ENACT Day registration closes Friday, April 6

There are just four days left to to register for this year’s ENACT Day, an annual advocacy event in Sacramento! You’ll have the opportunity to learn about health and equity bills moving through the legislature, network with community leaders and health advocates, and meet with your legislators to share your community’s health priorities.

This year’s sponsored bills would:  

• Expand access to healthy foods: SB 900 would establish the California Fruit and Vegetable EBT Pilot Project to process additional funds when a CalFresh customer purchases California-grown fresh fruits and vegetables. AB 2335 would authorize the Department of Food and Agriculture to provide grantees with upfront funding to implement the Nutrition Incentive Matching Grant Program, instead of reimbursing grantees after the fact. AB 1871 would require charter schools to provide low-income students with nutritious free or reduced-price meals during each school day.
• Ensure equitable access to healthcare for all residents, regardless of immigration status: SB 974 would extend Medi-Cal to all eligible individuals, regardless of immigration status. 
• Address homelessness and need for supportive housing: AB 2161 would direct the Department of Housing and Community Development to create a state database to identify and monitor the needs of California’s homeless population, and SB 1010 would require the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to create the Supportive Housing Pilot Program to refer eligible parolees to mental health and supportive housing services. 
• Reform the criminal justice system: SB 10 would safely reduce the number of people detained pretrial and address racial and economic disparities in the pretrial system to ensure that people are not detained due to their inability to afford bail. 
• Ensure access to safe drinking water in all communities: SB 623 would establish the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund to invest in sustainable water infrastructure and ensure all Californians can access safe drinking water. SB 998 would require urban and community water systems to provide a written policy on discontinuing water services in any language spoken by at least 10% of the population residing in the service area, prohibit discontinuing residential water service for nonpayment until customer payments have been late by at least 60 days, and require a local health department assessment of health and safety impacts of shutting off water service. SB 1192 would require restaurants serving children’s meals to make water the default beverage. 

ENACT Day will be Wednesday, April 18, from 8:00AM to 3:00PM at The California Endowment offices in Sacramento. ENACT Day is free to all participants, and lunch will be provided. Registration closes this Friday, April 6, so learn more about how to participate and sign up today!

Questions? Contact Kevin Lee (kevin@cfpa.net) of California Food Policy Advocates or Kristania De Leon (krdeleon@phi.org) of Public Health Institute.

ENACT Day is hosted by: the American Heart Association, CA4Health, California Food Policy Advocates, California Public Interest Research Group, California State University - Chico's Center for Healthy Communities, Community Partners, Public Health Advocates, Public Health Institute, and the Sacramento Food Policy Council.