An Act to Enhance Support of Local Nutrition Incentive Programs
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 2004
Sponsors: INGWERSEN, PLUECKER, DAUGHTRY
Amends: 7 MRSA §219-B

Legislative Document
No. 2004
S.P. 820
In Senate, December 5, 2025
An Act to Enhance Support of Local Nutrition Incentive Programs 
by Modifying the Eligibility Requirements of the Fund to Address 
Food Insecurity and Provide Nutrition Incentives
Approved for introduction by a majority of the Legislative Council pursuant to Joint Rule 
203.
Received by the Secretary of the Senate on December 3, 2025.  Referred to the Committee 
on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator INGWERSEN of York.
Cosponsored by Representative PLUECKER of Warren and
Senators: BENNETT of Oxford, BLACK of Franklin, President DAUGHTRY of Cumberland, 
ROTUNDO of Androscoggin, TALBOT ROSS of Cumberland, TIPPING of Penobscot, 
Representatives: GRAHAM of North Yarmouth, SALISBURY of Westbrook.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  7 MRSA §219-B, as corrected by RR 2021, c. 1, Pt. A, §7, is amended to 
read:
§219-B.  Fund To Address Food Insecurity and Provide Nutrition Incentives
1.  Fund established.  The Fund To Address Food Insecurity and Provide Nutrition 
Incentives, referred to in this section as "the fund," is established in the department to 
provide incentives to federal food and nutrition assistance program participants for the 
purchase of locally grown fruits and vegetables and to support outreach for and 
administration of programs that offer nutrition incentives to participants of federal food and 
nutrition assistance programs.  The fund is established to match contributions from private 
and public sources of up to $50,000 annually to further the purposes of this section.  The 
fund, to be accounted within the department, must be held separate and apart from all other 
money, funds and accounts.  Eligible investment earnings credited to the assets of the fund 
become part of the assets of the fund.  Any unexpended balances remaining in the fund at 
the end of any fiscal year do not lapse and must be carried forward to the next fiscal year. 
For purposes of this section, "local" means within the State.
2.  Fund recipients.  An organization based in the State that supports local food 
producers, local food production or low-income individuals in receiving food and nutrition 
assistance may receive proceeds from the fund upon application with the department.  The 
department shall prioritize an applicant that has a demonstrated history of incentivizing the 
use of federal food and nutrition assistance programs to purchase locally grown fruits and 
vegetables or that demonstrates the ability to leverage the proceeds to match or receive 
additional funds from local, state, federal or private sources.  The department shall 
periodically post a request for applications for eligible organizations to apply for fund 
proceeds.
3.  Report; audit.  The department shall require a periodic report from a recipient 
under subsection 2 detailing the use of fund proceeds and the federal food and nutrition 
assistance programs involved and to ensure that the funds are expended appropriately 
pursuant to this section.  The department may audit a recipient to carry out the purposes of 
this subsection.
4.  Rules.  The department may adopt routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, 
chapter 375, subchapter 2‑A to carry out the purposes of the fund, including application 
criteria and procedures for recipients, disbursement of funds to recipients and for outreach 
and administration purposes and reporting and audit procedures for recipients.
SUMMARY
This bill makes funds from the Fund To Address Food Insecurity and Provide Nutrition 
Incentives more readily available to local nutrition incentive programs by removing 
language that specifies federal food and nutrition assistance programs.