CITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
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AN ORDINANCE imposing a tax on engaging in the business of distributing sweetened beverages; adding a new Chapter 5.53 to the Seattle Municipal Code; and amending Seattle Municipal Code Sections 5.30.010, 5.30.025.K, 5.30.060.C, 5.55.010, 5.55.040.A, 5.55.060.A, 5.55.150.E, 5.55.165, 5.55.220, and 5.55.230.A.
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WHEREAS, in King County, an estimated 271,380 people, or ten percent of households, cannot afford enough healthy food for their families, and nearly half of these households are not eligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, commonly referred to as "food stamps"; and
WHEREAS, the "food security gap" affects many people who are not eligible for SNAP benefits but struggle to afford healthy food, particularly as the cost of living in Seattle continues to increase; and
WHEREAS, The City of Seattle's Equity and Environment Agenda identifies addressing the lack of access to healthy, affordable food as a major priority for communities in Seattle; and
WHEREAS, the Fresh Bucks program created by The City of Seattle has a mission to support consumption of more fruits and vegetables by low-income recipients of SNAP benefits, a program currently supported by expiring federal grants; and
WHEREAS, Seattle has the opportunity to build on successful programs to expand access to healthy foods to low-income residents ineligible for SNAP; and
WHEREAS, according to a 2017 working paper from the Hutchins Center on Fiscal & Monetary Policy at the Brookings Institution, children from birth to age five whose mothers received subsidies for nutritious food had better health and economic outcomes as adults, including lower incidence of metabolic syndromes; and
WHEREAS, according to "Early Childhood Experiences Shape Health and Well-Being Throughout Life," a 2014 issue brief from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, participants receiving early childhood interventions ...
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