An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Task Force To End Student Hunger in Maine
Maine Legislature, Session 127, LD 0933
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Sponsors: ALFOND, HICKMAN, GERZOFSKY, JOHNSON, LANGLEY, MILLETT, MIRAMANT
Amends: 5 MRSA §12004-I, 20-A MRSA §6663, 20-A MRSA §15681-A

Legislative Document 
No. 933 
S.P. 324 
In Senate, March 17, 2015 
An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Task Force To 
End Student Hunger in Maine 
(EMERGENCY) 
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed. 
HEATHER J.R. PRIEST 
Secretary of the Senate 
Presented by Senator ALFOND of Cumberland. 
Cosponsored by Representative HICKMAN of Winthrop and 
Senators: GERZOFSKY of Cumberland, JOHNSON of Lincoln, LANGLEY of Hancock, 
MILLETT of Cumberland, MIRAMANT of Knox. 
Emergency preamble. Whereas, acts and resolves of the Legislature do not 
become effective until 90 days after adjournment unless enacted as emergencies; and 
Whereas, Maine ranks first in New England in food insecurity; and 
Whereas, Maine has a moral obligation to care for students; and 
Whereas, Maine has underutilized up to $30,000,000 per year of federal funding for 
student meals; and 
Whereas, the Task Force To End Student Hunger in Maine has compiled a 5-year 
plan to end student hunger that requires immediate action; and 
Whereas, in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts create an emergency within 
the meaning of the Constitution of Maine and require the following legislation as 
immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety; now, 
therefore, 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
PART A 
Sec. A-1.  5 MRSA §12004-I, sub-§12-B is enacted to read: 
12-B.   
Sec. A-2.  20-A MRSA §6663 is enacted to read: 
§6663.  Commission To End Student Hunger 
The Commission To End Student Hunger, as established in Title 5, section 12004-I, 
subsection 12-B and referred to in this section as "the commission," is established within 
the department as set forth in this section. 
1.  Commission membership.  The commission consists of 17 members as follows: 
A.  Two members of the Senate appointed by the President of the Senate, including 
members from each of the 2 parties holding the largest number of seats in the 
Legislature; 
B.  Three members of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the 
House, including members from each of the 2 parties holding the largest number of 
seats in the Legislature; 
C.  Four public members appointed by the President of the Senate: 
(1)  One member from a statewide organization dedicated to food security; 
Education 
Commission To End 
Student Hunger 
Expenses Only 
20-A MRSA §6663 
(2)  One member from a statewide or regional organization dedicated to 
alleviating child hunger; 
(3)  One member from a statewide or regional organization that runs a food 
pantry; and 
(4)  One member who is a food service director in a municipality or school 
administrative unit that uses the United States Department of Agriculture 
community eligibility provision, as provided in 42 United States Code, Section 
1759a(a)(1)(F); 
D.  Four public members appointed by the Speaker of the House: 
(1)  One member from a statewide or regional farm organization; 
(2)  One member from a statewide or regional organization that runs a school 
food program for students in at-risk areas; 
(3)  One member who is a superintendent of a school administrative unit; and 
(4)  One member who is an elected official in a municipality that participates in 
the United States Department of Agriculture community eligibility provision, as 
provided in 42 United States Code, Section 1759a(a)(1)(F); 
E.  Two public members appointed by the Governor each of whom is a parent of a 
child who has used or is using free or reduced-price student meal programs; 
F.  The commissioner or the commissioner's designee; and 
G.  The Commissioner of Health and Human Services or the commissioner's 
designee. 
2.  Chairs.  For the first 2 years of the commission, the first-named Senate member is 
the Senate chair and the first-named House of Representatives member is the House 
chair.  In subsequent years, the chair of the commission must be elected by the members 
of the commission at the first meeting of each year. 
