten households in the United States.

"Hunger is not a partisan issue, and we now have the opportunity to forge a new bipartisan partnership, committed to addressing hunger in communities all across our country," Durbin said. "During the 1960s and 1970s, under both Democratic and Republican Administrations, our country put in place programs that substantially reduced the number of people who struggle to feed their families. Unfortunately, today hunger and food insecurity has been on the rise. That is why we introduced The Hunger-Free Communities Act."

"Hunger is a national problem but we must address it community by community," McGovern said. "We have the resources and the ability to end hunger; what we need is the political will to do it. Far too many Americans go to bed hungry at night, and the federal government must be a partner in alleviating this crisis. I applaud Senator Durbin for his continuing leadership on this issue, and I look forward to working with him and my House colleagues on this legislation."

Title I of the Hunger-Free Communities Act of 2007 directs the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture to report on national hunger and food security data, the progress toward the goals of cutting food insecurity and ending hunger, and the impact of hunger on the health of our communities. It also requires the Secretary to provide recommendations to further reduce hunger.

Under Title II of the Durbin bill, Congress will establish an anti-hunger grant program, the first of its kind, with an emphasis on assessing hunger in individual communities and promoting cooperation and collaboration among local anti-hunger groups. The bill will also create an additional grant program to expand the efforts and build the infrastructure of local anti-hunger groups, especially those in underserved areas and areas where rates of food insecurity, hunger, poverty, or unemployment are higher than the national average. These public/private partnerships will be funded through a $50 million a year, five-year grant program to help communities reduce, and ultimately eliminate, hunger.

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