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A185
ASSEMBLY, No. 185
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman DAWN FANTASIA
District 24 (Morris, Sussex and Warren)
SYNOPSIS
���� Establishes "New Jersey Farm to Public
Institution of Higher Education Program."
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.
��
An Act
establishing
the �New Jersey Farm to Public Institution of Higher Education Program,� and
supplementing Title 4 of the Revised Statutes.
����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
����� 1.�� a.�
The Department of Agriculture shall develop a �New
Jersey Farm to Public Institution of Higher Education Program� and, pursuant to
the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et
seq.), adopt rules and regulations for its implementation, including, but not
necessarily limited to, rules and regulations that:
����� (1) provide encouragement for public
institutions of higher education that provide meal programs to expand or
improve their kitchen facilities to allow for the daily production of meals
that incorporate more fresh, locally grown or produced farm produce, fruit or
other products;
����� (2) establish a bidding matrix that provides
for public institutions of higher education to purchase New Jersey grown food
and allows them to adopt price preferences for local agricultural and farm
products;
����� (3) in conjunction with the Secretary of
Higher Education, develop ways in which public institutions of higher education
can increase the procurement of locally grown or produced farm produce, fruit
or other products for use in meals; and
����� (4) create a public directory for New
Jersey farmers with contact information of purchasing agents at public
institutions of higher education, and another public directory for purchasers
with information about qualified New Jersey farmers and distributors.
����� b.�� (1)� The Department of Agriculture shall
establish a �New Jersey Farm to Public Institution of Higher Education� website
that shall be designed to:
����� (a) �provide opportunities for the
establishment of purchasing networks between and among farmers, distributors,
and public institutions of higher education;
����� (b) �facilitate the development and refinement
of promotional events in association with �Jersey Fresh Farm to School Week�;
and
����� (c) �provide for the dissemination of
information about, and the website-based promotion of, these and other related
events.
����� The department shall include on the �New
Jersey Farm to Public Institution of Higher Education� website a copy of any
public contract or other written agreement for the purchase of fresh foods and
the provision thereof to students, which has been entered into and successfully
implemented by a public institution of higher education.
����� (2)� The department shall post, in a prominent
location on the homepage of its Internet website, a hyperlink that provides
visitors with direct access to the �New Jersey Farm to Public Institution of
Higher Education� website established pursuant to this subsection.
���� c.���� The Secretary of
Agriculture may solicit and accept contributions from private and public
sources for the purpose of providing support to help fund the �New Jersey Farm
to Public Institution of Higher Education Program,� which encourages public
institutions of higher education to purchase produce from local farmers to
incorporate in meals throughout the growing season, and to increase the amount
of local fresh produce available for consumption by students.
���� d.��� As used in this section,
�public institution of higher education� means Rutgers, the State University of
New Jersey, the State colleges or universities, and public research
universities established pursuant to chapter 64 of Title 18A of the New Jersey
Statutes.
���� 2.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.
STATEMENT
����� This bill
would establish the �New Jersey Farm to Public Institution of Higher Education
Program� in the Department of Agriculture.� The bill requires the department to
adopt regulations that:
(1) provide
encouragement for public institutions of higher education that provide meal
programs to expand or improve their kitchen facilities to allow for the daily
production of meals that incorporate more fresh, locally grown or produced farm
produce, fruit or other products; (2) establish a bidding matrix that provides
for public institutions of higher education to purchase New Jersey grown food
and allows them to adopt price preferences for local agricultural and farm
products; (3) in conjunction with the Secretary of Higher Education, develop
ways in which public institutions of higher education can increase the
procurement of locally grown or produced farm produce, fruit or other products
for use in meals; and (4) create a public directory for New Jersey farmers with
contact information of purchasing agents at public institutions of higher
education, and another public directory for purchasers with information about
qualified New Jersey farmers and distributors.
����� The bill also requires the Department of
Agriculture to establish a �New Jersey Farm to Public Institution of Higher
Education Program� website that provides information on the program, and
includes a copy of any public contract or other written agreement for the
purchase of fresh foods and the provision thereof to students, which has been
entered into and successfully implemented by a public institution of higher
education.
���� Finally, the bill allows the
Secretary of Agriculture to solicit and accept contributions from private and
public sources for the purpose of providing support to help fund the �New
Jersey Farm to Public Institution of Higher Education Program,� which encourages
public institutions of higher education to purchase produce from local farmers
to incorporate in meals throughout the growing season, and to increase the
amount of local fresh produce available for consumption by students.