3.  Appointments; vacancies; quorum.  A nonlegislative member of the 
commission must be appointed for a 2-year term.  A member may continue to serve until 
the member's replacement is appointed.  When a vacancy exists, the appointing authority 
shall appoint a new member from the same category as the member vacating the 
commission.  A quorum consists of 12 members. 
4.  Duties; funding.  The commission shall meet at least 2 and no more than 4 times 
per year. The commission shall work to implement the 5-year plan to end student hunger 
developed by the Task Force To End Student Hunger in Maine pursuant to Resolve 2013, 
chapter 107, shall monitor the plan and shall update it if necessary.  In addition, the 
commission may conduct public meetings throughout the State to highlight the issue of 
student hunger.  Every one or 2 years the commission may conduct a statewide summit of 
state leaders regarding ending student hunger.  The commission shall provide advice 
regarding the responsibilities of and supervision of the hunger coordinators in their 
working across the State and performing the following functions within school 
administrative units and communities: 
A.  Compile and analyze data to identify opportunities to increase food security and 
the progress made in decreasing student hunger; 
B.  Raise awareness of food insecurity and of opportunities and best practices to 
decrease food insecurity; 
C.  Assist school board and school food service directors and community leaders in 
understanding, applying for and complying with the requirements of the child 
nutrition programs offered by the United States Department of Agriculture and 
understanding the effect of the programs on students, schools and communities; and 
D.  Report by November 15th each year to the commission on food insecurity in 
communities and school administrative units and the progress made in decreasing 
student hunger. 
5.  Staff assistance.  The Legislative Council shall provide necessary staffing 
services to the commission, except that the Legislative Council support is not authorized 
when the Legislature is in regular or special session. In addition, the commission may 
contract for administrative, professional and clerical services if funding permits. 
6.  Report; legislation.  By January 10th each year, the commission shall submit to 
the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over education matters 
a report that includes findings and recommendations for action to eliminate student 
hunger.  The commission is authorized to submit to the Legislature legislation as the 
commission may determine to be appropriate. 
Sec. A-3.  Appropriations and allocations.  The following appropriations and 
allocations are made. 
LEGISLATURE 
Commission To End Student Hunger 
Initiative:  Allocates funds for the Commission To End Student Hunger, including 4 
hunger coordinators. 
PART B 
Sec. B-1.  20-A MRSA §15681-A, sub-§4, as amended by PL 2013, c. 595, Pt. 
C, §4, is further amended to read: 
4.  Career and technical education costs.  Career and technical education costs in 
the base year adjusted to the year prior to the allocation year.  This subsection does not 
apply to the 2015-16 funding year and thereafter; and 
OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS 
2014-15
2015-16
All Other 
$500
$500
OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS TOTAL 
$500
$500
Sec. B-2.  20-A MRSA §15681-A, sub-§5, as enacted by PL 2005, c. 2, Pt. D, 
§44 and affected by §§72 and 74 and c. 12, Pt. WW, §18, is amended to read: 
5.  Gifted and talented education costs.  Gifted and talented education costs in the 
base year adjusted to the year prior to the allocation year.; and 
Sec. B-3.  20-A MRSA §15681-A, sub-§6 is enacted to read: 
6.  School nutrition costs.  Beginning in fiscal year 2014-15, the full costs of school 
nutrition, including the costs of the school nutrition director, supplies, equipment, staff 
and other costs. 
PART C 
Sec. C-1.  Collaboration to reduce student hunger.  The Department of 
Education and the Department of Health and Human Services shall collaborate to reduce 
student hunger through the following actions. 
1.  The Department of Education shall establish a grant program to help end student 
hunger and award the initial grants under the program by October 1, 2015.  The program 
must make grants available to school administrative units and schools to enable them to 
increase the rates at which students eligible for free and reduced-price meals participate 
in the meal programs, to meet equipment and operational costs and to address 
transportation and other needs. 
