Bill Text: TX HB3290 | 2015-2016 | 84th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to creating a farm to school community connections pilot program.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-04-15 - Left pending in committee [HB3290 Detail]
Download: Texas-2015-HB3290-Introduced.html
| 84R12241 AJZ-D | ||
| By: Rodriguez of Travis | H.B. No. 3290 | |
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| relating to creating a farm to school community connections pilot | ||
| program. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Chapter 12, Agriculture Code, is amended by | ||
| adding Section 12.0415 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 12.0415. FARM TO SCHOOL COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS PILOT | ||
| PROGRAM. (a) Subject to available funding, the department shall | ||
| develop and implement a pilot program through which the department | ||
| will award $5 million in grant funding to school districts to | ||
| promote awareness of and increase access to fresh produce by | ||
| students in those school districts. The department may award a | ||
| school district $0.15 per school lunch served by the school | ||
| district that uses fresh, unprocessed, or minimally processed | ||
| ingredients purchased directly from the local farms that produce | ||
| the ingredients. The department may grant an additional allowance | ||
| to a school district to offset the costs of delivery support for | ||
| these ingredients. The total amount awarded to a school district | ||
| under this section may not exceed $500,000 each school year. | ||
| (b) A grant recipient may use grant money awarded under the | ||
| pilot program only to cover costs that are approved by the | ||
| department, which may include costs related to food purchases, | ||
| educational programs, vegetable samples provided to students, | ||
| field trips to local farms, and school gardens. | ||
| (c) Not later than December 1, 2016, the department shall | ||
| submit an initial report to the legislature that includes: | ||
| (1) an evaluation of the performance and the operation | ||
| of the program; and | ||
| (2) recommendations on the continuation, elimination, | ||
| or expansion of the program. | ||
| (d) This section expires September 1, 2017. | ||
| SECTION 2. If funding is available, not later than January | ||
| 1, 2016, the Department of Agriculture shall implement the farm to | ||
| school community connections pilot program established under | ||
| Section 12.0415, Agriculture Code, as added by this Act. | ||
| SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
| a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
| provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
| Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
| Act takes effect September 1, 2015. | ||
