Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland Senate Bill SB473 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	sb0473
6	6
7	7	SENATE BILL 473
8	8	M4 5lr1853
9	9	SB 311/24 – EEE & B&T
10	10	By: Senators West and Hester
11	11	Introduced and read first time: January 22, 2025
12	12	Assigned to: Education, Energy, and the Environment and Budget and Taxation
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Agriculture – Maryland Food and Agricultural Resiliency Mechanism Grant 2
19	19	Program – Expansion 3
20	20
21	21	FOR the purpose of expanding the Maryland Food and Agricultural Resiliency Mechanism 4
22	22	Grant Program by making certain qualified suppliers eligible for grant funding; 5
23	23	establishing the Maryland Food and Agricultural Resiliency Operating Fund; and 6
24	24	generally relating to the Maryland Food and Agricultural Resiliency Mechanism 7
25	25	Grant Program. 8
26	26
27	27	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 9
28	28	Article – Agriculture 10
29	29	Section 10–2101 and 10–2102 11
30	30	Annotated Code of Maryland 12
31	31	(2016 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 13
32	32
33	33	BY adding to 14
34	34	Article – Agriculture 15
35	35	Section 10–2104 16
36	36	Annotated Code of Maryland 17
37	37	(2016 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 18
38	38
39	39	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 19
40	40	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 20
41	41
42	42	Article – Agriculture 21
43	43
44	44	10–2101. 22
45	45
46	46	(a) In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated. 23
47	47
48	48	(b) “Fund” means the Maryland Food and Agricultural Resiliency Mechanism 24 2 SENATE BILL 473
49	49
50	50
51	51	Fund. 1
52	52
53	53	(c) “MD FARM” means the Maryland Food and Agricultural Resiliency 2
54	54	Mechanism Grant Program. 3
55	55
56	56	(D) “OPERATING FUND” MEANS THE MARYLAND FOOD AND 4
57	57	AGRICULTURAL RESILIENCY OPERATING FUND. 5
58	58
59	59	(E) “QUALIFIED SUPPLIER” MEANS A BUSINESS ENTITY OR N ONPROFIT 6
60	60	ORGANIZATION THAT OP ERATES A FARM OR COM MUNITY GARDEN IN THE STATE 7
61	61	THAT: 8
62	62
63	63	(1) OPERATES ON AT LEAST 100 ACRES; 9
64	64
65	65	(2) GROWS AT LEAST 1,000,000 POUNDS OF PRODUCE AN NUALLY; 10
66	66	AND 11
67	67
68	68	(3) DONATES AT LEAST 25% OF ITS ANNUAL HARVES T TO THE 12
69	69	STATE’S FOOD BANKS AND CHA RITABLE EMERGENCY FO OD PROVIDERS AT NO C OST. 13
70	70
71	71	10–2102. 14
72	72
73	73	(a) There is a Maryland Food and Agricultural Resiliency Mechanism Grant 15
74	74	Program. 16
75	75
76	76	(b) The purpose of MD FARM is to build food system resiliency by leveraging 17
77	77	Maryland agricultural products and services to support the State’s food banks [and], 18
78	78	charitable emergency food providers, AND QUALIFIED SUPPLIERS to alleviate food 19
79	79	insecurity. 20
80	80
81	81	10–2104. 21
82	82
83	83	(A) (1) THERE IS A MARYLAND FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL RESILIENCY 22
84	84	OPERATING FUND IN THE DEPARTMENT . 23
85	85
86	86	(2) THE PURPOSE OF THE OPERATING FUND IS TO PROVIDE GR ANTS 24
87	87	TO QUALIFIED SUPPLIERS FOR OPERATIONAL COSTS AS SOCIATED WITH SUPPLY ING 25
88	88	AGRICULTURAL FOOD PR ODUCTS TO THE STATE’S FOOD BANKS AND CHA RITABLE 26
89	89	EMERGENCY FOOD PROVI DERS. 27
90	90
91	91	(B) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL ADMI NISTER THE OPERATING FUND. 28
92	92
93	93	(C) (1) THE OPERATING FUND IS A SPECIAL, NONLAPSING FUND THAT IS 29
94	94	NOT SUBJECT TO § 7–302 OF THE STATE FINANCE AND PROCUREMENT ARTICLE. 30 SENATE BILL 473 3
95	95
96	96
97	97
98	98	(2) THE STATE TREASURER SHALL HOLD THE OPERATING FUND 1
99	99	SEPARATELY, AND THE COMPTROLLER SHALL ACC OUNT FOR THE OPERATING 2
100	100	FUND. 3
101	101
102	102	(D) THE OPERATING FUND CONSISTS OF : 4
103	103
104	104	(1) MONEY APPROPRIATED IN THE STATE BUDGET TO THE 5
105	105	OPERATING FUND; AND 6
106	106
107	107	(2) ANY OTHER MONEY FROM ANY OTHER SOURCE ACC EPTED FOR 7
108	108	THE BENEFIT OF THE OPERATING FUND. 8
109	109
110	110	(E) THE OPERATING FUND SHALL BE USED TO PROVIDE GRANTS TO 9
111	111	QUALIFIED SUPPLIERS FOR OPERATIONAL COST S ASSOCIATED WITH SUPPL YING 10
112	112	AGRICULTURAL FOOD PR ODUCTS TO THE STATE’S FOOD BANKS AND CHA RITABLE 11
113	113	EMERGENCY FOOD PROVI DERS. 12
114	114
115	115	(F) FOR FISCAL YEAR 2027 AND EACH FISCAL YEAR THEREAFTER , THE 13
116	116	GOVERNOR SHALL INCLUD E IN THE ANNUAL BUDG ET BILL AN APPROPRIA TION OF 14
117	117	$1,000,000 TO THE OPERATING FUND. 15
118	118
119	119	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 16
120	120	1, 2025. 17
121	121