Kansas 2023-2024 Regular Session

Kansas House Bill HB2564 Compare Versions

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1	1	Session of 2024
2	2	HOUSE BILL No. 2564
3	3	By Committee on Appropriations
4	4	Requested by Mallory Lutz on behalf of the Kansas Food and Farm Coalition
5	5	1-22
6	6	AN ACT concerning agriculture; relating to the Kansas department of
7	7	agriculture; establishing a farm-to-food bank program to expand the
8	8	availability of Kansas agricultural food products for the state of Kansas'
9	9	emergency food system.
10	10	Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
11	11	Section 1. Sections 1 through 4, and amendments thereto, shall be
12	12	known and may be cited as the Kansas farm-to-food bank program act.
13	13	Sec. 2. As used in the Kansas farm-to-food bank program act:
14	14	(a) "Agricultural entity" means a grower, producer or processor of
15	15	Kansas agricultural food products.
16	16	(b) "Department" means the Kansas department of agriculture.
17	17	(c) "Food" means the same as defined in K.S.A. 65-656, and
18	18	amendments thereto.
19	19	(d) "Food bank" means a public or charitable institution that
20	20	maintains an established operation involving the provision of food to food
21	21	pantries, soup kitchens, hunger relief centers or other feeding programs
22	22	that, as an integral part of their normal activities, provide meals or food to
23	23	needy persons.
24	24	(e) "Kansas agricultural food product" means food that has been
25	25	grown, raised or produced in Kansas.
26	26	(f) "Kansas emergency food system" means food pantries, soup
27	27	kitchens, hunger relief centers or other feeding programs that, as an
28	28	integral part of their normal activities, provide meals or food to needy
29	29	persons.
30	30	(g) "Program" means the Kansas farm-to-food bank program.
31	31	(h) "Program participant" means a food bank that receives Kansas
32	32	agricultural food products under the Kansas farm-to-food bank program to
33	33	be distributed to food pantries, soup kitchens, hunger relief centers or other
34	34	feeding programs that provide meals or food to needy persons.
35	35	(i) "Secretary" means the secretary of agriculture.
36	36	Sec. 3. (a) There is hereby established within the Kansas department
37	37	of agriculture a Kansas farm-to-food bank program to help expand the
38	38	availability of nutritious, locally grown, raised or produced foods for the
39	39	Kansas emergency food system.
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75	75	(b) (1) The program shall acquire Kansas agricultural food products
76	76	from agricultural entities or aggregators and distribute such products to the
77	77	Kansas emergency food system.
78	78	(2) All Kansas agricultural food products distributed under the
79	79	program shall be safe for human consumption and only be distributed
80	80	within Kansas.
81	81	(c) The program may use funds to purchase Kansas agricultural food
82	82	products or to facilitate the donation of Kansas agricultural food products,
83	83	including, but not limited to, harvesting, packing and transportation.
84	84	(d) The program may distribute funds to food banks with the
85	85	infrastructure to accept, store and distribute foods through the emergency
86	86	food system in compliance with federal, state and local health and food
87	87	safety requirements. Foods may be sourced directly from an agricultural
88	88	entity or through Kansas-based aggregators if such foods meet program
89	89	requirements.
90	90	(e) The program is subject to appropriation and shall dedicate not less
91	91	than 75% of available funds to acquisition and distribution of Kansas
92	92	agricultural food products.
93	93	Sec. 4. (a) (1) The secretary shall engage food banks to administer the
94	94	program.
95	95	(2) Participating food banks shall collectively cover every county of
96	96	the state and distribute food to food pantries and soup kitchens without
97	97	duplication.
98	98	(3) Participating food banks shall pass a scored, third-party food
99	99	safety audit and adhere to federal, state and local health and food safety
100	100	regulations.
101	101	(4) Participating food banks may not assess fees on foods from the
102	102	program to recipient distribution sites, programs, individuals or
103	103	households.
104	104	(b) The secretary's duties in administering the program shall be:
105	105	(1) Building relationships with agricultural entities;
106	106	(2) assessing the needs of food-insecure Kansans;
107	107	(3) coordinating the acquisition of Kansas agricultural food products
108	108	and distribution of such products to the Kansas emergency food system;
109	109	and
110	110	(4) issuing an annual report that summarizes the program's activities
111	111	from the prior calender year.
112	112	(c) The secretary shall adopt rules and regulations to carry out the
113	113	provisions of this act, including, but not limited to:
114	114	(1) Eligible costs related to acquisition and distribution of food,
115	115	including, but not limited to, harvesting, packing and transportation;
116	116	(2) health and safety requirements for program participants, farmers
117	117	and transportation;
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161	161	(3) food quality standards;
162	162	(4) contracting requirements and purchasing options; and
163	163	(5) data collection, evaluation and annual plan and reporting
164	164	requirements.
165	165	Sec. 5. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
166	166	publication in the statute book.
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