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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 7013
January Session, 2025
AN ACT CONCERNING ENHANCEMENTS TO THE LOCAL FOOD FOR
SCHOOLS INCENTIVE PROGRAM AND THE CT GROWN FOR CT
KIDS GRANT PROGRAM.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 10-215m of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2025): 2
(a) As used in this section: 3
(1) "Local farm" means a farm, farmers' cooperative, food hub or 4
wholesale distributor located in Connecticut. 5
(2) "Regional farm" means a farm, farmers' cooperative, food hub or 6
wholesale distributor located in New York, Massachusetts, Rhode 7
Island, Vermont, New Hampshire or Maine. 8
(3) "Locally sourced food" means produce and other farm products 9
that have a traceable point of origin within Connecticut that are grown 10
or produced at, or sold by, a local farm and includes, but is not limited 11
to, value-added dairy, fish, pork, beef, poultry, eggs, fruits, vegetables 12
and minimally processed foods. 13
(4) "Regionally sourced food" means produce and other farm 14
products that have a traceable point of origin within New York, 15 Substitute Bill No. 7013
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Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire or Maine that 16
are grown or produced at, or sold by, a regional farm and includes, but 17
is not limited to, value-added dairy, fish, pork, beef, poultry, eggs, fruits, 18
vegetables and minimally processed foods. 19
(5) ["Eligible board of education"] "Eligible entity" means a local or 20
regional board of education that is participating in the National School 21
Lunch Program or a provider of child care services, as described in 22
section 19a-77. 23
(6) "Eligible meal program" means a meal program provided by an 24
eligible [board of education] entity to its children or students or a meal 25
provided as part of such [board's] entity's participation in the National 26
School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Seamless Summer 27
Option, After School Snack Program, Summer Food Service Program or 28
the Child and Adult Care Food Program administered by the United 29
States Department of Agriculture, including the At-Risk Afterschool 30
Meals component of the Child and Adult Care Food Program . 31
[administered by the United States Department of Agriculture.] 32
(b) For the fiscal year ending June 30, [2024] 2026, and each fiscal year 33
thereafter, the Department of [Agriculture] Education, in consultation 34
with the Department of [Education] Agriculture, shall administer the 35
local food for schools incentive program. Such program shall provide, 36
utilizing state and federal funds, reimbursement payments to eligible 37
[boards of education] entities for the purchase of locally sourced food 38
and regionally sourced food that [may] shall be used as part of such 39
[board's] entity's participation in an eligible meal program. An eligible 40
[board of education] entity shall be entitled to receive reimbursement 41
payments in accordance with the guidelines developed pursuant to 42
subsection (e) of this section and in an amount equal to (1) one-half of 43
such [board's] entity's expenditures for locally sourced foods, and (2) 44
one-third of such [board's] entity's expenditures for regionally sourced 45
foods. 46
(c) (1) The department shall receive requests from eligible [boards of 47 Substitute Bill No. 7013
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education] entities for reimbursement payments under the program in 48
a manner similar to how the department receives applications under 49
section 10-215b. 50
(2) Each eligible [board of education] entity shall (A) maintain a 51
record of such [board's] entity's expenditures for all locally sourced food 52
and regionally sourced food, as well as documentation confirming the 53
place of origin of such food, as prescribed by the department, and (B) 54
submit, upon request of the department, such records and 55
documentation to the department for review. 56
(d) Any locally sourced food or regionally sourced food for which an 57
eligible [board of education] entity seeks reimbursement payments 58
under this section shall comply with the nutrition standards established 59
by the department pursuant to section 10-215e. 60
(e) The department shall develop guidelines for the implementation 61
of the program. Such guidelines shall (1) establish a maximum 62
reimbursement amount based on total [student] enrollment for each 63
eligible [board of education] entity, (2) assist eligible [boards of 64
education] entities in participating in the program, and (3) promote 65
geographic, social, economic and racial equity, which may include a 66
preference for [socially disadvantaged farmers, as defined in 7 USC 67
2279(a), as amended from time to time,] historically underserved 68
farmers or small farm businesses. 69
(f) The department shall develop a survey to be distributed annually 70
to any eligible [board of education] entities that receives reimbursement 71
payments under this section. Such survey shall be designed to collect 72
information to assist the department in implementing and improving 73
the program. 74
(g) In addition to the reimbursement payments otherwise provided 75
pursuant to this section, the department [may, within available 76
appropriations, provide supplemental grants to eligible boards of 77
education. Such supplemental grant funds may be expended for the 78
