00 SENATE CS FOR CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 298(CRA) 01 "An Act establishing the Alaska Food Strategy Task Force; and providing for an 02 effective date." 03 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 04  * Section 1. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section 05 to read: 06 LEGISLATIVE INTENT. It is the intent of the legislature to establish the Alaska 07 Food Strategy Task Force to 08 (1) develop a comprehensive statewide food strategy; 09 (2) strengthen the state's diverse food systems; 10 (3) improve food security for all residents of the state; and 11 (4) grow the local food economies of the state. 12  * Sec. 2. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 13 read: 14 ALASKA FOOD STRATEGY TASK FORCE. (a) The Alaska Food Strategy Task 01 Force is created in the legislative branch. 02 (b) The executive board of the task force consists of nine members as follows: 03 (1) two members from the Alaska Food Policy Council selected by the 04 governing board of the Alaska Food Policy Council; 05 (2) one member from the Institute of Social and Economic Research at the 06 University of Alaska Anchorage selected by the Board of Regents; 07 (3) one member from the Alaska Farm Bureau selected by the governing 08 board of the Alaska Farm Bureau; 09 (4) one member from the Alaska Industrial Development and Export 10 Authority selected by the members of the authority; and 11 (5) four members of the Alaska State Legislature appointed as follows: 12 (A) one member from the minority caucus of the senate and one 13 member from the majority caucus of the senate, appointed jointly by the president of 14 the senate and speaker of the house of representatives; 15 (B) one member from the minority caucus of the house of 16 representatives and one member from the majority caucus of the house of 17 representatives, appointed jointly by the president of the senate and speaker of the 18 house of representatives. 19 (c) The following commissioners, or their designees, serve as members of the task 20 force: 21 (1) the commissioner of natural resources; 22 (2) the commissioner of fish and game; 23 (3) the commissioner of health and social services; 24 (4) the commissioner of commerce, community, and economic development; 25 (5) the commissioner of education and early development; and 26 (6) the commissioner of transportation and public facilities. 27 (d) The remainder of the task force consists of 21 members selected by the executive 28 board, with due regard for broad geographic representation of the state, as follows: 29 (1) one member from a mariculture development organization; 30 (2) one member from an agricultural development organization; 31 (3) one member from a fisheries-related organization; 01 (4) one member from a local food marketing organization; 02 (5) one member from a hunger and nutrition organization; 03 (6) one member from an economic development organization; 04 (7) one member from the food distribution or transportation industry; 05 (8) two members from Alaska Native or intertribal organizations addressing 06 food sovereignty or Alaska tribal governments; 07 (9) two members who are food producers in the state; 08 (10) two members from the food service industry; 09 (11) one youth member from the Alaska Future Farmers of America 10 Association or the Alaska 4-H Program; 11 (12) one member who is a faculty member at the University of Alaska 12 Anchorage; 13 (13) one member who is a faculty member at the University of Alaska 14 Fairbanks; 15 (14) one member who is a faculty member at the University of Alaska 16 Southeast; 17 (15) one member who is a faculty member at the Alaska Pacific University; 18 and 19 (16) three members selected to provide additional expertise in food system 20 development. 21 (e) The executive board of the task force shall select members to provide expertise in 22 key areas of food system activity, including production, security, and economic, social, and 23 environmental drivers. In this subsection, 24 (1) "production" includes growing and harvesting, food processing, 25 packaging, distribution, retail, and consumption and waste management; 26 (2) "security" includes food access, availability, and use. 27 (f) The executive board of the task force shall select a chair and vice-chair from the 28 executive board. 29 (g) Members of the task force serve without compensation and may not receive travel 30 and per diem expenses. 31 (h) The task force shall meet during and between legislative sessions to accomplish its 01 duties. Meetings shall be conducted, and notice of regular meetings provided, under 02 AS 44.62.310 - 44.62.319 (Open Meetings Act). Records of the Alaska Food Strategy Task 03 Force are subject to inspection and copying as public records under AS 40.25.100 - 40.25.295 04 (Alaska Public Records Act). 