Montgomery County Public Schools - Jane E. Lawton Local Food Procurement MC 7-26

EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
amendment.
Italics indicate opposite chamber/conference committee amendments.
*hb0936*

HOUSE BILL 936
F3 (6lr0853)
ENROLLED BILL
— Ways and Means/Education, Energy, and the Environment —
Introduced by Montgomery County Delegation

Read and Examined by Proofreaders:

_______________________________________________
Proofreader.
_______________________________________________
Proofreader.

Sealed with the Great Seal and presented to the Governor, for his approval this

_______ day of _______________ at ________________________ o’clock, ________M.

______________________________________________
Speaker.

CHAPTER ______

AN ACT concerning 1

Montgomery County Public Schools – Jane E. Lawton Local Food Procurement 2

MC 7–26 3

FOR the purpose of requiring the Montgomery County public school system to identify and 4
publish certain data on food procured during a certain school year from certified local 5
farms and certified Chesapeake invasive species provider s; requiring the 6
Montgomery County public school system to set certain targets for certain school 7
years; requiring the Montgomery County public school system, in coordination with 8
the Office of Food Systems Resilience and public input, to establish a certain plan ; 9
and generally relating to food procured for Montgomery County Public Schools from 10
certified local farms and Chesapeake invasive species providers. 11

BY adding to 12
Article – Education 13
2 HOUSE BILL 936

Section 4–148 1
Annotated Code of Maryland 2
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 3

BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 4
Article – State Finance and Procurement 5
Section 14–701(a) through (d) 6
Annotated Code of Maryland 7
(2021 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 8

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 9
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 10

Article – Education 11

4–148. 12

(A) THIS SECTION APPLIES ONLY IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY. 13

(B) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE F OLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 14
INDICATED. 15

(2) “CERTIFIED CHESAPEAKE INVASIVE S PECIES PROVIDER ” HAS 16
THE MEANING STATED I N § 14–701 OF THE STATE FINANCE AND PROCUREMENT 17
ARTICLE. 18

(3) “CERTIFIED LOCAL FARM” HAS THE MEANING STATED IN § 14–701 19
OF THE STATE FINANCE AND PROCUREMENT ARTICLE. 20

(C) ON OR BEFORE SEPTEMBER 1, 2027, THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY 21
PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM SHALL: 22

(1) IDENTIFY THE DOLLAR AMOUNTS OF FOOD PROCURED FOR 23
SCHOOL MEALS IN THE 2026–2027 SCHOOL YEAR FROM CERTIFIED LOCAL FARMS 24
AND CERTIFIED CHESAPEAKE INVASIVE SPECIES PROVIDERS; AND 25

(2) PUBLISH THAT DATA ON THE SCHOOL SYSTEM’S WEBSITE. 26

(D) (1) THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM SHALL SET 27
TARGET INCREASES FOR THE DOLLAR AMOUNT OF FOOD PROCURED FROM 28
CERTIFIED LOCAL FARM S AND CERTIFIED CHESAPEAKE INVASIVE S PECIES 29
PROVIDERS FOR THE 2028–2029, 2030–2031, 2031–2032, 2033–2034, AND 30
2036–2037 SCHOOL YEARS USING THE DATA IDENTIFIED UNDER SUBSECTION (C) OF 31
THIS SECTION AS A BASELINE. 32
HOUSE BILL 936 3

(2) THE S CHOOL SYSTEM, IN COORDINATION WITH THE OFFICE OF 1
FOOD SYSTEMS RESILIENCE AND PUBLIC INPUT, SHALL ESTABLISH A PL AN TO 2
MEET THE TARGET INCR EASES ESTABLISHED UNDER PARAGRAPH (1) OF THIS 3
SUBSECTION. 4

Article – State Finance and Procurement 5

14–701. 6

(a) In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated. 7

(b) “Certified Chesapeake invasive species” means a finfish species that is: 8

(1) ranked as high priority in the Maryland Aquatic Nuisance Species 9
Management Plan; and 10

(2) harvested from the Chesapeake Bay or its tributaries. 11

(c) “Certified Chesapeake invasive species provider” means a person licensed and 12
authorized as a seafood dealer under § 4–701 of the Natural Resources Article that: 13

(1) is certified by the Department in accordance with regula tions adopted 14
under this subtitle; and 15

(2) can demonstrate that the person’s product is a certified Chesapeake 16
invasive species. 17

(d) “Certified local farm” means a local farm enterprise that: 18

(1) meets the nutrient management requirements established under Title 19
8, Subtitle 8 of the Agriculture Article; and 20

(2) is certified by the Department in accordance with regulations adopted 21
under this subtitle. 22

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 23
1, 2026. 24