Bill Text: OH HB68 | 2009-2010 | 128th General Assembly | Engrossed


Bill Title: To establish the healthy farms and healthy schools grant program for the purpose of providing grants to schools to establish nutrition education and agricultural education programs for kindergarteners.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 35-6)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2009-05-07 - To Education [HB68 Detail]

Download: Ohio-2009-HB68-Engrossed.html
As Passed by the House

128th General Assembly
Regular Session
2009-2010
Am. H. B. No. 68


Representative Dodd 

Cosponsors: Representatives Weddington, Newcomb, Slesnick, Harris, Murray, Harwood, Sayre, Garrison, Domenick, Skindell, Stebelton, Williams, S., Okey, Letson, Heard, Book, Boose, Boyd, Brown, Carney, Chandler, DeBose, Fende, Garland, Gerberry, Goyal, Hackett, Hagan, Lehner, Luckie, Mallory, Oelslager, Patten, Phillips, Pryor, Stewart, Szollosi, Williams, B., Winburn, Yuko 



A BILL
To enact sections 901.91 to 901.95 of the Revised 1
Code to establish the healthy farms and healthy 2
schools grant program for the purpose of providing 3
grants to schools to establish nutrition education 4
and agricultural education programs for 5
kindergarteners.6


BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

       Section 1. That sections 901.91, 901.92, 901.93, 901.94, and 7
901.95 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:8

       Sec. 901.91.  As used in sections 901.91 to 901.95 of the 9
Revised Code:10

       (A) "School" means a school operated by a school district 11
board of education, a community school established under Chapter 12
3314. of the Revised Code, or a nonpublic school for which the 13
state board of education prescribes minimum education standards 14
under section 3301.07 of the Revised Code.15

       (B) "School year" means the year beginning on the first day 16
of July and ending on the thirtieth day of June.17

       Sec. 901.92.  (A) There is hereby created the healthy farms 18
and healthy schools grant program to provide grants to schools 19
with kindergarten programs for the purpose of educating 20
kindergarten students and their families about the importance of 21
choosing healthy, locally grown or produced foods and to increase 22
awareness of agriculture in this state. The program shall be 23
administered by the director of agriculture. The director shall 24
consult with the department of education and the department of 25
health in establishing the program.26

       (B) Grants may be awarded under this section to schools for 27
any of the following purposes:28

       (1) To provide kindergarteners with nutrition education. The 29
nutrition education shall include student participation that is 30
integrated into regular subjects in the curriculum and shall focus 31
on healthy food choices utilizing agricultural products that are 32
grown or produced in this state. The nutrition education 33
activities shall include parents, caregivers, and community 34
groups in the educational process.35

       (2) Training of teachers and other educational staff on 36
nutrition education and agricultural education;37

       (3) Field trips to farms in this state and other direct 38
agricultural educational experiences that teach children about 39
sources of food, nutrition, and agriculture in this state;40

       (4) The purchase of agricultural products that are grown or 41
produced in this state.42

       (C) The director shall maintain a list of persons involved in 43
agriculture in this state that have agreed to supply food products 44
and other supplies for the purpose of assisting grant recipients 45
in the educational process.46

       Sec.  901.93.  (A) Schools that seek a healthy farms and 47
healthy schools grant under sections 901.91 to 901.95 of the 48
Revised Code shall submit an application in the manner and on a 49
form prescribed by the director of agriculture. A grant awarded 50
under those sections shall provide not more than seventy-five per 51
cent of the estimated total cost of the proposed program for which 52
the grant is sought. No individual school shall receive a grant in 53
excess of fifteen thousand dollars in any given school year. An 54
applicant shall provide at least twenty-five per cent of the 55
estimated total cost of the proposed program for which a grant is 56
sought.57

       (B) The director shall evaluate applications annually on the 58
basis of all of the following:59

       (1) The ability of the applicant to complete the program for 60
which the grant is sought;61

       (2) The ability of the applicant to perform adequately one of 62
the purposes for which grants may be sought under divisions (B)(1) 63
to (4) of section 901.92 of the Revised Code;64

       (3) The potential of the program proposed by the grant 65
applicant to increase knowledge about nutrition and healthy eating 66
habits for children, their parents or caregivers, and the 67
community at large;68

       (4) The potential of the program proposed by the grant 69
applicant to increase knowledge about agriculture in this state 70
for children, their parents or caregivers, and the community at 71
large;72

       (5) The ability of the grant applicant to procure locally 73
grown or produced foods for the program proposed by the grant 74
applicant;75

       (6) The potential of the program proposed by the grant 76
applicant to increase markets for agricultural producers that are 77
based in this state;78

       (7) The number of people to be served by the program proposed 79
by the grant applicant;80

       (8) The ability of the applicant for the grant to sustain the 81
program for which the grant is sought; and82

       (9) The overall performance with respect to any previous 83
healthy farms and healthy schools grants received by the grant 84
applicant.85

       In making healthy farms and healthy schools grants, the 86
director shall give preference to schools in which a significant 87
percentage of students are eligible for free lunches.88

       (C) The director shall require a written agreement establishing 89
terms and conditions of a healthy farms and healthy schools grant 90
and may establish procedures for verification of grant 91
expenditures. In addition, the director may establish conditions 92
under which money that is made available to a school via a healthy 93
farms and healthy schools grant may be required to be repaid if 94
the terms and conditions of the grant are not satisfied.95

       Sec. 901.94.  The director of agriculture may adopt rules in 96
accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code that are 97
necessary for the administration of sections 901.91 to 901.95 of 98
the Revised Code.99

       Sec. 901.95.  There is hereby created in the state treasury 100
the healthy farms and healthy schools grant fund consisting of 101
money appropriated to it by the general assembly. Money in the 102
fund shall be used by the director of agriculture to make grants 103
under the healthy farms and healthy schools grant program 104
established in sections 901.91 to 901.95 of the Revised Code and 105
for the administration of the program.106

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