Hunger/Food Security Bills
scroll down to see Student Hunger, Schools, Equity, Economy & Sovereignty Bills
Fighting Hunger Bills
LD 174 An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Ending Hunger by 2030 Advisory Group sponsored by Rep. Bill Pluecker, ACF Committee. This bill proposes to implement the recommendations of the advisory group assembled pursuant to Resolve 2019, chapter 32 to end hunger in Maine by 2030. ACF YouTube
LD 262 An Act To Combat Hunger by Creating a Tax Credit of 10 Percent of Wholesale Market Prices up to $5,000 Annually for Businesses Engaged in Food Production for Donations of Food to Tax-exempt Organizations sponsored by Rep. Tiffany Roberts, TAX Committee. This bill provides an income tax credit for persons engaged in commercial agricultural production, commercial aqua-cultural production or commercial fishing for donations to a food bank, food kitchen or other tax-exempt organization that provides food to low-income individuals without charging a fee for the food or requiring any other type of compensation from the low-income individuals. The credit is equal to 10% of the wholesale market price of the donated products up to a maximum of $5,000. TAX YouTube
LD 691 An Act to Support Farms and Address Food Insecurity Due to Covid-19 sponsored by Rep. Bill Pluecker, ACF Committee. This bill establishes the Fund To Address Food Insecurity and Provide Nutrition Incentives within the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to provide incentives to federal food and nutrition assistance program participants for the purchase of locally grown fruits and vegetables and to support outreach for and administration of programs that offer nutrition incentives to participants of federal food and nutrition assistance programs. ACF YouTube
LD 1046 An Act To Create an Income Tax Return Checkoff for Hunger Prevention Rep. Maureen Terry, TAX Committee. This bill requires the inclusion of a check-off provision on Maine income tax forms for taxpayers who wish to contribute to support the emergency food assistance program. TAX YouTube
LD 485 An Act To Continue Funding for Home-delivered Meals for Homebound Seniors and To Address Growing Demand sponsored by Sen Ned Claxton, referred to HHS Committee HHS YouTube
LD 574 An Act To Clarify the Maine Food Sovereignty Act sponsored by Rep Bill Pluecker, referred to AFC Committee. The bill amends the definition of "direct producer-to-consumer transaction" to mean any exchange of food or food products directly between a producer and a consumer in a manner mutually agreed upon by the producer and consumer of the food or food products rather than face-to-face transactions at the site of production. ACF YouTube
Student Hunger/Schools
LD 636 An Act to Encourage the Purchase of Local Foods for Public Schools sponsored by Sen. Eloise Vitelli, Referred to EDU Committee. Expand the Local Produce Fund Program to allow schools to source local food via other sources, instead of only directly from farms. Increase the cap on reimbursement from DOE to encourage more local purchasing. Expand the options beyond produce to include other local foods. EDU YouTube
LD 655 An Act To Require at Least a 30-minute Lunch Period for Students sponsored by Rep. Jan Dodge, EDU Committee. Require Maine schools to allow at least 30 minutes seated time for National School Lunch Program EDU YouTube
LD 217 An Act to Make Contributions Made to Pay Off School Meal Debt Tax-deductible sponsored by Rep. Justin Facteau, TAX Committee. This bill provides an income tax deduction for a person who makes a contribution to a public or nonprofit private elementary or secondary school to cover school meal debt if the person making the contribution is not the parent of a student or a person otherwise obligated to cover the costs of a student. TAX YouTube
LD 362 Resolve, To Require the Department of Education To Form a Family Income Data Collection Working Group sponsored by Rep Michael Brennan, referred to EDU Committee.
LD 961 An Act To Provide Equity in Access to Applications for the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program sponsored by Sen. Eloise Vitelli, EDU Committee. Create a statewide school meal benefit online application, housed on the Department of Education’s website, so families can easily apply for school meals online. The data submitted via the application would not be visible to the Department of Education, but would be transferred directly to local districts. EDU YouTube
LD 815 An Act to Support School Decarbonization, sponsored by Sen. Chloe Maxmin, referred to EUT Committee. Current law requires the Efficiency Maine Trust to develop and administer a school energy savings program. This bill changes the program to a school decarbonization program and requires the trust to provide technical and financial support to help kindergarten to grade 12 schools become carbon neutral. EUT YouTube
LD 822 An Act To Affirm That Food Seeds Are a Necessity in Maine sponsored by Sen. Lisa Keim, referred to HHS Committee. HHS YouTube
Equity, Economy, Sovereignty Bills
LD 892 An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Governor's Economic Recovery Committee sponsored by Rep Teresa Pierce, referred to Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement & Business Comm. IDEA & Business YouTube
LD 870 Resolve, Directing the Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous and Maine Tribal Populations To Study the Impact of Agricultural Policy, Land Access Structures, Grant Access Programs and Access to Financing on Dispossessed African-American and Indigenous Farmers in the State sponsored by Rep. Bill Pluecker, ACF Committee ACF YouTube
LD 906 An Act to Provide Passamaquoddy Tribal Members Access to Clean Drinking Water sponsored by Rep. Rena Newell, Judiciary Committee JUD YouTube
LD 954 An Act To Provide Equal Access to the Benefits of the Maine Food Sovereignty Act sponsored by Sen. Lisa Keim, referred to ACF committee ACF YouTube
The following Bills have not been published yet, and do not have an LD#.
An Act To Address Student Hunger through a Universal Free School Meals Program, sponsor Pres. Troy Jackson, Joint Committee on EDU Committee. The State of Maine would contribute funding to cover the cost of paid students in the School Breakfast and National School Lunch programs, so that all students in Maine can access school meal programs without cost. EDU YouTube
An Act to Reduce Hunger and Promote Maine Agriculture sponsored by Pres. Troy Jackson, ACF Committee ACF YouTube
An Act to Ensure Maine Schools Receive Adequate Financial Resources sponsored by Michael Brennan, Education and Cultural Affairs Committee Convene a legislative work group to examine alternative ways for schools to collect income data from families.
An Act To Authorize a General Fund Bond Issue for Food Processing Infrastructure in Targeted Areas of the State sponsored by Rep. Rachel Talbot Ross, Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee
An Act To Ensure That Persons Qualified To Receive Food Assistance Are Able To Receive Full Benefits sponsored by Rep. Rachel Talbot Ross, Health & Human Services Committee
An Act to Strengthen Maine's Agriculture, Food and Forest Economy sponsored by Rep. Rachel Talbot Ross, ACF Committee
An Act To Automatically Trigger Emergency Funding for Food Banks When a State of Emergency is Declared sponsored by Rep. Sean Paulus
An Act Regarding Food Scraps Management and Diversion sponsored by Rep. Stanley Zeigle