An Act To Expand the Local Foods Economy by Promoting Local Foods Procurement
Maine Legislature, Session 128, LD 1584
Committee Amendment CA_A_S391 (Senate)

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A " to S.P. 557, L.D. 1584, Bill, "An Act To 
Expand the Local Foods Economy by Promoting Local Foods Procurement" 
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and before the 
summary and inserting the following: 
'Sec. 1. 7 MRSA c. 8-A, sub-c. 3 is enacted to read: 
SUBCHAPTER 3 
LOCAL FOODS PROCUREMENT PROGRAM 
§220. Local foods procurement program; local foods access 
In accordance with this section, the commissioner shall establish and promote a local 
foods procurement program with the goal that no later than 2025, 20% of all food and 
food products procured by state institutions be local food or food products. 
1. 
Guidelines. 
The commissioner shall establish guidelines to assist state 
institutions to assess their ability to procure local foods or food products while 
minimizing costs for that procurement. 
2. 
Education and outreach. 
The commissioner shall provide education and 
outreach for the purpose of supporting local foods providers, such as farms, farmers' 
markets, community supported agriculture and seafood providers. to further the goal 
established in this section. 
3. 
Access to local foods for recipients of benefits. 
The commissioner shall 
improve access to local foods for recipients of benefits under any food supplement 
program administered by the Department of Health and Human Services under Title 22 
~ 
A. Expanding opportunities for farmers to sell local foods to recipients of food 
supplement program benefits by promoting the use of electronic benefits transfer 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
' '6, 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT"~ "to S.P. 557, L.D. 1584 
cards at farmers' markets and, in partnership with a statewide federation of farmers' 
markets. encouraging participation in community supported agriculture by recipients 
of food supplement program benefits; 
B. Assisting farmers' markets in accepting payments through the electronic benefits 
transfer system by helping them secure equipment. including equipment that does not 
require the use of electricity. for processing payments through the electronic benefits 
transfer system: and 
C. In partnership with the Commissioner of Health and Human Services, educating 
recipients of food supplement program benefits of the opportunity to use the benefits 
at farmers' markets and the advantages of such use. 
4. Rules. The commissioner shall adopt rules necessary to carry out the provisions 
of this subchapter. The rules must include, but are not limited to. definitions of "local 
foods" and "local foods providers" that are consistent with the provisions of this chapter 
and must establish a method and baseline to determine the percentage of local foods or 
food products procured by state institutions based on dollars spent. Rules adopted under 
this subsection are major substantive rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 
2-A. 
5. Report. The commissioner shall include a description of the progress toward 
reaching the goal under this section in the biennial report submitted to the Legislature 
pursuant to section 2. subsection 5. 
Sec. 2. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and 
allocations are made. 
AGRICULTURE, CONSERVATION AND FORESTRY, DEPARTMENT OF 
Division of Quality Assurance and Regulation 0393 
Initiative: Provides an appropriation for one Planning and Research Associate II position. 
GENERAL FUND 
POSITIONS - LEGISLATIVE COUNT 
Personal Services 
All Other 
GENERAL FUND TOTAL 
Division of Quality Assurance and Regulation 0393 
2017-18 
2018-19 
0.000 
1.000 
$0 
$76,032 
$0 
$2,500 
$0 
$78,532 
Initiative: Provides an appropriation for education and outreach, for artwork, printing and 
distribution of promotional material and for data and research to prepare an annual report. 
GENERAL FUND 
All Other 
2017-18 
$0 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
2018-19 
$85,000 
cI, 'o· 
~· 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" A "to S.P. 557, L.D. 1584 
GENERAL FUND TOTAL 
AGRICULTURE, CONSERVATION AND 
FORESTRY, DEPARTMENT OF 
DEPARTMENT TOTALS 
GENERAL FUND 
DEPARTMENT TOTAL-ALL FUNDS 
SUMMARY 
$0 
$85,000 
2017-18 
2018-19 
$0 
$163,532 
$0 
$163,532 
This amendment, which is the majority report of the committee, replaces the bill and 
directs the Commissioner of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to establish and 
promote a local foods procurement program with the goal of increasing the percentage of 
local foods procured by state institutions to 20% of all food and food products procured 
by 2025. The program does not apply to local schools. It directs the commissioner to 
establish guidelines to assist state institutions in assessing their ability to procure local 
foods while minimizing costs, provide education and outreach for the purpose of 
supporting farms, farmers' markets, community supported agriculture and seafood 
providers to increase the sale and purchase of local foods and improve access to local 
foods for recipients of benefits of any food supplement program administered by the 
Department of Health and Human Services. It also directs the commissioner to adopt 
major substantive rules to implement the local foods procurement program. It directs the 
commissioner to report on the progress towards reaching the local food procurement goal 
in the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry's biennial report. It also 
adds an appropriations and allocations section. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 03/13/18 ~a<:!. 
LD 1584 
LR 1678(02) 
An Act To Expand the Local Foods Economy by Promoting Local Foods Procurement 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment 'p:' \, S-) q 9 
Committee: Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry 
Net Cost (Savings) 
General Fund 
Appropriations/Allocations 
General Fund 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
FY 2017-18 
FY 2018-19 
$0 
$163,532 
$0 
$163,532 
Projections 
FY2019-20 
$132,301 
$132,301 
Projections 
FY2020-21 
$136,291 
$136,291 
This bill directs the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (ACF) to establish a local foods 
procurement program to promote and increase the procurement of local foods. The program will establish guidelines 
to assist state institutions in assessing their ability to procure local foods, provide department education and outreach 
to farms, farmers markets, community supported agriculture and seafood providers to increase the sale and purchase 
of local foods by state institutions and food supplement programs administered by the Department of Health and 
Human Services (DHHS). This bill includes a General Fund appropriation of $78,532 starting in fiscal year 2018-19 
for one full-time Planning and Research Associate II position. It also includes a General Fund appropriation of 
$85,000 in fiscal year 2018-19, and $50,000 thereafter, for education and outreach, for artwork, printing and 
distribution of promotional material and for data and research to prepare an annual report. 
Any additional costs to DHHS to implement the provisions of this bill are expected to be minor and can be absorbed 
within existing budgeted resources. 
LR1678(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1