An Act To Establish the Let 1s Grow Maine Program
Maine Legislature, Session 128, LD 1548
Committee Amendment CA_A_H492 (House)
Amends: 5 MRSA §12004, 7 MRSA §220

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT"~" to H.P. 1066, L.D. 1548, Bill, "An Act To 
Establish the Let
1s Grow Maine Program" 
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and before the 
summary and inserting the following: 
1Sec. 1. 5 MRSA §12004-1, sub-§6-I is enacted to read: 
6-I. 
Economic 
Development 
Food Security 
Council 
Expenses Only 
Sec. 2. 7 MRSA §220 is enacted to read: 
§220. Let's Grow Maine Program 
7MRSA §220 
1. Definitions. As used in this section. unless the context otherwise indicates. the 
following terms have the following meanings. 
A. 
11Committee
means the joint standing committee of the Legislature having 
jurisdiction over agriculture matters. 
B. 
11Council" means the Food Security Council set out in subsection 3. 
C. 
11Fund
means the Food and Fann Fund established in subsection 5. 
D. 
11Program
means the Let1s Grow Maine Program established in subsection 2. 
2. Program established; purpose. The Let's Grow Maine Program is established to 
procure fruits and vegetables from farm businesses i~ the State for distribution to schools 
and low-income families with children. through a public and private partnership, in order 
to provide hunger relief. The primaty function of the program is the purchase of fruits 
and vegetables grown in the State at a volume that meets the emergency food assistance 
needs in the State, subject to the need to develop effective storage and delivezy capacity 
for this food. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
~':> 
~o 
COMMITIEE AMENDMENT'.a-" to H.P. 1066, L.D. 1548 
3. Food Security Council. The Food Security Council, established in Title 5, 
section 12004-1, subsection 6-I, is an advisory council that is responsible for determining 
regional emergency food assista_nce needs and developing a comprehensive strategy to 
focus allocation of resources under the program. 
The council is composed of the 
following members: 
A. Nine voting members represe_nting each of the 9 public health districts described 
in Title 22, section 411, appointed by the Governor; and 
B. Four nonvoting members, as follows: 
(1) 
The director of the State's emergency food assistance program. or the 
commissioner's designee; 
(2) A representative of the Department of Health and Human Services. Maine 
Center for Disease Control and Prevention appointed by the Commissioner of 
Health and Human Services; and 
(3) Two private sector professionals with expertise in the State's emergency food 
network, one appointed by the President of the Senate and one appointed by the 
Speaker of the House, each appointed to a 2-year tenn. 
4. Legislative oversight. The committee has legislative oversight of the council. 
The council shall submit recommendations to the department no later than February 1st 
of each year. If the council does not submit recommendations to the department. the 
committee shall develop and report the committee's own recommendations to the 
department by April 1st of each year. The department shall submit a report annually. by 
January 15th, to the committee. providing an update on the status of the program and 
expenditures from the fund. 
5. Food and Farm Fund. The Food and Farm Fund is established as a special fund 
in the State Treasury. The department shall administer the fund exclusively for the 
purpose of administering the program established by this section. including the costs of 
fund administration. 
All money in the fund must be deposited. administered and 
disbursed in the same manner and under the same conditions and requirements as are 
provided by law for other special funds. 
Any unencumbered balance in the fund 
remaining at the end of any fiscal year does not lapse but must be carried forward for 
continued use in the program. 
Funds may be used for the purchase of fruits and vegetables, cold storage, storage 
infrastructure, transportation or other purposes as recommended by the council and 
determined by the department that will help to establish a more efficient and effective 
supply chain of emergency food assistance resources. 
Funds may also be used for 
culinary and nutrition education and home delivery of resources for homebound 
individuals. 
Beginning July I, 2019, the Department of Health and Human Services shall transfer 
$10,000,000 annually from federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant 
funds to the fund to be used for the purposes of this section. 
The depa1tment may accept and deposit in the fund additional funding from any source. 
public or private. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
l 
COMMITIEE AMENDMENT "A" to H.P. 1066, L.D. 1548 
6. Administration. The department shall administer the program. In administeriQg 
the program, the department shall consider the recommendations submitted bx the council 
or the committee pursuant to sub.section 4 but is not bound to take any action in response 
to these recommendations. The department shall administer the program through the use 
of private sector' part~ers selected by issuing and broadly publicizing competitive requests 
for proposals. Requests for proposals may be used for, but are not limited to, purchase of 
physical 
assets 
for 
storage, 
infrastructure 
and 
transportation, 
programmatic 
recommendations and contracts with farmers in the State to grow certain volumes of 
produce.' 
SUMMARY 
This amendment changes administration of the proposed Let's Grow Maine Program 
from the Finance Authority of Maine to the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and 
Forestry, deletes provisions increasing taxes on certain tobacco products and provides 
funding for the program from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant 
funds. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(Set attKbed) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 06/02/17 frac.. 
LD 1548 
LR 810(02) 
An Act To Establish the Let's Grow Maine Program 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment ,L}i { H-Cf!a} 
Committee: Taxation 
Appropriations/ Allocations 
Other Special Revenue Funds 
Transfers 
Other Special Revenue Funds 
Federal Block Grant Fund 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
FY2017-18 
FY 2018-19 
Projections 
FY 2019-20 
Projections 
FY 2020-21 
$0 
$0 
$0 
$0 
$1,725,637 
$288, 114 
$0 
$10,000,000 
$10,000,000 
$0 
($10,000,000) 
($10,000,000) 
This bill establishes the Let's Grow Maine Pro.gram within the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry 
(ACF). The bill requires a transfer of $10,000,000. annually, beginning July l, 2019, from the Temporary Assistance 
for Needy Families program, Federal Block Grant Fund, to the Let's Grow Maine program within ACF. 
ACF will require a one-time allocation of $1,500,000 in fiscal year 2019-20 for renovations and expansion to their 
existing cold storage facility to accommodate the additional storage of procured produce. Starting in fiscal year 2020-
annual allocations of $50,000 will be required for operating costs of the renovated cold storage facility. ACF will 
also require allocations of $225,63 7 in fiscal year 2019-20 and $23 8, 114 in fiscal year 2020-21 for one Planning and 
Resource Associate I position, one Planning and Resource Associate II position, one Office Associate fI position, one 
pool vehicle and associated all other costs. 
LR0810(02) • Fiscal Note. Page 1 of I