Resolve, To Facilitate the Distribution of Food Harvested or Processed in Maine to Residents with Food Insecurity

Sec. 1. Finance Authority of Maine to select entity to provide food harvested in the State to residents with food insecurity and to administer funds. Resolved: That the Finance Authority of Maine, through the request for proposal process, shall select and contract with an appropriate statewide entity to purchase, process, store and transport agricultural products and seafood harvested in the State in order to provide access to those agricultural products and seafood to residents of the State with food insecurity. The entity selected must be qualified in the safe handling of food products. The authority shall administer the funds allocated for the purposes stated in this section and may retain a portion of those funds for the reasonable costs of administering this section; and be it further

Sec. 2. Report. Resolved: That the Finance Authority of Maine, as a condition of the award of the contract pursuant to section 1, shall require the entity selected to submit a report by December 1st annually to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over agriculture, conservation and forestry matters. The report must contain information regarding the entity’s progress on meeting the purposes of section 1 and the efforts needed, if any, to achieve the purpose of providing food harvested in the State to residents with food insecurity; and be it further

Sec. 3. Appropriations and allocations. Resolved: That the following appropriations and allocations are made.

FINANCE AUTHORITY OF MAINE

Maine Harvested Food Products for Residents with Food Insecurity N222

Initiative: Allocates funds to provide agricultural products and seafood harvested in the State to residents of the State with food insecurity.

FUND FOR A HEALTHY MAINE	2015-16	2016-17
All Other	$0	$3,000,000
FUND FOR A HEALTHY MAINE TOTAL	$0	$3,000,000

summary

This resolve requires the Finance Authority of Maine, through a request for proposal process, to select and contract with a statewide entity to purchase, process, store and transport agricultural products and seafood harvested in the State in order to provide access to those agricultural products and seafood to residents of the State with food insecurity. The resolve requires an annual report regarding the progress of the entity selected and the efforts needed to achieve the purpose of providing food to residents of the State with food insecurity. The initiative is funded using $3,000,000 transferred on a one-time basis from the Fund for a Healthy Maine; the authority is responsible for the administration of the funds and may retain a portion of the funds for the reasonable administrative costs incurred by the authority.