Committee reviews bill to fund Vermonters Feeding Vermonters through Agency of Agriculture

A legislative committee heard testimony on a bill to establish a Vermonters Feeding Vermonters grant program at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture that would provide ongoing state funding to the Vermont Food Bank’s local‑food purchasing work.

The bill would add a subchapter to Title 6 to create a grant program to "purchase local food directly from Vermont farms," include subgrants for local partners, require annual reporting by the agriculture secretary and, in the bill as drafted, include an appropriation to start the program with an effective date of July 1, 2025. No formal committee vote or final action was recorded during the hearing.

Why it matters: Committee members and the food bank said the program channels state dollars to Vermont farms while supplying fresh produce, culturally preferred foods and emergency food boxes to low‑income Vermonters. Legislative counsel warned the bill’s narrowly written statutory definition of "local" — which refers to the existing Title 9 consumer‑protection definition — could raise federal constitutional concerns if the state program is seen to discriminate against out‑of‑state commerce.

Michael Grady, legislative counsel, summarized the bill’s legal and drafting issues and flagged the definition of "local" in Title 9. He told the committee, "It is specific and limited only to Vermont food. So that means it doesn't include any out of state food, which means it discriminates against out of…