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| To enact sections 901.80 and 901.81 of the Revised | 1 |
| Code to create the Ohio Sustainable Food Advisory | 2 |
| Council to address program and policy | 3 |
| considerations regarding the development of a | 4 |
| sustainable food economy in Ohio. | 5 |
| Section 1. That sections 901.80 and 901.81 of the Revised | 6 |
| Code be enacted to read as follows: | 7 |
| Sec. 901.80. (A) There is hereby created the Ohio | 8 |
| sustainable food advisory council consisting of the following | 9 |
| members: | 10 |
| (1) The director of agriculture or the director's designee; | 11 |
| (2) The director of development or the director's designee; | 12 |
| (3) The director of health or the director's designee; | 13 |
| (4) The director of natural resources or the director's | 14 |
| designee; | 15 |
| (5) The superintendent of public instruction or the | 16 |
| superintendent's designee. | 17 |
| (6) All of the following appointed by the governor: | 18 |
| (a) Two persons representing small farms; | 19 |
| (b) Two persons representing medium farms; | 20 |
| (c) Two persons representing large farms; | 21 |
| (d) One person representing the institutional food service | 22 |
| industry with experience regarding the service of schools; | 23 |
| (e) One person representing the food processing industry; | 24 |
| (f) One person representing the Ohio farm bureau federation; | 25 |
| (g) One person representing the Ohio ecological food and | 26 |
| farming association. | 27 |
| (7) The following members appointed by the speaker of the | 28 |
| house of representatives: | 29 |
| (a) One person representing the innovative farmers of Ohio; | 30 |
| (b) One person representing the Ohio farmers union; | 31 |
| (c) One person representing a faith-based food and hunger | 32 |
| agency; | 33 |
| (d) One person representing an emergency food assistance | 34 |
| agency; | 35 |
| (e) One person representing an Ohio-based organic | 36 |
| certification agency; | 37 |
| (f) One person representing the health care industry in this | 38 |
| state; | 39 |
| (g) One person with expertise in agriculture representing a | 40 |
| public university; | 41 |
| (h) One person with expertise in health and nutrition | 42 |
| representing a public university; | 43 |
| (i) Two members of the house of representatives, one from the | 44 |
| majority party and one from the minority party. | 45 |
| (8) The following members appointed by the president of the | 46 |
| senate: | 47 |
| (a) One person with expertise in food and agriculture | 48 |
| representing a private college; | 49 |
| (b) One person representing the retail food industry; | 50 |
| (c) One person representing the restaurant and food | 51 |
| preparation industry; | 52 |
| (d) One person representing a statewide environmental | 53 |
| advocacy organization; | 54 |
| (e) One person based in this state representing the United | 55 |
| States department of agriculture; | 56 |
| (f) One person representing a farmland preservation | 57 |
| organization; | 58 |
| (g) One person representing an economic development | 59 |
| organization focused on food and agriculture; | 60 |
| (h) One person representing the Ohio produce growers and | 61 |
| marketers association; | 62 |
| (i) Two members of the senate, one from the majority party | 63 |
| and one from the minority party. | 64 |
| (B) Of the initial members appointed to the council, the | 65 |
| members appointed by the governor shall be appointed for terms of | 66 |
| one year, the members appointed by the speaker of the house of | 67 |
| representatives shall be appointed for terms of two years, and the | 68 |
| members appointed by the president of the senate shall be | 69 |
| appointed for terms of three years. Thereafter, members shall | 70 |
| serve three-year terms with each term ending on the same day of | 71 |
| the same month as did the term that it succeeds. Each member shall | 72 |
| serve from the date of appointment until the end of the term for | 73 |
| which the member was appointed. | 74 |
| Members may be reappointed. Vacancies shall be filled in the | 75 |
| same manner as provided for original appointments. A member | 76 |
| appointed to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expiration date | 77 |
| of the term for which the member was appointed shall hold office | 78 |
| for the remainder of that term. A member shall continue to serve | 79 |
| after the expiration date of the member's term until the member's | 80 |
| successor is appointed or until a period of sixty days has | 81 |
| elapsed, whichever occurs first. The applicable appointing | 82 |
