An Act to Promote Local Seafood in Schools
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 1858
Sponsors: DAUGHTRY, RIELLY
Amends: 20-A MRSA §6602

Legislative Document
No. 1858
S.P. 728
In Senate, May 5, 2025
An Act to Promote Local Seafood in Schools
Received by the Secretary of the Senate on May 1, 2025.  Referred to the Committee on 
Education and Cultural Affairs pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by President DAUGHTRY of Cumberland.
Cosponsored by Representative RIELLY of Westbrook and
Senators: DUSON of Cumberland, INGWERSEN of York, LIBBY of Cumberland, MOORE 
of Washington, TALBOT ROSS of Cumberland, TEPLER of Sagadahoc, Representatives: 
FAULKINGHAM of Winter Harbor, MURPHY of Scarborough.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  20-A MRSA §6602, sub-§16 is enacted to read:
16.  Local Seafood Fund.  The Local Seafood Fund is established within the 
department.  The fund is authorized to receive revenue from public and private sources.  
The fund must be held separate and apart from all other money, funds and accounts.  Any 
balance remaining in the fund at the end of the fiscal year must be carried forward to the 
next fiscal year.  The fund must be used to match $1 for every $3 a school administrative 
unit pays for seafood purchased directly from a person who fishes commercially, a 
cooperative of persons who fish commercially, an aquaculture farmer, an aquaculture 
farmer's cooperative, a local food hub, a local food processor or a food service distributor 
in the State, to a maximum state contribution of $5,000 per school administrative unit in 
fiscal year 2025-26 and subsequent years or $5,500 per school administrative unit if 
funding is received and the school administrative unit sends a food service employee to 
local seafood training administered by the department under subsection 18.  All seafood 
purchased using the fund must be grown or harvested in the State, with the exception of 
processed and value-added food products produced in the State, which must meet standards 
set by the department.  The department shall create standards for allowable processed and 
value-added food products produced in the State and provide guidance to school 
administrative units regarding which of those products are allowable for reimbursement 
under this subsection and subsection 17.  At the end of a 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 administrative units may be made only up to the amount available in the fund.  
Failure to reimburse does not constitute an obligation on behalf of the State to a school 
administrative unit.  The department shall apply for federal grant funding to provide state 
contributions in excess of $5,000 per school administrative unit in fiscal year 2025-26 and 
subsequent years pursuant to this subsection if applicable grant funding is available.  The 
department may accept grant funding from hospitals and other sources to provide state 
contributions in excess of $5,000 per school administrative unit in fiscal year 2025-26 and 
subsequent years pursuant to this subsection.
Sec. 2.  20-A MRSA §6602, sub-§17 is enacted to read:
17.  Local Seafood Fund reimbursement.  Reimbursement or partial reimbursement 
to school administrative units pursuant to subsection 16 may be made only up to the amount 
appropriated to support the provisions of the Local Seafood Fund established in subsection 
16.  Funds appropriated for this purpose do not lapse but must be carried forward to the 
next fiscal year to be used for the same purpose.
Sec. 3.  20-A MRSA §6602, sub-§18 is enacted to read:
18.  Local seafood training.  The department shall administer a program to encourage 
and expand the use of local seafood in school food service programs. As used in this 
subsection, unless the context otherwise indicates, "local seafood" means seafood grown 
or harvested by a Maine food producer as defined by Title 7, section 212, subsection 2, and 
"food hub" means any business or organization that locates and obtains food from local 
growers and fisheries and is able to handle the logistics of supplying and delivering local 
seafood to schools.  The program must:
A.  Provide competitive grants for a training program to be conducted in up to 6 regions 
to provide training throughout the State without cost for local school food service 
programs to encourage and expand the use of local seafood in school food service 
programs.  The training program must emphasize practical training for food preparers, 
including creative and effective cooking skills using local fresh seafood and local 
seafood procurement skills.  The training program must also inform participants about 
practical supply chain solutions, including local food hubs and cooperatives within and 
across each region of the State;
B.  Foster collaboration between school food service programs throughout the State;
C.  Facilitate and encourage the use of local food hubs; and
D.  Provide guidance to schools in the use of local seafood products and the nutritional 
attributes of local seafood and provide strategies for encouraging maximum knowledge 
and acceptance of the nutritional value of locally grown and harvested seafood by 
students and communities.
The department shall apply for federal grant funding to implement this subsection.  The 
department may implement this subsection only if the department receives funding 
covering the costs of the program under this subsection.
SUMMARY
This bill establishes the Local Seafood Fund to be used to match $1 for every $3 a 
school administrative unit pays for seafood purchased directly from a person who fishes 
commercially, a cooperative of persons who fish commercially, an aquaculture farmer, an 
aquaculture farmer's cooperative, a local food hub, a local food processor or a food service 
distributor in the State, to a maximum state contribution of $5,000 per school administrative 
unit in fiscal year 2025-26 and subsequent years or $5,500 per school administrative unit 
if funding is received and the school administrative unit sends a food service employee to 
a local seafood training program established and administered by the Department of 
Education pursuant to the bill.