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Senate Bill 1027 |
Senate Author: Watson |
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Effective: 9-1-09 |
House Sponsor: Kleinschmidt |
Senate Bill 1027 amends the Agriculture Code to establish an interagency farm-to-school coordination task force charged with developing and implementing a plan to facilitate the availability of locally grown food products in public schools to promote a healthy diet for schoolchildren and to promote the business of small to mid-sized local farms and ranches. The task force is composed of one representative each from the Texas Department of Agriculture, Texas Education Agency, and Department of State Health Services, appointed by the respective commissioners of those agencies, and at least one representative each from fruit and vegetable producer organizations, school food service organizations, food distribution businesses, child nutrition and advocacy organizations, parent organizations, educational institutions that conduct research in the areas of agriculture and nutrition, and health nutrition educators who serve school districts, appointed in each case by the commissioner of agriculture. The bill sets forth the specific responsibilities of the task force, subject to available funding.