Committee approves amendment shifting local‑food reporting to Department of Agriculture

Representative Beck asked the committee to adopt an amendment to House Bill 18‑53 updating Arkansas' local‑foods reporting requirements. The bill, originally enacted in 2015, requires that when a state agency receives $25,000 for a food service program, 10% of the food purchased be "local" — defined in the bill as food grown, produced or processed in Arkansas. Representative Beck said the amendment clarifies reporting processes and the recipient agency.

Beck described three changes: agencies may designate their food‑service provider to submit the 10% local‑food report on the agency's behalf; agencies may instead designate a wholesaler to report purchases when wholesalers already hold that purchase data; and the statutory recipient of the reports is changed from BLR to the Department of Agriculture, which now has a staff position tasked with connecting local producers, agencies and wholesalers to facilitate market access. "They can set as a designee that provider to turn their report in us saying that they're buying 10% food," Beck said.

Beck told the committee he had discussed the proposal with the Department of Human Services, which raised practical concerns for special‑diet programs serving elderly Arkansans that can make sourcing local food difficult; he said the issue will be revisited in the next legislative session. After discussion and no registered public testimony, the committee moved and approved the bill as amended by voice vote.

The bill was carried from committee without a roll‑call tally; recorded action was a committee motion to "do pass" and approval by voice vote. Representative Beck thanked the committee after the vote.