AUGUSTA - The Legislature's Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee gave its approval Thursday to a bill from Rep. Sean Paulhus, D-Bath, that would provide extra support to food banks in the event of an emergency. The vote was 9-0 with four members still to vote.
"In a just society, no person and no family should be going without nutritious food," said Paulhus. "That commitment should hold true at all times, especially when we are all pulling together to face down a crisis. I'm thankful to the committee and the Mills administration for working together to support Maine's network of food banks."
LD 1299, An Act To Permit Emergency Funding for Food Banks When a State of Emergency is Declared, authorizes the governor to immediately distribute up to $400,000 from the states Budget Stabilization Fund, also known as our "rainy day fund," to support food banks throughout Maine when the state enters a period of civil emergency.
Among the changes the committee made to the bill is an extension of the authorization to cover supporting farms and the ability to leverage the emergency funds to apply for grants.
In testimony during the bills public hearing, the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conversation and Forestry noted that the demand for food banks was especially apparent at the very beginning of the pandemic before policymakers had the opportunity to fully react. The testimony referred to LD 1299 as a potential stopgap in the initial moments of an emergency.
"One of the lessons we learned from this pandemic is that we need strong tools in place, ones that are already built into the system, to meet immediate needs," said Paulhus. "The Legislature won't always be in session or in a position to return to session when future crises make themselves known."
The bill next heads to the full House and Senate for further consideration.
Paulhus is serving his second term in the Maine House and represents the city of Bath.
Contact:
Jackie Merrill [Paulhus], c. 812-1111