| authority may remove a member from the council for failure to | 83 |
| attend two consecutive meetings without showing good cause for the | 84 |
| absences. | 85 |
| (C) The director of agriculture or the director's designee | 86 |
| shall serve as the chairperson of the council, and the council | 87 |
| annually shall select from among its members a vice-chairperson | 88 |
| and a secretary. The secretary shall keep a record of its | 89 |
| proceedings. A majority vote of the members of the council is | 90 |
| necessary to take action on any matter. The council may adopt | 91 |
| bylaws governing its operation, including bylaws that establish | 92 |
| the frequency of meetings, which shall be at least quarterly. The | 93 |
| chairperson may appoint subcommittees of the council. | 94 |
| (D) Serving as a member of the council does not constitute | 95 |
| holding a public office or position of employment under the laws | 96 |
| of this state and does not constitute grounds for removal of | 97 |
| public officers or employees from their offices or positions of | 98 |
| employment. Members of the council shall serve without | 99 |
| compensation for attending council meetings. | 100 |
| (E) The department of agriculture shall provide technical | 101 |
| assistance to and meeting space for the council. | 102 |
| Sec. 901.81. (A) The Ohio sustainable food advisory council, | 103 |
| on a continuing basis, shall develop proposed sustainable food | 104 |
| programs and policies for this state. In doing so, the council may | 105 |
| consider any of the following program and policy issues: | 106 |
| (1) An in-depth assessment of the foods that are served to | 107 |
| public school students under the national school lunch program and | 108 |
| the school breakfast program, including the possibility of | 109 |
| increasing the amount of sustainable local food used in those | 110 |
| programs and the nutritional, behavioral, and performance benefits | 111 |
| of that increase; | 112 |
| (2) An in-depth analysis of the possibility of meeting the | 113 |
| needs of public assistance programs through food production | 114 |
| processes in this state; | 115 |
| (3) An in-depth analysis of the possibility of engaging more | 116 |
| citizens of this state in the food production system and lowering | 117 |
| food costs for urban dwellers in this state during times of | 118 |
| economic hardship, including making use of idle urban property, | 119 |
| increasing opportunities for small farms, and developing | 120 |
| strategies for the long-term viability of small, medium, and large | 121 |
| farms; | 122 |
| (4) An in-depth analysis of the potential impacts that the | 123 |
| production of sustainable local food would have on economic | 124 |
| development in this state, both the direct impacts on the | 125 |
| producers of sustainable local food and the actual and potential | 126 |
| indirect impacts such as encouraging restaurants that feature | 127 |
| locally raised agricultural products, promoting food and wine | 128 |
| tourism, and developing a diverse food production chain; | 129 |
| (5) An in-depth evaluation of agriculture as a means of | 130 |
| stewardship and enhancement of the agricultural and natural | 131 |
| ecosystems of this state with a focus on the enhancement of the | 132 |
| quality of life for the residents of this state, healthy and | 133 |
| productive soils, clean water, landscape aesthetics, biological | 134 |
| diversity, and clean air; | 135 |
| (6) Issues regarding how local and regional efforts could | 136 |
| promote a sustainable local food economy by providing an | 137 |
| information and engagement center that would assist entrepreneurs | 138 |
| and farmers in working around any current barriers to a | 139 |
| sustainable local food economy and in pursuing opportunities | 140 |
| related to a sustainable local food economy; | 141 |
| (7) Issues regarding the identification and development of | 142 |
| solutions to regulatory and policy barriers to the development of | 143 |
| a strong sustainable local food economy; | 144 |
| (8) Issues regarding strengthening local infrastructure and | 145 |
| entrepreneurial efforts related to a sustainable local food | 146 |
| economy; | 147 |
| (9) Any other program and policy issues the council considers | 148 |
| pertinent. | 149 |
| (B) Not later than the first day of October of each year, the | 150 |
| council shall report its findings and recommendations, including | 151 |
| any legislative proposals or proposals for administrative actions, | 152 |
| to the general assembly in accordance with section 101.68 of the | 153 |
| Revised Code and to the governor. | 154 |