Food Deserts Workgroup - Establishment

SB 353 establishes a 13-member workgroup to study food deserts in Maryland - areas with limited access to affordable, healthy food - and develop recommendations to address them. The workgroup includes appointed state agency secretaries (Aging, Agriculture, Health, etc.), local government representatives, and community stakeholders, who must analyze food deserts' health, economic, and environmental impacts by November 1, 2025. It requires the group to submit a report with findings and solutions to the Governor and relevant legislative committees, with the bill expiring automatically on June 30, 2026. The workgroup itself has no authority to enact policy, only to study and recommend.