Sen. Jacqueline Y. Collins

Filed: 3/25/2009

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 15

2     AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 15 by replacing
3 everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4     "Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5 "Local Food, Farms, and Jobs Act".
 
6     Section 5. Definitions.
7     (a) "Local farm or food products" are products grown,
8 processed, packaged, and distributed by Illinois citizens or
9 businesses located wholly within the borders of Illinois.
 
10     Section 10. Procurement goals for local farm or food
11 products.
12     (a) In order to create, strengthen, and expand local farm
13 and food economies throughout Illinois, it shall be the goal of
14 this State that 20% of all food and food products purchased by
15 State agencies and State-owned facilities, including, without

 

 

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1 limitation, facilities for persons with mental health and
2 developmental disabilities, correctional facilities, and
3 public universities, shall, by 2020, be local farm or food
4 products.
5     (b) The Local Food, Farms, and Jobs Council established
6 under this Act shall support and encourage that 10% of food and
7 food products purchased by entities funded in part or in whole
8 by State dollars, which spend more than $25,000 per year on
9 food or food products for its students, residents, or clients,
10 including, without limitation, public schools, child care
11 facilities, after-school programs, and hospitals, shall, by
12 2020, be local farm or food products.
13     (c) To meet the goals set forth in this Section, when a
14 State contract for purchase of food or food products is to be
15 awarded to the lowest responsible bidder, an otherwise
16 qualified bidder who will fulfill the contract through the use
17 of local farm or food products may be given preference over
18 other bidders, provided that the cost included in the bid of
19 local farm or food products is not more than 10% greater than
20 the cost included in a bid that is not for local farm or food
21 products.
22     (d) All State agencies and State-owned facilities that
23 purchase food and food products shall, with the assistance of
24 the Council, develop a system for (i) identifying the
25 percentage of local farm or food products purchased for fiscal
26 year 2011 as the baseline; and (ii) tracking and reporting

 

 

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1 local farm or food products purchases on an annual basis.
 
2     Section 15. Creation of the Local Food, Farms, and Jobs
3 Council.
4     (a) The General Assembly authorizes the Department of
5 Agriculture, in accordance with Section 10 of the State Agency
6 Entity Creation Act, to create the Local Food, Farms, and Job
7 Council.
8     (b) The purpose of the Local Food, Farms, and Jobs Council
9 shall be to facilitate the growth of an Illinois-based local
10 farm and food product economy that revitalizes rural and urban
11 communities, promotes healthy eating with access to fresh
12 foods, creates jobs, ensures a readily available supply of safe
13 food in an emergency event, and supports economic growth
14 through making local farm or food products available to all
15 Illinois citizens.
 
16     Section 20. Responsibilities of the Illinois Local Food,
17 Farms, and Jobs Council. The responsibilities of the Local
18 Food, Farms, and Jobs Council include, but are not limited to,
19 the following:
20     (a) To assist State agencies, State-owned facilities, and
21 other entities with the purchase of local farm or food products
22 and with tracking and reporting of such purchases in order to
23 meet the goals established in Section 10 of this Act.
24     (b) To assist local farm and food entrepreneurs to identify

 

 

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1 and secure necessary resources and equipment to begin,
2 maintain, and expand projects and networks necessary for the
3 development of local farm or food products; provided, however,
4 that it is the intent of this Act that the Local Food, Farms,
5 and Jobs Council will facilitate program startups and then
6 relinquish rights, benefits, and control within a reasonably
7 short duration of time.
8     (c) To facilitate the building of infrastructure,
9 including aggregation, processing, storage, packaging, and
10 distribution facilities necessary to move local farm or food
11 products to local and other markets.
12     (d) To support and expand programs that recruit, train, and
13 provide technical assistance to Illinois farmers and residents
14 in order to encourage the production of local farm or food
15 products.
16     (e) To coordinate interagency policies, initiatives, and
17 procedures promoting local farm and food products in Illinois
18 communities, by working with and involving State, federal, and
19 local agencies, as well as community based organizations,
20 educational institutions, and trade organizations in executing
21 the purposes of this Act.
22     (f) To facilitate the elimination of legal barriers
23 hindering the development of a local farm and food economy by
24 working with federal, State, and local public health agencies,
25 other agencies and applicable entities, and the Illinois
26 Attorney General to create consistent and compatible

 

 

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1 regulations for the production, storage, distribution, and
2 marketing of local farm or food products.
3     (g) To facilitate the use of public lands for growing local
4 farm or food products by working with governmental entities at
5 the local, State, and federal levels.
6     (h) To set annual goals for all purchases of local farm or
7 food products by Illinois residents and to monitor the
8 development and expansion of a local farm and food economy
9 through data collection, tracking, measurement, analysis, and
10 reporting on progress made in an annual report to the Illinois
11 General Assembly.
12     (i) To initiate and facilitate public awareness campaigns
13 about the economic benefits of a local farm and food economy.
 
