An Act to Promote
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 1858
Committee Amendment CA_A_S289 (Senate)
Amends: 20-A MRSA §6602

PIRST SPECIAL SESSION 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 1:A "to S.P. 728, L.D. 1858, «An Act to Promote 
Local Seafood in Schools'~ 
Amend the bill by striking m1t everything after the enacting clause and inserting the 
following: 
1S ec, 1. 20-AMRSA §6602, sub-§12~ as amended by PL 2023, c, 10 l 1 § l, is further 
amended to read: 
12. Local Foods Fund. The Local .Foods Fund is established within the department 
The fund is authorized to receive revenue from public aL1d private sour.cos. The fund must 
be held separate and apa1t from all other money, funds and accounts. Any balance 
remaining in the fund at the end of the fiscal year must be curded forward to the next fiscal 
year. The fund must be used to match $1 for every $l $2 a school administrative unit.pays 
for produce, value-added dairy, prntein. inchidin~afoo<.\l or processed foods pmcha~ed 
directly from a farmer, 12erson who fishes commerciallv. aquac,ulture fa1mer. farmers' 
cooperntive, aquacultul'e formers' cooperative_ local food hub, local food processor or food 
service distributor in the State, to a maximum state contdbution of ~ 
$ I 0.000 per 
school administrative unit in fiscal year 2021 22 2025-26 and subsequent years or~ 
2S 
$11.000 pet' school administrative unit if funding is received an_d the school administrative 
unit sends a food service empfoyee to local foods training· admil1istered by the department 
under subsection 13. All foods purchased using the fund must be grow11, caught or 
produced in the State, with the exception of processed and value-added food products 
produced in the Statei which must meet standards set by the depa.timent. The dcparlmenl 
shall create standards for allowable prncessed and valuewadded food products prnduced in 
the State and provide guidance to school admil'listrative units regat·dlng which of those 
products are allowable for reimbursement under this subsection and subsection 12~A. At 
the end of the fiscal year, the school administrative unit may provide the department with 
receipts documenting purchases pursuant to this subsection during that year. 
Reimbursement or partial reimbursement to school administl'ative units may only be made 
up to the amount available in the fund, Failure to reimbmse does not constitute an 
obligation on behalf ofthe State lo a school administrative unit. The department shall apply 
Pug~ 1 , 132LR1659(02) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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coM,nIT•E AMENDMENT " A " to s.P. 728, L,D. 1858 [ Sr Jl\"l) 
fot federal grant funding to provide state contributions in excess of $5,000 per school 
administrative unit in fiscal year 2021-22 and subsequent years pursua11t to this subsection 
if applicable grant funding is available. The department may accept grant funding from 
hospitals and other sources to prnvide state contributions in excess of $5,000 per school 
administt·ative unit in fiscal year 2021-22 and subsequent years pursuant to this subsection. 
Any available ·unexpended balance remaining at the end of a fiscal year may be used for 
training and materials related to the Local Foods Fund programs. 
Sec. 2. 20-A MRSA §6602, sub~§.12-A, as enacted by PL 2021) c, 426) §2, is 
amended to read: 
12-A. Local F'oods li'und reimbm·scment. Reimbursement or pmtial reimbursement 
to school administrative units may be made only up to the amount appropriated to support 
the provisio11s of the Local Foods Fund as established in subsection 12. Funds appropl'iated 
for this purpose do not lapse but must be carried forward to the next fiscal year In be used 
for the same purpose 01· for training and materials related to the Local Foods .Fund 
programs. 
Sec. 3. 20 .. A MRSA §6602, sub-§13, as enacted by PL 2015, c. 267) Pt 000, §2, 
is amended by enacting at the end a new last blocked paragraph to read: 
Funds recei vcd for the purposes of this subsection may be used to contrnct with 3 rd~party 
entities to provide trninin.s.,. 
Sec, 4. 20-A MRSA §6602, sub-§13-A is enacted to read: 
13~A, Data- collection; annual report to Legislature, The degartment shall collect 
data on the usage of the Loc.91 Foods Fund under subsection 12 and the local foods trainh1g 
r..r.9.gram under subsection 13 by school admjn_i§.tr.ativ~..11nits, including the procurement of 
seafood. Beginning January 1. 2026 and annually thereafter. the depa11ment shall report to 
the ioint standing committees of the Legislature having jmisdiction over education matters 
and marine resources matters on pmgram participatio11 1 seafood purchases made by school 
administrative units and recommendations for program improvement. Each of the joint 
standing committees may repo1t out legislation .related to the content of the report.' 
Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or section 
number to read consecutively. 
SUMMARY 
This amendment replaces the bill. The amendment amends the Local Foods Fund 
within the Department of Education to require the fund to be used to match $1 for every $2 
a school administrative unit pays for food, htcludi11g seafood, from a farme1~ pe1'son who 
fishes co111111ercially, aquacultme farmer, farmers' cooperative~ aquaculture farmers' 
cooperative, focal food hub1 local food processor or food service distributor in the State, It 
changes the maximum state contribution from $5,000 to $10,000 per school administl'ative 
unit in fiscal year 2025-26 and subsequent years and from $5,500 to $11,000 per school 
administrative unit if funding is received and the school administrative unit sends a food 
service employee to a local foods tl'aining administered by the department. The amendment 
also allows for unexpended balances remaining at the end of a fiscal year to be used for 
tl'aining and materials related to the Local Foods Fund programs. The amendment also 
allows for the local foods training program fonds to be used to contract with a 3rd-party 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT"r" to S,P. 728, L.D. 1858 ( $·~ 15~) 
entity to provide training. The ame1)d111ent also requires the depnttment to collect data on 
the usage of the Local Foods Fund and the local foods training program and to t'epo1t 
annually to the Legislature beginning Januaty l, 2026, 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(Sec attached) 
Pnge 3 - 132LR1659(02) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 06/02/25 L-Rl-
132nd MAINE LEGISLA TORE 
LD 1858 
LR 1659(02) 
An Act to Pl'omote Local Seafood in Schools 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment "j\1 (Jy 'd--'60 
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs 
ff 
-,. J 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
Increase in maximum state contribution - Local Foods F1.md 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
This bill increases the maximum contribution that a sc.hool administrative unit (SAU) may receive from the State for 
the purchase ofprodnce, value-added dairy, protein, including seafood, or processed foods purchased directly from 
fanner, a person who fishes commercially; an aquaculture farmer, a farmers' cooperative, an aquaculture farmerst 
cooperative, local food hub, local food processor or food service dlstdbutor in the State from $5,000 per year to 
$ I 0,000 per year and from $5,500 per year to $11,000 per year if the SAU sends a food service employee to local 
foods training. Currently, the Local Foods Fund receives ongoing, 11onla_psing General Fund appropriations of 
$326,000 per year to fund the grants. Under current law, this funding is sufficier1t to support an estimated 60 to 65 
grants at either $5,000 or $5,500 per grant. If this legislation is enacted, the ctm-cnt funding will support between 30 
to 33 grants per year at$ l 0,000 or $11,000 per grant. This biII also provides that unexpended balances remaining at 
the end of the fiscal year may be used for training and materials related to the Local Foods Fund programs. The 
current unexpended balance in the fund is approximately$ l .O million. 
Additional costs to the Department of Education to collect the required data and submit the required rep01t can be 
absorbed within existing budgeted resources. 
LRl 659(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of l