purpose of purchasing kitchen equipment, engaging with school 79 Substitute Bill No. 7013
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nutrition or farm-to-school consultants or training relating to the 80
processing, preparation and serving of locally sourced food and 81
regionally sourced food. In awarding supplemental grants under this 82
subsection, the department shall give priority to an eligible board of 83
education for a town designated as an alliance district pursuant to 84
section 10-262u] shall use at least twenty per cent of the annual 85
appropriation for the local food for schools incentive program to engage 86
with external partners to provide supplemental services. Such 87
supplemental services may include, but need not be limited to, school 88
nutrition or farm-to-school consultants, technical assistance, outreach, 89
training or evaluation relating to the core elements of farm-to-school 90
programming, such as procurement, processing, preparation, serving 91
and education of locally sourced food and regionally sourced food. 92
(h) The department may accept gifts, grants and donations, including 93
in-kind donations, for the administration of the local food for schools 94
incentive program and to implement the provisions of this section. The 95
department shall seek and maximize existing federal funding available 96
for purposes of administering the local food for schools incentive 97
program. 98
(i) Any unexpended funds appropriated for purposes of this section 99
shall not lapse at the end of the fiscal year but shall be available for 100
expenditure during the next fiscal year. 101
(j) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, for the fiscal year 102
ending June 30, [2024] 2026, and each fiscal year thereafter, the amount 103
of reimbursement payments payable to eligible [boards of education] 104
entities shall be reduced proportionately if the total of such 105
reimbursement payments in such year exceeds the amount 106
appropriated for such reimbursement payments for such year. 107
(k) Not later than January 1, [2025] 2026, and annually thereafter, the 108
department shall submit a report on the local food for schools incentive 109
program to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly 110
having cognizance of matters relating to education, in accordance with 111 Substitute Bill No. 7013
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the provisions of section 11-4a. Such report shall include, but need not 112
be limited to, an accounting of the funds appropriated and received by 113
the department for the program, descriptions of the reimbursement 114
payments made under the program and an evaluation of the program. 115
Sec. 2. (Effective July 1, 2025) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, 116
the Department of Education shall hire one full-time employee to 117
administer the local food for schools incentive program described in 118
section 10-215m of the general statutes, as amended by this act. Such 119
employee shall be responsible for (1) identifying and promoting the 120
critical components of individual farm-to-school programs and 121
advising the Commissioner of Education on strategies to implement the 122
program, (2) supporting partnerships with public and nonprofit 123
organizations to establish a structure to facilitate communication 124
between farmers and school district officials, (3) conducting workshops, 125
training sessions and technical assistance to school food service 126
directors, school personnel, farmers, produce distributors and 127
processors regarding the demand for and availability of Connecticut 128
farm products, (4) identifying grants, donations and other funding 129
sources to assist in funding the program, and (5) seeking available 130
federal funding, including making application to the United States 131
Department of Agriculture for grants and other federal financial 132
assistance. 133
Sec. 3 (Effective July 1, 2025) The sum of one million five hundred 134
thousand dollars is appropriated to the Department of Education from 135
the General Fund, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, for (1) 136
administration of the local food for school incentive program, described 137
in section 10-215m of the general statutes, as amended by this act, and 138
(2) the hiring of a full-time employee described in section 2 of this act. 139
Sec. 4. (Effective July 1, 2025) The sum of one million dollars is 140
appropriated to the Department of Agriculture from the General Fund, 141
for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, for administration of the CT 142
Grown for CT Kids Grant Program described in section 10-215l of the 143
general statutes. 144 Substitute Bill No. 7013
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Sec. 5. (Effective July 1, 2026) The sum of one million dollars is 145
appropriated to the Department of Agriculture from the General Fund, 146
for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, for administration of the CT 147
Grown for CT Kids Grant Program described in section 10-215l of the 148
general statutes. 149
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 July 1, 2025 10-215m
Sec. 2 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 3 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 4 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 5 July 1, 2026 New section
ED Joint Favorable Subst. C/R APP