14     Section 25. Governance of the Local Food, Farms, and Jobs
15 Council.
16     (a) The Local Food, Farms, and Jobs Council shall be
17 governed by a 35-member board of directors, which shall be
18 comprised of the following:
19         (1) one representative each from the Department of
20     Agriculture; the Department of Commerce and Economic
21     Opportunity; the Department of Public Health; the
22     Department of Human Services, Office of Health and
23     Prevention; and the Department of Human Services, Office of
24     Security and Emergency Preparedness;
25         (2) the Director of the Lieutenant Governor's Rural

 

 

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1     Affairs Council;
2         (3) one agricultural specialist from the University of
3     Illinois Extension;
4         (4) four local farm or food product farmers
5     representing different agribusiness sectors, including,
6     but not limited to, the dairy, meat, vegetable, and grain
7     sectors;
8         (5) four local farm or food product producers
9     representing different flower, fruit, viticulture,
10     aquaculture, forestry, seeds, fiber, vegetable,
11     ornamental, or other specialty crop sectors;
12         (6) two local farm or food product processors;
13         (7) two local farm or food product distributors;
14         (8) three representatives of not-for-profit
15     educational organizations that specialize in supporting
16     and expanding local farm or food product networks;
17         (9) one certifier of specialty local farm or food
18     products, such as an organic, naturally grown, biodynamic,
19     Halal, or Kosher certifier;
20         (10) one local farm or food product consumer
21     representative;
22         (11) two representatives of farm organizations;
23         (12) one representative from a philanthropic
24     organization supporting the development of local farm or
25     food products;
26         (13) one local farm or food product retailer;

 

 

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1         (14) two municipal representatives from different
2     communities in the State actively engaged in the
3     development of local farm or food products;
4         (15) four representatives from community-based
5     organizations focusing on access to local farm or food
6     products, including at least 3 minority members; and
7         (16) one chef specializing in the preparation of
8     locally grown foods.
9     (b) The 29 non-state governmental board members shall be
10 appointed by the Governor to 3-year staggered terms as
11 determined by the Governor. Persons may be nominated by
12 organizations representing the sectors outlined in subsection
13 (a) of this Section. Vacancies shall be filled by the Governor.
14     (c) The board of directors shall elect its presiding
15 officers from among its members and may elect or appoint an
16 executive committee, other committees, and subcommittees to
17 conduct the business of the organization.
18     (d) The Local Food, Farms, and Jobs Council may solicit
19 grants, loans, contributions, or appropriations from public or
20 private sources and may enter into any contracts, grants,
21 loans, or agreements with respect to the use of such funds to
22 execute the purposes of this Act. No debt or obligation of the
23 Local Food, Farms, and Jobs Council shall become the debt or
24 obligation of the State.
25     (e) Funds collected by the Local Food, Farms, and Jobs
26 Council shall be considered private funds, except those

 

 

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1 received from public entities, and shall be held in an
2 appropriate account outside of the State Treasury. Private
3 funds collected by the Local Food, Farms, and Jobs Council are
4 not subject to the Public Funds Investment Act. Local Food,
5 Farms, and Jobs Council procurement is exempt from the Illinois
6 Procurement Code when only private funds are used for
7 procurement expenditures. The treasurer of the Local Food,
8 Farms, and Jobs Council shall be custodian of all Local Food,
9 Farms, and Jobs Council funds. The Local Food, Farms, and Jobs
10 Council's accounts and books shall be set up and maintained in
11 a manner approved by the Auditor General; and the Local Food,
12 Farms, and Jobs Council and its officers shall be responsible
13 for the approval of recording of receipts, approval of
14 payments, and the proper filing of required reports. The funds
15 held and made available by the Local Food, Farms, and Jobs
16 Council shall be subject to financial and compliance audits by
17 the Auditor General in compliance with the Illinois State
18 Auditing Act.
19     (f) Subject to the availability of public or private funds,
20 the board of directors may employ an executive director,
21 treasurer, other staff, or independent contractors necessary
22 to execute the purposes of this Act, and it may fix the
23 compensation, benefits, terms, and conditions of those
24 persons' employment.
25     (g) The State governmental agencies represented on the
26 board of directors shall re-direct existing staff, as

 

 

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1 appropriations permit, to assist in executing the purposes of
2 this Act, and they may provide office space, meeting space, and
3 other research and communication services as appropriate.
4     (h) The Local Food, Farms, and Jobs Council may be assisted
5 in carrying out its functions by personnel of the Department of
6 Agriculture. The Department shall provide reasonable
7 assistance to the Local Food, Farms, and Jobs Council to
8 achieve the purposes of the Local Food, Farms, and Jobs
9 Council. The Local Food, Farms, and Jobs Council shall
10 cooperate fully with the boards, commissions, agencies,
11 departments, and institutions of the State.
 
12     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
13 becoming law.".