An Act To Promote Food Self-sufficiency for the People of the State
Maine Legislature, Session 127, LD 1291
Committee: Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
Sponsors: HICKMAN, SAVIELLO, DUNPHY, GROHMAN, JORGENSEN, MAREAN, SAUCIER, SHERMAN, LANGLEY, WHITTEMORE
Amends: 7 MRSA §219

Legislative Document 
No. 1291 
H.P. 877 
House of Representatives, April 9, 2015 
An Act To Promote Food Self-sufficiency for the People of the State 
Reference to the Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry suggested and 
ordered printed. 
ROBERT B. HUNT 
Clerk 
Presented by Representative HICKMAN of Winthrop. 
Cosponsored by Senator SAVIELLO of Franklin and 
Representatives: DUNPHY of Old Town, GROHMAN of Biddeford, JORGENSEN of 
Portland, MAREAN of Hollis, SAUCIER of Presque Isle, SHERMAN of Hodgdon, Senators: 
LANGLEY of Hancock, WHITTEMORE of Somerset. 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  7 MRSA §219 is enacted to read: 
§219.  Food self-sufficiency 
1.  Farm labor link network.  The department shall maintain an agricultural jobs 
network linking farms and facilities processing agricultural products grown in the State 
with available workers who wish to work on a farm or in a local food industry.  An 
available worker under this subsection may include a person involved in raising, 
processing, preparing or preserving food or who is required to perform community 
service as a low-income recipient of state supplemental income benefits or under a court 
order. The department shall coordinate with the University of Maine Cooperative 
Extension to identify farms and food processing facilities willing to participate in the 
network and coordinate with the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and 
Human Services, the Department of Economic and Community Development, the 
Department of Corrections and the Judicial Department in identifying available workers 
willing to participate in the network.  If a worker participating in the network wishes to 
pursue additional training or a career in agriculture or food production, the department 
shall refer the person to available resources or programs that train workers or develop 
skills or business practices in farming, food production or food processing. A worker may 
meet the requirements for community service obligations under a state supplemental 
income benefits program, judicial order or alternative sentencing program by performing 
work on a farm or food processing facility through participation in the network under this 
subsection. 
2.  Educational marketing campaign.  The department shall coordinate with the 
University of Maine Cooperative Extension, the Maine Community College System, the 
Department of Labor, the Department of Education, the Department of Health and 
Human Services and the Department of Economic and Community Development to 
conduct an educational marketing campaign to promote food self-sufficiency by 
encouraging the public to grow gardens, raise farm animals, preserve garden-grown food 
and engage in other local food cultivation initiatives through the use of multiple media 
including social media, radio advertising, posters, brochures and publicly accessible 
department websites. 
3.  Local purchases for food programs.  If the department, as part of a public-
private partnership, purchases food for an emergency or supplemental food program for 
elderly or low-income persons, the department to the extent practicable shall purchase 
food that is grown, harvested, prepared, processed or produced in the State. 
4.  Regulation of local food by ordinance.  Notwithstanding any provision of law to 
the contrary, pursuant to home rule granted by the Constitution of Maine, Article VIII, 
Part Second and the provisions of Title 30-A, section 3001 and in accordance with the 
policies of the State encouraging food self-sufficiency as described in Title 7-A, section 
201-A, a municipality may regulate by ordinance the direct producer-to-customer 
exchange of all food grown, harvested, prepared, processed or produced in the 
municipality. 
5.  Existing resources.  The department shall use existing programs and resources to 
the extent possible in carrying out the purposes of this section. 
SUMMARY 
This bill directs the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, in 
coordination with various state agencies, to develop and administer an agricultural jobs 
network linking farms and facilities that process agricultural products grown in the State 
with available workers who are involved in farming or a local food industry or who are 
required to perform community service and to develop an educational marketing 
campaign to promote food self-sufficiency by encouraging the public to grow gardens, to 
raise farm animals and to preserve garden-grown food. This bill also requires the 
department, to the extent practicable, to purchase food grown, harvested, prepared, 
processed or produced in the State when purchasing food for an emergency or 
supplemental food program for elderly or low-income persons.