Mississippi legislation · 2026 Regular Session
Mississippi HB1437: Food deserts; require Department of Health to track in Mississippi.
Status: Failed, February 3, 2026
AN ACT TO REQUIRE THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO TRACK FOOD DESERTS WITHIN THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI; TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT TO PROVIDE AN ANNUAL REPORT TO THE LEGISLATURE BY DECEMBER 31 OF EACH YEAR IDENTIFYING THE LOCATION OF FOOD DESERTS IN THE STATE AND HEALTH ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH FOOD DESERTS; TO DEFINE THE TERM "FOOD DESERT"; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
What the bill says
An act to require the state department of health to track food deserts within the state of mississippi; to require the department to provide an annual report to the legislature by december 31 of each year identifying the location of food deserts in the state and health issues associated with food deserts; to define the term "food desert"; and for related purposes.
From the introduced text:
AN ACT TO REQUIRE THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO TRACK FOOD DESERTS WITHIN THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI; TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT TO PROVIDE AN ANNUAL REPORT TO THE LEGISLATURE BY DECEMBER 31 OF EACH YEAR IDENTIFYING THE LOCATION OF FOOD DESERTS IN THE STATE AND HEALTH ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH FOOD DESERTS; TO DEFINE THE TERM "FOOD DESERT"; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: SECTION 1. The State Department of Health shall provide an annual report to the Legislature by December 31 of each year which identifies the locations of food deserts within the State of Mississippi and provides information about health issues associated with food deserts. If the annual report contains information from the federal government which identifies the locations of food deserts in the state, and provides information on health issues associated with food deserts, then the requirements of this section are satisfied. For the purposes of this section, the term "food desert" means an area with a poverty rate of at least twenty percent (20%) where at least one-third (1/3) of the population lives more than a mile from a supermarket or large grocery store, farmers' market or *HR43/R249* H. B. No. 1437 ~ OFFICIAL ~ G1/2 26/HR43/R249 PAGE 1 (DJ\KP) healthy food provider, which results in the …
Sponsors
- Justis Gibbs (D, 72) · primary sponsor
- Brown, Bo (D, 70)
- Summers, Zakiya (D, 68)
- Butler-Washington, Grace (D, 69)
- Clark, Bryant W. (D, 47)
- Kenji Holloway (D, 27)
Latest actions
- : Died In Committee
- : Referred To Public Health and Human Services
Subjects: Food deserts
Common questions
- What is HB1437?
- HB1437 is a bill in the Mississippi Legislature (2026 Regular Session): Food deserts; require Department of Health to track in Mississippi.
- What does HB1437 do?
- In its own words: An act to require the state department of health to track food deserts within the state of mississippi; to require the department to provide an annual report to the legislature by december 31 of each year identifying the location of food deserts in the state and health issues associated with food deserts; to define the term "food desert"; and for related purposes.
- What is the status of HB1437?
- Failed as of February 3, 2026. Latest action: Died In Committee (February 3, 2026).
- Who sponsored HB1437?
- Justis Gibbs (D, 72), with 5 co-sponsors.
- Where is the official record for HB1437?
- On the Mississippi Legislature website: http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2026/pdf/history/HB/HB1437.xml
Source: official Mississippi record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.