Bill
H 565
Creates a Massachusetts Farm to School Program to buy local MA/NE/NY foods for schools and licensed child care, with grants, training, and gardens to boost nutrition and literacy.
Overview
- Purpose: Establish a Massachusetts Farm to School Program to strengthen the commonwealth’s food and agriculture economy, improve student health and nutrition, and build food literacy through closer links between schools/child care and local producers.
- Scope: Encourages K-12 schools and licensed child care programs to purchase Massachusetts-grown and regional (New England and NY) foods, support scratch cooking, and provide food system education.
What the Bill Would Do
- Create administration and governance:
- The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) would administer the program, including a grant program and a local food incentive.
- An advisory committee (plus diverse stakeholders) would guide development and implementation.
- A full-time Farm to School Program Coordinator would oversee implementation, provide technical assistance, and ensure timely reimbursements.
- Establish a grant program:
- Eligible grant applicants: MA-based K-12 schools or licensed child care programs that participate in NSLP or CACFP.
- Grant priorities (subject to appropriation):
- Kitchen equipment for preparing local foods
- Training for kitchen staff on preparing meals from local ingredients
- Training for educators to integrate food system education
- Programs and activities such as farm field trips and school gardens
- Infrastructure for classroom projects related to food literacy (e.g., school gardens, indoor growing systems)
- Create a dedicated fund:
- The Massachusetts Farm to School Fund would hold revenues from appropriations, gifts, grants, reimbursements, and other receipts.
- Unexpended funds would roll over to the next fiscal year (no lapse of funds).
- Regulatory framework:
- DESE, with the advisory committee, would promulgate guidelines/regulations to implement the grant program, including criteria promoting geographic, social, economic, and racial equity in funding.
Who Is Affected
- Primary: School Food Authorities (SFAs) and licensed early education/child care programs participating in NSLP or CACFP.
- Secondary: Local farmers, food distributors, and processors supplying Massachusetts-grown or New England/NY foods; educators and students benefiting from curricula and experiential learning.
Fiscal and Administrative Details
- Funding: Grants to be provided “subject to appropriation.”
- Equity: Regulations/guidance would emphasize equitable distribution of funds across geography and demographics.
- Administration: DESE would administer the fund and oversee program coordination and reimbursements.
Timeline and Status
- Introduced: February 27, 2025; Referred to the Committee on Education.
- Legislative actions indicate a hearing was planned (July 21, 2025) and a reporting date extension to December 17, 2025.
- Related: House Docket No. 1043; HD 1043 is listed as a related/replacing bill.
Sponsors
- A broad slate of legislators and cosponsors, including Patricia A. Duffy, Andres X. Vargas, and numerous other representatives.
Notes
- The text references a truncated portion of the regulatory provisions; the summary covers the core framework, program aims, and funding structures enacted by the proposed Section 38 of Chapter 69.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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