Bill H.776 186th (2009 - 2010)

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1138        FILED ON: 1/13/2009

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 776

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Stephen Kulik

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
              Court assembled:

              The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the passage of the accompanying bill:

An Act establishing the Massachusetts Food Policy Council.

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PETITION OF:

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 3853 OF 2007-2008.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
 

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In the Year Two Thousand and Nine

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An Act establishing the Massachusetts Food Policy Council.


 

              Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

Chapter 20 of the General Laws i s hereby amended by inserting after secti on 6B the following section:—

Section 6D. (a) There sha ll be es tablished a Massachusetts food policy council, hereinafter referred to as the council. The council shall consist of 23 members, 1 of whom shall be a member of the house representatives who shall be a ppointed by the speaker of the house of represent atives; 1 of whom shall be a member of the senate who shall be appointed b y the president of the senate ; 1 of whom shall be a member of the house representatives who shall be appointed by the minority leader of the house of representatives; 1 of whom shall be a member of the senate who shall be appointed by the minority leader of the senate; 19 members to be appointed by the governor, 1 of whom shall be the secretary of the executive office o f administration and finance, or his designee; 1 of whom sha ll be the commissioner of the department of agricultural resource s, or his designee; 1 of whom shall be the commissioner of the de partment of public health, or his designee; 1 of whom shall be t he commissioner of the depart ment of education, or his des ignee; 1 of whom shall be the commissioner of the department of environmental protection, or his designee; 1 of whom shall be the commissioner of the department of transitional assistance, or h is designee; 1 of whom shall be the undersecretary of the departm ent of business development, or his designee; 1 of whom shall be the president of the Massa chusetts development finance agency, or his designe e; 1 of whom shall be a representative of the coop erative extension service at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst ; 1 of whom shall be a representative of commercial farming , fisheries and aquaculture; 1 of whom shall be a representative of farmland preservation and conservation; 1 of whom shall be a representative of farmers’ markets or farm and food cooperat ives; 1 of whom shall be a rep resentative of the wholesale and reta il food businesses; 1 of whom shall be a representative of "buy local" initiatives and state or local procurement programs with ex pertise in accessing locally grown and processed food product s; 1 of whom shall be a repre sentative of food safety and public health protection; 1 of whom shall be a representative of food ban ks, food pantries, and organi zations and programs addressing nu tritional health and hunger; 1 of whom shall be a representative of an organization promoting development of new farm busine sses, urban and community sup ported agriculture, community gard ening, immigrant and refugee farming, and youth education throug h agriculture; and 2 of whom shall be individuals who own a nd manage far ms in the commonwealth.

(b) The purpose of the council sh all be to develop a comprehen sive food policy for the commonweal th that shall, without limita tion: enhance the economic viability o f Massachusetts agriculture; promote food security and the long-t er m sustainability of the com monwealth's food supply; expand p roduction and consumption of fresh, healthy, safe and locally pro duced foods; and improve the nutritional health of the commonwe alth’s citizens. The council shall: (i) review existing state progra ms, policies and reg ulations that affect the food system and r ecommend to the governor and the general court means for improv ed coordination or implementa tion of such programs, policies o r regulations to achieve food policy objectives; and (ii) review any proposed legislation or reg ulations that will impact the co mmonwealth's food system and make recommendations to the go vernor and the general court regarding such legislation or r egulations. The council may: (i) propose changes to existing state program s or policies or pro pose new state programs or policies to help achieve food policy objectives; (ii) undertake a review o f existing federal programs, policies and regulations, or proposed federal legislation or regula tions; (iii) make recommendations t o federa l agencies or the com monwealth’s congressional delegatio n; (iv) solicit public input through public hearings or informatio nal sessions; and (v) invite additional stakeholder participation in subcommittees or working groups to address issues identified by t he council as requiring fur ther study or particular experti se; and conduct research and analysis as needed.

(c) The council shall submit an an nual report of its findings, conclusions, proposals and recommendations as provided in sub section (b) not later t han Decemb er 31. The report shall be sub mitted to the governor, the president o f the senate, the speaker of the house, the chairs of the joint com mittee on public health, the chairs of the joint committee on en vironment, natural resources and agriculture, the clerk of the house of representative and th e clerk of the senate.

(d) The council shall meet periodic ally, but not less than once annually. A ll meetings shall be public.

(e) The council shall keep a public r ecord of all meetings, votes and other business.

(f) Members of the council shall be appointed for terms of 3 years or until a successor is appointed. Members shall be eligible to be reappointed and shall serve without compensation. A chairman of the coun cil shall be elected annually from the membership. The department shall pr ovide administrative support to the council as requested.

(g) In the event of a vacancy on the council, the original appointing authority shall, within 60 days of the occurrence of a vacancy, appoint a new member consistent with subs ection (a) to fulfill the remainder of the unexpired term.