BILL NUMBER: S599

SPONSOR: HINCHEY
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the education law, in relation to establishing a farm-
to-school food service reimbursement program

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

The purpose of this bill is to simplify and conform how individual
school districts and New York state calculate the thirty percent thresh-
old needed for food purchases from New York state farmers, growers,
producers or processors to qualify individual school districts for an
additional twenty-five cents of reimbursement per school lunch meal in
excess of current federal and state reimbursement rates.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1: adds subdivision 18 to section 3641 of the education law to
direct the commissioner to provide enhanced reimbursement to districts
with school lunch programs that purchase at least thirty percent of
              

their total food products for their school food service programs from
NYS farmers, growers, producers and processors.

Section 2: establishes the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

New York State provides enhanced reimbursement to school districts that
purchase at least thirty percent of their total food products for their
school lunch service program from NYS farmers, growers, producers and
processors. However, most school districts do not track their food
purchases for a specific mealtime. Instead, districts purchase bulk food
products to be utilized throughout each of the meals they provide at
different times, including breakfast, lunch, and afterschool snacks.

This contrast between how NYS determines eligibility for enhanced lunch
reimbursement (based solely on food provided at lunch), and how schools
actually serve their food purchases (throughout the day at different
mealtimes), creates a significant administrative barrier to partic-
ipation in the farm to school enhanced reimbursement program.  Under the
current program, only 7% of school food authorities - an average of
about 50 school districts per year - reach the thirty percent threshold
based solely on school lunch purchases.

This bill simplifies the calculation of thirty percent by permitting
school districts to attribute the full amount of their purchases from
NYS farmers, growers, producers and processors to the full amount of
their overall food purchases to qualify for enhanced school lunch
service reimbursement.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:

TBD
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.