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Bill

S 392

Relates to aggravated harassment of an employee by an incarcerated individual

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Patrick Gallivan and 2 co-sponsors

Establishes a statewide Food Literacy Trust Fund to fund K-12 food-literacy standards and programs, with DESE curricula, professional development, and annual reporting.

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Bill Summary · S 392

Summary — S.392 (2025): "An Act relative to food literacy"

Note: the bill packet provided contains inconsistent metadata (a different title in the header and a mixed sponsors list). This summary is based on the bill text supplied, which establishes food‑literacy standards and a dedicated trust fund in Massachusetts.

Purpose

To establish statewide food‑literacy standards for K–12 education, provide resources and professional development to support those standards, and create a dedicated Food Literacy Trust Fund to finance and promote food‑literacy programs in public, charter, and approved private schools.

Key provisions

  • Creates the Food Literacy Trust Fund (Chapter 10, new §35TTT):

    • Accepts appropriations, gifts/grants/donations, federal reimbursements/grants‑in‑aid, and interest.
    • Monies may be spent by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to encourage and facilitate food‑literacy programs in school districts, charter schools, approved private day/residential schools, and collaborative schools.
    • Fund is an expendable trust, held by the State Treasurer, invested for safety/return, and audited annually by the State Auditor.
    • Fund balance does not revert to the General Fund at fiscal year end and is not subject to Chapter 29, §5C.
    • No expenditure may leave the fund deficient at fiscal year close.
    • DESE must report annually to House & Senate Ways and Means and the Joint Committee on Education on receipts, expenditures, and balances.

  • Adds “food literacy” to education standards language (Chapter 69, §1D).

  • Establishes Food Literacy Standards (new Chapter 69, §1U):

    • Standards shall promote understanding of food systems, including:
    • Nutrition and diet/health impacts
    • Culinary skills and menu planning
    • Food production (farming, fishing, processing)
    • Food system–environment connections
    • Hunger causes and alleviation
    • Racial and other inequities in food access and food‑system jobs
    • Food justice
    • Cultural connections to food
    • Local food producers
    • Careers across the food system (farming, fishing, processing, engineering, transportation, public health, hunger alleviation)
    • Schools may integrate standards into existing curricula (math, science, history/social science, etc.).
    • DESE to provide high‑quality lessons/curricula and professional development resources; may consult external experts.
    • DESE may use the Food Literacy Trust Fund to implement these provisions.
    • DESE will conduct an annual review of implementation, convene (with the Treasurer, subject to appropriation) a working group of educators and food‑system experts, and submit a report on best practices and recommended improvements to legislative clerks and the Joint Committee on Education.

Who is affected

  • Primary: K–12 students and teachers in Massachusetts public, charter, and approved private day/residential schools and collaboratives.
  • Administrative: Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, State Treasurer, State Auditor, school districts, and educators offering curricula.
  • Stakeholders: community food organizations, local producers, nutrition and agriculture experts, and potential fund donors/grantors.

Fiscal and administrative impacts

  • Establishes a new expendable trust fund to support programming; funding depends on appropriations, donations, and federal funds.
  • Ongoing administrative duties for DESE (resource development, reporting, annual review/working group).
  • No automatic reversion to the General Fund — unspent balances carry forward.

Legislative status & notes

  • Bill text filed Jan 15, 2025; introduced Feb 4, 2025.
  • Committee referrals and hearings are recorded (education, energy & natural resources, and later Ways & Means); a hearing was scheduled for 09/16/2025 and the committee reportedly reported favorably on 11/17/2025.
  • Metadata inconsistencies in the packet (alternate title and mixed sponsor list) were noted; summary relies solely on the provided statutory text.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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