2.  Using new state funding and creating a new position, the Department of Education 
and the Department of Health and Human Services shall increase communication and 
cooperation between the 2 departments and the monitoring of child hunger and nutrition 
programs in both departments. Representatives of the departments shall meet quarterly to 
collaborate on child hunger and nutrition programs.  The departments shall provide 
quarterly reports to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction 
over education matters and to the Commission To End Student Hunger, established in the 
Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, section 12004-I, subsection 12-B, on their quarterly 
meetings and on cooperation between the departments regarding child hunger and 
nutrition programs. 
3.  The Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services 
shall expand access to departmental data in order to measure and track access to and 
participation in child hunger and nutrition programs under the jurisdiction of both 
departments.  The departments shall provide each school administrative unit and school 
with analyses of its existing child hunger and nutrition programs and their funding and 
federal funding not being used.  The departments shall make student meal program data 
available on their publicly accessible websites. 
Sec. C-2.  Community eligibility provision working group.  By March 1, 
2015, the Department of Education shall convene a working group to review the 
opportunities and challenges of the community eligibility provision, as provided in 42 
United States Code, Section 1759a(a)(1)(F), best practices related to the community 
eligibility provision for school administrative units and barriers to use of the community 
eligibility provision and to make recommendations to the Department of Education and 
the Department of Health and Human Services.  The working group shall review options 
for reconciling the differing requirements for the community eligibility provision, for 
reimbursement under Title I of the United States Elementary and Secondary Education 
Act of 1965, 20 United States Code, Section 6301 et seq., as amended, and for essential 
programs and services funding and shall recommend any needed legislation, rule changes 
or alternative solutions to address these issues.  The Department of Education shall, on 
behalf of the working group, issue a report to the Legislature and the Governor by April 
30, 2015. 
Sec. C-3.  Encouraging participation in federal meals and snacks 
programs for students.  The Department of Education and the Department of Health 
and Human Services shall encourage the congressional delegation of the State to make 
participation in federal meals and snacks programs for students easier for school 
administrative units and nonprofit organizations and to make administration of the 
programs easier for the Department of Education and the Department of Health and 
Human Services. 
Emergency clause.  In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this 
legislation takes effect when approved. 
SUMMARY 
This bill implements the recommendations of the Task Force To End Student Hunger 
in Maine as follows. 
1.  The bill establishes the Commission To End Student Hunger, an ongoing 
commission of 17 appointed members, which is directed to work to implement a 5-year 
plan to end student hunger, is authorized to conduct a statewide summit of state leaders to 
end student hunger and is required to advise 4 hunger coordinators who will assist in 
implementing the 5-year plan. 
2.  The bill provides that the full costs of school nutrition are subsidizable costs in the 
state education funding formula. 
3.  The bill directs the Department of Education and the Department of Health and 
Human Services to collaborate to reduce student hunger. The bill requires the 2 
departments to meet quarterly to collaborate on child hunger and nutrition programs.  The 
bill requires the 2 departments to provide quarterly reports to the joint standing 
committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over education matters and to the 
Commission To End Student Hunger.  The bill requires the 2 departments to expand 
access to departmental data and to provide each school administrative unit and school 
with analyses of its existing child nutrition programs and their funding and federal 
funding not being used.  The bill requires child nutrition data to be publicly available on 
the websites of the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human 
Services.  The bill requires the Department of Education to establish a grant program to 
assist schools and school administrative units in ending student hunger. 
4.  The bill requires the Department of Education to convene a working group by 
March 1, 2015 to review the opportunities and challenges of the community eligibility 
provision administered by the United States Department of Agriculture and study best 
practices and barriers related to the community eligibility provision and make 
recommendations to the Department of Education and the Department of Health and 
Human Services.  The bill requires the Department of Education to submit a report to the 
Legislature and the Governor by April 30, 2015. 
5.  The bill requires the Department of Education and the Department of Health and 
Human Services to encourage the congressional delegation of the State to make 
participation in federal meals and snacks programs for students easier for school 
administrative units and nonprofit organizations and to make administration of the 
programs easier for the departments.