An Act to Strengthen Maine's Agriculture, Food System and Forest Products Infrastructure Investment
Maine Legislature, Session 131, LD 2212
Committee: Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
Sponsors: TALBOT ROSS, INGWERSEN, FAY, GUERRETTE, HALL, OSHER, PLUECKER
Amends: 7 MRSA §320-C

Legislative Document
No. 2212
H.P. 1419
House of Representatives, February 15, 2024
An Act to Strengthen Maine's Agriculture, Food System and Forest 
Products Infrastructure Investment
Approved for introduction by a majority of the Legislative Council pursuant to Joint Rule 
203.
Reference to the Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry suggested and 
ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Speaker TALBOT ROSS of Portland.
Cosponsored by Senator INGWERSEN of York and
Representatives: FAY of Raymond, GUERRETTE of Caribou, HALL of Wilton, OSHER of 
Orono, PLUECKER of Warren.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  7 MRSA §320-C, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 2021, c. 483, Pt. KK, §2, is 
repealed and the following enacted in its place:
2.  Membership.  The board consists of the commissioner or the commissioner's 
designee, the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development or the 
commissioner's designee and 15 members pursuant to this subsection.
M.  The commissioner and the Commissioner of Economic and Community 
Development shall jointly appoint 5 members of the board as follows:
(1)  Two members from relevant financial institutions with experience in the 
agricultural and forest products industries;
(2)  One manufacturer of forest products;
(3)  One manufacturer of value-added agricultural products or representative of the 
value-added agricultural products industry; and
(4)  One member actively engaged in providing marketing assistance, market 
development or business and financial planning.
N.  The President of the Senate shall appoint 5 members of the board as follows:
(1)  One member of a statewide industry group representing conventional nondairy 
farming;
(2)  One member of a statewide industry group representing the forest products 
industry;
(3)  One member representing the supply chain in processing, manufacturing or 
distribution;
(4)  One member of a statewide industry group representing dairy producers; and
(5)  One member representing historically underserved racial populations in 
nondairy farming.
O.  The Speaker of the House shall appoint 5 members of the board as follows:
(1)  One member of a statewide industry group representing organic nondairy 
farming;
(2)  One member from a statewide group representing the logging and trucking 
industry;
(3)  One member representing the supply chain in processing, manufacturing or 
distribution;
(4)  One member who is a member of a federally recognized Indian nation, tribe or 
band in this State; and
(5)  One member representing historically underserved racial populations in 
nondairy farming.
Board membership must reflect a diversity of skills and experience relevant to investment 
in agricultural, food and forest products processing and manufacturing industries and 
represent the racial diversity of the food system in the State with specific representation by 
Indian tribes, communities of color and other underserved communities and populations.
Sec. 2.  7 MRSA §320-C, sub-§7 is enacted to read:
7.  Board member conflicts of interest.  If a member of the board holds a position in 
a producer or business that causes a conflict of interest with regard to a vote the board is 
holding, the member may not participate in that vote.
Sec. 3.  7 MRSA §320-C, sub-§8 is enacted to read:
8.  Uses of disbursements limited.  A producer that receives a disbursement from the 
fund must have a processing or manufacturing facility that is located in the State, shall use 
the disbursement to support the operations of the facility and shall use the disbursement to 
obtain the primary agricultural, food or forest product used in its commercial products from 
a farm or a forest or waters in the State or from offshore waters to be collected in the State.
Sec. 4.  Appropriations and allocations.  The following appropriations and 
allocations are made.
AGRICULTURE, CONSERVATION AND FORESTRY, DEPARTMENT OF
Maine Agriculture, Food and Forest Products Investment Fund Z384
Initiative: Provides one-time funding to support public-private partnerships that facilitate 
strategic investments in the State's agricultural, food and forest products processing and 
manufacturing industries. These funds are nonlapsing.
GENERAL FUND
2023-24
2024-25
All Other
$0
$10,000,000
__________
__________
GENERAL FUND TOTAL
$0
$10,000,000
SUMMARY
This bill amends the laws governing the Maine Agriculture, Food System and Forest 
Products Infrastructure Investment Advisory Board to require the President of the Senate 
and the Speaker of the House to appoint members to the board and prohibit a member of 
the board who holds a position in a producer or business that causes a conflict of interest 
with regard to a vote the board is holding from participating in that vote.  It also requires 
producers of agricultural, food and forest products receiving disbursements from the Maine 
Agriculture, Food and Forest Products Investment Fund to obtain their primary agricultural, 
food or forest products from within the State.
Finally, this bill provides a one-time appropriation of $10,000,000 in fiscal year 2024-
to the fund.