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Statement

Moms Group Praises New Philadelphia Soda Tax as Win for Children’s Health

June 16, 2016
Youth & Family Justice

Lisa Lederer, 202-371-1996

STATEMENT OF Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, Executive Director and CEO, MomsRising on the Passage of the Philadelphia Soda Tax
“The Philadelphia City Council today stood up for children’s health by passing a tax on soda that will go to expand pre-K and invest in parks, community schools, recreation centers, and libraries. The new tax will support important investments in our city's children. It will also help to reduce children’s consumption of sugary carbonated beverages that have no nutritional value and have been linked to a range of serious lifelong health problems including diabetes, heart disease and obesity. By supporting educational spaces and spaces that encourage physical activity, the soda tax goes even further toward improving children’s health. This is clearly a win for the health of Philadelphia children.
 
“MomsRising is proud to have been part of this important effort to help improve children’s health in Philadelphia. Hundreds of our members signed a petition urging the City Council to pass the proposal.
 
“Today we applaud Mayor Kenney and the City Council for standing up for children’s health. And we call on other cities and states to take a stand for children’s health and adopt similar measures.”
 

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MomsRising.org is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to increase family economic security, decrease discrimination against women and moms, and to build a nation where businesses and families can thrive. Established in 2006, MomsRising and its members are organizing and speaking out to improve public policy and to change the national dialogue on issues that are critically important to America’s families, including criminal justice reform, immigration policy reform, and gun safety. MomsRising is working for paid family and medical leave, affordable, high quality childcare and early learning, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes women — particularly moms and women of color — and so many others. MomsRising advocates for access to healthy food for all kids, health care for all, earned sick days, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. MomsRising maintains a Spanish language website: MamásConPoder.org. Sign up online at www.MomsRising.org — and follow us on our blog, and on Twitter and Facebook.