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| To create the Local Farming Task Force to develop | 1 |
| recommendations of policies and funding that are | 2 |
| necessary to encourage local farming in Ohio. | 3 |
| Section 1. (A) There is hereby created the Local Farming Task | 4 |
| Force consisting of the following seventeen members: | 5 |
| (1) The Director of Agriculture or the Director's designee; | 6 |
| (2) The Director of Commerce or the Director's designee; | 7 |
| (3) One member representing organic dairy farming, appointed | 8 |
| by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; | 9 |
| (4) One member representing organic vegetable farming, | 10 |
| appointed by the President of the Senate; | 11 |
| (5) One member representing organic grain farming, appointed | 12 |
| by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; | 13 |
| (6) One member representing organic cattle farming, appointed | 14 |
| by the President of the Senate; | 15 |
| (7) Two members representing the organic processing industry, | 16 |
| one member appointed by the Speaker of the House of | 17 |
| Representatives and one member appointed by the President of the | 18 |
| Senate; | 19 |
| (8) One member representing organic food distributors and one | 20 |
| member representing nonorganic food distributors, both members | 21 |
| appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; | 22 |
| (9) One member representing food retailers in the state, | 23 |
| appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; | 24 |
| (10) One member representing consumers, appointed by the | 25 |
| Speaker of the House of Representatives; | 26 |
| (11) Two members representing farm organizations in the | 27 |
| state, one member appointed by the Speaker of the House of | 28 |
| Representatives and one member appointed by the President of the | 29 |
| Senate; | 30 |
| (12) One member representing The Ohio State University | 31 |
| Extension, appointed by the Speaker of the House of | 32 |
| Representatives; | 33 |
| (13) Two members representing different municipal | 34 |
| corporations in the state, one member appointed by the Speaker of | 35 |
| the House of Representatives and one member appointed by the | 36 |
| President of the Senate; | 37 |
| (14) One member who specializes in the preparation and | 38 |
| cooking of locally grown organic food, appointed by the Speaker of | 39 |
| the House of Representatives. | 40 |
| (B) Appointments to the Task Force shall be made not later | 41 |
| than thirty days after the effective date of this act. The members | 42 |
| of the Task Force shall elect a chairperson and vice-chairperson | 43 |
| from among its members. | 44 |
| The members of the Task Force shall serve without | 45 |
| compensation. Serving as a member of the Task Force does not | 46 |
| constitute holding a public office or position of employment under | 47 |
| the laws of this state and does not constitute grounds for removal | 48 |
| of public officers or employees from their offices or positions of | 49 |
| employment. | 50 |
| The Task Force shall meet as often as necessary to carry out | 51 |
| its duties and responsibilities. The Department of Agriculture | 52 |
| shall provide technical assistance to the Task Force. | 53 |
| (C) The Task Force shall study issues related to local | 54 |
| farming in this state in order to recommend policies and funding | 55 |
| that are necessary to encourage local farming in this state. | 56 |
| Not later than one hundred eighty days after the appointment | 57 |
| of the members, the Task Force shall prepare and submit a report | 58 |
| of its findings and recommendations to the Speaker of the House of | 59 |
| Representatives and the President of the Senate. On submission of | 60 |
| the report, the Task Force shall cease to exist. | 61 |