|
|||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | AN ACT concerning agriculture.
| ||||||
2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
| ||||||
3 | represented in the General Assembly:
| ||||||
4 | Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the | ||||||
5 | Illinois Food, Farms, and Jobs Act. | ||||||
6 | Section 5. Legislative findings. | ||||||
7 | Illinois should be the Midwest leader in local and organic | ||||||
8 | food and fiber production. | ||||||
9 | One thousand five hundred miles is the average travel | ||||||
10 | distance for food items now consumed in this State, and | ||||||
11 | agricultural products sold directly for human consumption | ||||||
12 | comprise less than 0.2% of Illinois farm sales. | ||||||
13 | Ninety-five percent of organic food sold in this State is | ||||||
14 | grown and processed outside of the State, resulting in food | ||||||
15 | dollars being exported. | ||||||
16 | Illinois ranks fifth in the nation in loss of farmland. | ||||||
17 | The market for locally grown foods and for organic food is | ||||||
18 | expanding rapidly. | ||||||
19 | Consumers would benefit from additional local food outlets | ||||||
20 | that make fresh and affordable Illinois grown foods more | ||||||
21 | accessible in both rural and urban communities. | ||||||
22 | Communities are experiencing significant problems of | ||||||
23 | obesity and nutrition, including lack of daily access to fresh |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | fruits and vegetables. | ||||||
2 | Low-income communities that are currently "food deserts" | ||||||
3 | lacking sufficient markets selling fresh fruits and vegetables | ||||||
4 | would benefit from local food distribution systems. | ||||||
5 | The State's urban communities are showing renewed interest | ||||||
6 | in growing food in urban areas. | ||||||
7 | Rural communities would be revitalized by increasing the | ||||||
8 | number of families in the State that live on small properties | ||||||
9 | and by providing fresh high-value local food. | ||||||
10 | Farmers who wish to transition from conventional | ||||||
11 | agriculture to local and organic food would benefit from | ||||||
12 | training and support to diversify their farming operations. | ||||||
13 | Food consumers, farmers, and entrepreneurs would benefit | ||||||
14 | from an expanded infrastructure for processing, storing, and | ||||||
15 | distributing locally grown foods. | ||||||
16 | The capture of existing food dollars within the State would | ||||||
17 | help to revitalize the State's treasury by creating a broad | ||||||
18 | range of new in-state jobs and business opportunities within | ||||||
19 | both rural and urban communities. | ||||||
20 | For the purposes of this Act and for the retention of the | ||||||
21 | greatest benefit from every food dollar spent in this State, | ||||||
22 | support for local food means capturing in Illinois the greatest | ||||||
23 | portion of food production, processing, storing, and | ||||||
24 | distribution possible.
| ||||||
25 | Section 10. Illinois Local and Organic Food and Farm Task |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | Force. The Illinois Local and Organic Food and Farm Task Force | ||||||
2 | ("the Task Force") is created. The Task Force shall initially | ||||||
3 | be appointed by the Governor and convened by the Department of | ||||||
4 | Agriculture and shall include the following Illinois-based | ||||||
5 | members: | ||||||
6 | (a) one representative each from the Departments of | ||||||
7 | Agriculture, Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and Human | ||||||
8 | Services; | ||||||
9 | (b) four organic farmers, representing different dairy, | ||||||
10 | meat, vegetable, and grains sectors; | ||||||
11 | (c) four specialty crop producers, representing different | ||||||
12 | flower, fruit, viticulture, aquaculture, fiber, vegetable, and | ||||||
13 | ornamental sectors; | ||||||
14 | (d) two organic processors; | ||||||
15 | (e) one organic distributor and one non-organic | ||||||
16 | distributor; | ||||||
17 | (f) three representatives of not-for-profit educational | ||||||
18 | organizations; | ||||||
19 | (g) one organic certifier; | ||||||
20 | (h) one consumer representative; | ||||||
21 | (i) two representatives of farm organizations; | ||||||
22 | (j) one university agricultural specialist; | ||||||
23 | (k) one philanthropic organization representative; | ||||||
24 | (l) one food retailer representative; | ||||||
25 | (m) two municipal representatives from different | ||||||
26 | communities in the State; |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | (n) four representatives from community-based | ||||||
2 | organizations focusing on food access,
to include at least 3 | ||||||
3 | minority members; and | ||||||
4 | (o) one chef specializing in the preparation of locally | ||||||
5 | grown organic foods. | ||||||
6 | All members of the Task Force shall be appointed for a | ||||||
7 | 2-year term.
| ||||||
8 | Section 15. Illinois Local and Organic Food and Farm Plan. | ||||||
9 | The Task Force shall develop a plan containing policy and | ||||||
10 | funding recommendations for expanding and supporting a State | ||||||
11 | local and organic food system and for assessing and overcoming | ||||||
12 | obstacles to an increase in locally grown food and local | ||||||
13 | organic food production. The Task Force shall prepare and | ||||||
14 | submit its plan in a report to the General Assembly by | ||||||
15 | September 30, 2008, for consideration of its recommendations in | ||||||
16 | the 96th General Assembly. The Plan, among other matters, | ||||||
17 | shall: | ||||||
18 | (a) identify land preservation and acquisition | ||||||
19 | opportunities for local and organic
agriculture in rural, | ||||||
20 | suburban, and urban areas; | ||||||
21 | (b) identify farmer training and development, as | ||||||
22 | necessary, by expanding training programs
such as Farm | ||||||
23 | Beginnings, incubator projects such as Prairie Crossing Farm, | ||||||
24 | urban agriculture training programs, farmer-to-farmer learning | ||||||
25 | opportunities, or other programs; |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | (c) identify financial incentives, technical support, and | ||||||
2 | training necessary to help Illinois
farmers to transition to | ||||||
3 | local, organic, and specialty crop production by minimizing | ||||||
4 | their financial losses during the 3-year transition period | ||||||
5 | required under USDA standards and to help with recordkeeping | ||||||
6 | requirements; | ||||||
7 | (d) identify strategies and funding needs to make fresh and | ||||||
8 | affordable Illinois-grown foods
more accessible, both in rural | ||||||
9 | and urban communities, with an emphasis on creating new food | ||||||
10 | outlets in communities that need them; | ||||||
11 | (e) identify the financial and technical support necessary | ||||||
12 | to build connections between
landowners, farmers, buyers, and | ||||||
13 | consumers;
| ||||||
14 | (f) identify the financial and technical support necessary | ||||||
15 | to build a local food infrastructure
of processing, storage, | ||||||
16 | and distribution; | ||||||
17 | (g) identify the financial and technical support necessary | ||||||
18 | to develop new food and
agriculture-related businesses for | ||||||
19 | local food and organic food production and distribution, such | ||||||
20 | as on-farm processing, micro-markets, incubator kitchens, and | ||||||
21 | marketing and communications businesses; | ||||||
22 | (h) identify the financial and technical support necessary | ||||||
23 | to expand the development of
farmers markets, roadside markets, | ||||||
24 | and local grocery stores in unserved and underserved areas, as | ||||||
25 | well as the creation of year-round public markets in Chicago | ||||||
26 | and other large communities; |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | (i) research, identify, and coordinate best practices and | ||||||
2 | opportunities for the development
of local food and organic | ||||||
3 | food production; | ||||||
4 | (j) identify opportunities to educate the public and | ||||||
5 | producers about the benefits of local
foods systems and about | ||||||
6 | the development opportunities provided through this Act; and | ||||||
7 | (k) identify legal impediments to local food and organic | ||||||
8 | food production, and develop
recommendations for a remedy.
| ||||||
9 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
10 | becoming law.
|