Substitute Bill No. 7013 seeks to enhance the Local Food for Schools Incentive Program and the CT Grown for CT Kids Grant Program by broadening the definition of eligible participants from "Eligible board of education" to "Eligible entity," which now includes child care service providers. The bill introduces definitions for "locally sourced food" and "regionally sourced food," and establishes a reimbursement structure where eligible entities receive half of their expenditures for locally sourced foods and one-third for regionally sourced foods. Additionally, it mandates that at least 20% of the annual appropriation be allocated for engaging external partners in farm-to-school programming, allows the acceptance of gifts and grants, and ensures unexpended funds do not lapse at the end of the fiscal year. An annual report on the program's progress is also required to be submitted to the General Assembly.

To further support these initiatives, the bill mandates the Department of Education to hire a full-time employee by July 1, 2025, to promote farm-to-school initiatives and facilitate communication between farmers and school officials. It appropriates $1.5 million to the Department of Education for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, to support the program's administration and the new employee's salary. Additionally, it allocates $1 million to the Department of Agriculture for the CT Grown for CT Kids Grant Program for both the fiscal years ending June 30, 2026, and June 30, 2027. The bill includes amendments to sections 10-215m and 10-215l of the general statutes and introduces new sections to facilitate the implementation of these initiatives.

Statutes affected:
Raised Bill: 10-215m
ED Joint Favorable Substitute Change of Reference: 10-215m