| TO: | Honorable Craig Estes, Chair, Senate Committee on Agriculture & Rural Affairs |
| FROM: | John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | SB1027 by Watson (Relating to the establishment of an interagency farm-to-school coordination task force. ), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted |
The bill would amend the Agriculture Code to establish the Interagency Farm-to-School Coordination Task Force to develop a plan to facilitate the availability of locally grown food products in public schools. The task force would include representatives of the Department of Agriculture (TDA), the Texas Education Agency (TEA), the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) and representatives of various interest groups. The expenses of the members of the task force would be the responsibility of the agency whose commissioner appointed that member.
The bill would require the task force to: design new education resources, or review or update existing resources, on nutrition and food education to be used by schools and school districts; expand food-focused experiential education programs; offer assistance in identifying funding sources and grants that allow schools and school districts to recover the costs associated with purchasing locally grown food products; develop a database of available locally grown food products; identify, design, or make available training programs to enable local farmers and ranchers to market their products to schools and school districts; advise schools and school districts on methods by which a school or school district may improve its facilities to allow for the use of minimally processed, fresh, and locally produced foods in school meals; provide technical assistance to school food service agencies; and offer advanced skills development training to school food service employees.
The bill would take effect September 1, 2009.
| Source Agencies: | 551 Department of Agriculture
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| LBB Staff: | JOB, WK, AH
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