HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 270        FILED ON: 1/7/2025

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Hannah Kane

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to membership updates for the Massachusetts Food Policy Council.

_______________

PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 270        FILED ON: 1/7/2025

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)

_______________

An Act relative to membership updates for the Massachusetts Food Policy Council.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Section 6C of chapter 20 of the General Laws, as most recently amended by section 49 of chapter 7 of the acts of 2023, is hereby amended by striking out subsection (a) and inserting in place thereof the following subsection:-

(a) There shall be established a Massachusetts food policy council, hereinafter referred to as the council. The council shall consist of 20 members, 1 of whom shall be a member of the house of representatives; 1 of whom shall be a member of the senate; 1 of whom shall be a member of the house of representatives who shall be appointed by the minority leader of the house of representatives; 1 of whom shall be a member of the senate who shall be appointed by the minority leader of the senate; 1 of whom shall be the commissioner of agricultural resources, or the commissioner's designee; 1 of whom shall be the commissioner of public health, or the commissioner's designee; 1 of whom shall be the commissioner of elementary and secondary education, or the commissioner's designee; 1 of whom shall be the commissioner of environmental protection, or the commissioner's designee; 1 of whom shall be the commissioner of transitional assistance or the commissioner's designee; 1 of whom shall be the secretary of economic development, or the secretary's designee; 1 of whom shall be the director of the division of marine fisheries of the department of fish and game, or the director’s designee; 1 of whom shall be an expert in healthy soils practices as defined in section 7A of chapter 128, appointed by the secretary of energy and environmental affairs; 1 of whom shall be the director of the University of Massachusetts Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment, or the director’s designee; and 7 of whom shall be appointed by the governor, 1 of whom shall be a farmer or representative of a farm organization, 1 of whom shall represent food distribution, processing and marketing interests, 1 of whom shall represent direct-to-consumer marketing efforts, 1 of whom shall represent a local health department addressing food safety and nutrition, 1 of whom shall be an expert in food safety, 1 of whom shall be an expert in food processing and handling; and 1 of whom shall represent community-based efforts addressing nutrition and public health.

SECTION 2. Said section 6C of said chapter 20 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting after the last sentence of subsection (c) the following 4 sentences:-

Advisory committee members may be eligible for compensation at a rate fixed by the council, as approved by the chief financial officer of the department of agricultural resources to ensure appropriate funds are available to cover the costs. Advisory committee members shall be eligible for compensation only to the extent otherwise permitted by chapter 268A of the general laws and upon providing the necessary documentation required to process any such payment. Any request for compensation shall be made by the advisory committee member to the department of agricultural resources within 30 days of being incurred. Requests made after this time may be ineligible for payment.