SB 542

Current law generally authorizes state agencies to contract for services under

certain circumstances. With some exceptions, orders or contracts must be awarded

to the lowest responsible bidder. This bill requires state entities, if their

expenditures on food are greater than $25,000 per fiscal year, to attempt to ensure

that, before 2020, of the total amount expended for food per fiscal year, at least 10

percent is spent on food products that are grown, processed, packaged, and

distributed in this state and to ensure that, beginning in 2020, of the total amount

expended for food per fiscal year, at least 20 percent is spent on food products that

are grown, processed, packaged, and distributed in this state. To accomplish these

goals, this bill creates an exception to the lowest responsible bidder requirement by

allowing state entities to accept a bid or proposal from a vendor selling local food

products that is no more than 10 percent higher than the apparent low bid or most

advantageous proposal.

This bill also creates a Local Food, Farms, and Jobs Council in the Department

of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. It requires the council to undertake

various activities designed to increase the in-state purchase of food products that are

grown, processed, packaged, and distributed in this state. These activities include

encouraging entities that receive funding from this state and that spend more than

$25,000 per year on food for their students, residents, or clients to spend at least 10

percent of their food budgets on food grown, processed, packaged, and distributed in

this state.