Requires Secretary of Agriculture to establish Farm to School Local Food Procurement Reimbursement Grant Program to reimburse school districts for costs expended in sourcing and procuring local foods for students; appropriates $6,500,000.
Impact
The bill allows school districts to enhance their food procurement policies, aiming to increase the amount of local produce served to students, particularly those receiving subsidized meals. Eligible districts can receive grants based on their size — small, medium, or large — with specific minimum and maximum amounts. The Secretary of Agriculture will prioritize districts that serve a higher percentage of subsidized students, are located in food desert areas, or propose partnerships with local farmers to ensure that underserved populations have access to fresh and nutritious foods in school meals.
Summary
Senate Bill 4045, introduced on June 27, 2023, mandates the Secretary of Agriculture to create the Farm to School Local Food Procurement Reimbursement Grant Program. This program is designed to financially support school districts in New Jersey by reimbursing them for costs related to sourcing and procuring local food products for students. The total appropriation for the program is set at $6,500,000, of which $5,500,000 is allocated for grants to eligible school districts that implement or modify local food procurement policies and practices, while $1,000,000 is dedicated to administrative costs associated with running the program.
Contention
Although the bill is largely seen as beneficial for improving student nutrition and local agriculture, it does pose some challenges. Critics may raise concerns regarding the effective allocation of funds, transparency in grant applications, and the logistical challenges of integrating more local produce into existing school meal programs. Moreover, the bill restricts the roll-over of unspent funds from one year to the next, except in cases of hardship, which may lead to unused appropriations that could have benefitted other districts in need.
Same As
Requires Secretary of Agriculture to establish Farm to School Local Food Procurement Reimbursement Grant Program to reimburse school districts for costs expended in sourcing and procuring local foods for students; appropriates $6,500,000.
Requires Secretary of Agriculture to establish Farm to School Local Food Procurement Reimbursement Grant Program to reimburse school districts for costs expended in sourcing and procuring local foods for students; appropriates $4,500,000.
Requires Secretary of Agriculture to establish Farm to School Local Food Procurement Reimbursement Grant Program to reimburse school districts for costs expended in sourcing and procuring local foods for students; appropriates $4,500,000.
Requires Secretary of Agriculture to establish Farm to School Local Food Procurement Reimbursement Grant Program to reimburse school districts for costs expended in sourcing and procuring local foods for students; appropriates $6,500,000.
Requires school meal service providers, when procuring local and regional foods for students, to give purchasing preference to foods produced by in-State farmers and other food producers located within 100 miles of destination school.
Requires Departments of Agriculture and Education to cooperatively implement new "Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food" initiative to promote and facilitate increased procurement and use of local and regional foods for school meals program purposes.
Requires Secretary of Agriculture to establish Farm to School Local Food Procurement Reimbursement Grant Program to reimburse school districts for costs expended in sourcing and procuring local foods for students; appropriates $6,500,000.
Requires Secretary of Agriculture to establish Farm to School Local Food Procurement Reimbursement Grant Program to reimburse school districts for costs expended in sourcing and procuring local foods for students; appropriates $4,500,000.
Requires Secretary of Agriculture to establish Farm to School Local Food Procurement Reimbursement Grant Program to reimburse school districts for costs expended in sourcing and procuring local foods for students; appropriates $4,500,000.
Requires schools and nonpublic schools with lunch programs to provide free lunch to increasing numbers of income-eligible students and, after five-year phase-in, to provide free lunch to all students, regardless of income or federal eligibility.
Requires public and nonpublic schools with lunch programs to provide free lunch to increasing numbers of income-eligible students and, after five-year phase-in, to provide free lunch to all students, regardless of income or federal eligibility.
Requires schools to provide free school breakfasts and lunches to students from working class, middle-income families; designated as "Working Class Families' Anti-Hunger Act."
Requires schools to provide free school breakfasts and lunches to students from working class, middle-income families; designated as "Working Class Families' Anti-Hunger Act."
Requires certain nonpublic schools to provide meals to all students under "Working Class Families Anti-Hunger Act"; authorizes limited expansion of income eligibility to qualify public and nonpublic school students for free lunch.