05 (i) The executive board may remove a member of the task force if the member misses 06 more than two meetings in a calendar year without being previously excused or if the member 07 does not contribute in a meaningful way to the activities of the task force. Vacancies on the 08 task force shall be filled in the same manner as the original selection. 09 (j) The task force shall present state policy, legislation, and strategy implementation 10 recommendations in the following seven integrated focus areas: 11 (1) sustainably growing the agriculture industry; 12 (2) sustainably growing markets for locally grown, locally harvested, and 13 locally processed foods; 14 (3) enhancing the climate for food and beverage processing or distribution 15 businesses; 16 (4) minimizing food waste and diverting it from the waste stream; 17 (5) improving connectivity, efficiencies, and outcomes in state-run programs 18 affecting food availability and access; 19 (6) ensuring food security in all communities in the state, including those that 20 are and are not connected to the main road system of the state; and 21 (7) improving transportation and infrastructure to transfer and deliver food in 22 the state. 23 (k) The task force shall, in its consideration of the seven integrated focus areas under 24 (j) of this section, address, at a minimum, the following elements: 25 (1) public, nonprofit, and private investment and infrastructure; 26 (2) regulatory issues; 27 (3) research and development needs; 28 (4) environmental changes; 29 (5) workforce development needs; 30 (6) infrastructure needs and storage; 31 (7) high food costs and food access; 01 (8) food safety; 02 (9) varying scales of food system and storage development; 03 (10) innovative technologies for the Circumpolar North; 04 (11) adaptation of successful food system policies, models, and programs 05 across the Circumpolar North and other states; 06 (12) Alaska tribal relations as they pertain to food security, food sovereignty, 07 and local storage methods; and 08 (13) emergency preparedness. 09 (l) The task force shall establish advisory committees focused on addressing each of 10 the seven integrated focus areas under (j) of this section and the minimum elements under (k) 11 of this section, and each task force member shall serve on one or more of these committees. 12 (m) The task force shall present recommendations for metrics appropriate for 13 evaluating food system effects and food security outcomes. 14 (n) The recommendations of the task force must be 15 (1) evidence based; 16 (2) stakeholder informed; 17 (3) economically sound; 18 (4) environmentally sustainable; and 19 (5) equally accessible. 20 (o) The task force shall develop and present recommendations in three of the 21 integrated focus areas under (j) of this section by August 1, 2023, and recommendations in the 22 remaining integrated focus areas under (j) of this section by August 1, 2024. The task force 23 shall compile the recommendations into a report and submit the report to the governor, the 24 senate secretary, and the chief clerk of the house of representatives and notify the legislature 25 that the report is available. 26 (p) The task force shall continue the efforts of and review and, when applicable, 27 implement the recommendations of the Alaska Food Security and Independence Task Force 28 established by Administrative Order No. 331. 29  * Sec. 3. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska enacted in sec. 2(c) of this Act is 30 amended to read: 31 (c) The following commissioners, or their designees, serve as members of the task 01 force: 02 (1) the commissioner of natural resources; 03 (2) the commissioner of fish and game; 04 (3) the commissioner of health [AND SOCIAL SERVICES]; 05 (4) the commissioner of commerce, community, and economic development; 06 (5) the commissioner of education and early development; and 07 (6) the commissioner of transportation and public facilities. 08  * Sec. 4. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 09 read: 10 TRANSITION. The Alaska Food Strategy Task Force created under sec. 2 of this Act 11 shall begin work not later than 30 days after both the senate and the house of representatives 12 have organized in the First Regular Session of the Thirty-Third Alaska State Legislature. 13  * Sec. 5. Sections 1 - 3 of this Act are repealed June 30, 2025. 14  * Sec. 6. Section 3 of this Act takes effect July 1, 2022. 15  * Sec. 7. Except as provided in sec. 6 of this Act, this Act takes effect immediately under 16 AS 01.10.070(c).