20250AJR_000699INT INTRODUCED 2025-03-26 REVISED 2025-05-05 2025 AJR INT Introduced by Assembly Member Aguiar-Curry (Coauthors: Assembly Members Addis, Ahrens, Alanis, Alvarez, Arambula, Ávila Farías, Bauer-Kahan, Bennett, Berman, Boerner, Bonta, Bryan, Calderon, Caloza, Carrillo, Castillo, Chen, Connolly, Davies, Dixon, Elhawary, Flora, Fong, Gabriel, Gallagher, Garcia, Gipson, Jeff Gonzalez, Mark González, Hadwick, Haney, Harabedian, Hart, Hoover, Irwin, Jackson, Kalra, Krell, Lackey, Lee, Lowenthal, Macedo, McKinnor, Muratsuchi, Nguyen, Ortega, Pacheco, Papan, Patel, Pellerin, Petrie-Norris, Quirk-Silva, Ramos, Ransom, Rivas, Celeste Rodriguez, Michelle Rodriguez, Rogers, Blanca Rubio, Sanchez, Schiavo, Schultz, Sharp-Collins, Solache, Soria, Stefani, Ta, Valencia, Wallis, Ward, Wicks, Wilson, and Zbur) LEAD_AUTHOR ASSEMBLY Aguiar-Curry COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Addis COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ahrens COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Alanis COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Alvarez COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Arambula COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ávila Farías COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Bauer-Kahan COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Bennett COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Berman COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Boerner COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Bonta COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Bryan COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Calderon COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Caloza COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Carrillo COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Castillo COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Chen COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Connolly COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Davies COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Dixon COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Elhawary COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Flora COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Fong COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Gabriel COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Gallagher COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Garcia COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Gipson COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Jeff Gonzalez COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Mark González COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Hadwick COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Haney COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Harabedian COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Hart COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Hoover COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Irwin COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Jackson COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Kalra COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Krell COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Lackey COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Lee COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Lowenthal COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Macedo COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY McKinnor COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Muratsuchi COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Nguyen COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ortega COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Pacheco COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Papan COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Patel COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Pellerin COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Petrie-Norris COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Quirk-Silva COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ramos COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ransom COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Rivas COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Celeste Rodriguez COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Michelle Rodriguez COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Rogers COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Blanca Rubio COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Sanchez COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Schiavo COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Schultz COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Sharp-Collins COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Solache COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Soria COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Stefani COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ta COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Valencia COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Wallis COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ward COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Wicks COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Wilson COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Zbur Relative to child nutrition. child nutrition Child nutrition: federal programs: funding cuts.

This measure would call on the state’s Representatives in Congress to continue to support investments in the federal Local Food for Schools and Child Care program and would call on the President of the United States to work with Congress to support family farmers who produce fresh, locally sourced food for school meals. NO

WHEREAS, Over million children eat school lunch every day nationwide; and

WHEREAS, Healthy school meals ensure children are well-nourished, which contributes to better academic achievement and school attendance rates; and

WHEREAS, Buying locally grown food helps Californian farmers, food producers, employees, and their families; and

WHEREAS, Farming and related industries employ more than 22.1 million people, making up over 10.4 percent of employment in the United States; and

WHEREAS, For more than consecutive years, California has been the number one agricultural state in the nation, producing more than crop and livestock products and accounting for over one-third of vegetables and nearly three-quarters of the fruits and nuts produced in the United States; and

WHEREAS, California is the nation’s leader in agricultural exports, shipping $23.6 billion in food and agricultural commodities around the world in 2022, which represents a 4.4 percent increase from the previous year; and

WHEREAS, The federal Local Food for Schools and Child Care (LFSCC) program was established to build a more resilient food supply chain and has facilitated a connection between hundreds of California farms, schools, and food banks, leading to revenues for farmers, growers, and other food producers, and creating more jobs for food system workers; and

WHEREAS, In 2022, the United States Department of Agriculture allocated over $23 million in LFSCC funding to the State Department of Education from the Commodity Credit Corporation, providing funds to school food authorities, and those funds helped schools purchase local, regional, and state-grown food, supported local farms, enhanced access to nutritious meals, and helped stabilize local food systems; and

WHEREAS, On March 7, 2025, the Trump Administration canceled over $70 million in anticipated LFSCC program funding for and canceled over $1 billion nationally for the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program and the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program; and

WHEREAS, Research demonstrates that each dollar invested in local food systems generates an additional $2.16 in economic activity, which indicates that canceling $70 million in funding could result in an estimated loss exceeding $150 million in economic activity statewide; and

WHEREAS, The loss of federal investment jeopardizes the economic viability of farmers and food producers in California who relied on these institutional markets;

now, therefore,

be it Resolved by the Assembly and the Senate of the State of California, jointly, That the Legislature opposes cuts to the LFSCC program, and calls on our state’s Representatives in Congress to continue to support investments in the LFSCC program; and be it further Resolved, That the Legislature calls on the President of the United States to work with Congress to support family farmers who produce fresh, locally sourced food for school meals; and be it further Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United States, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to the Majority Leader of the Senate, and to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States.

REVISIONS: Heading—Line 2.