PRINTER'S NO. 3637
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
2471
Session of
2018
INTRODUCED BY SNYDER, CALTAGIRONE, J. McNEILL, STURLA, THOMAS,
ZIMMERMAN, SCHLOSSBERG, YOUNGBLOOD, DRISCOLL, PASHINSKI,
EVERETT, RAPP, D. MILLER, A. DAVIS, PHILLIPS-HILL, MATZIE,
DALEY, READSHAW, NEILSON AND WARREN, JUNE 6, 2018
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, JUNE 6, 2018
AN ACT
Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An
act relating to the public school system, including certain
provisions applicable as well to private and parochial
schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the
laws relating thereto," in pupils and attendance, providing
for shared table school nutrition initiative.
The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:
(1) One in five children suffer from food insecurity in
this Commonwealth despite schools maintaining a large
percentage of uneaten and eventually discarded food that
could otherwise be reused.
(2) A new initiative called the "Shared Table"
encourages a school to collect unused food that is
appropriate for redistribution and discretely supply that
food throughout the day to students that suffer from food
insecurity or to nonprofit organizations that provide food to
individuals with food insecurity.
(3) The Shared Table initiative has grown nationally and
has become an effective method to distribute excess school
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food while supplying food to individuals suffering from food
insecurity.
(4) The Shared Table initiative can be as simple as
designating a location in a school for food to be taken by
students throughout the school day, and can provide a system
which discretely allows for a student suffering from food
insecurity to take home excess school food.
(5) Additional food is not required to be produced by a
school cafeteria in order to effectively promote the Shared
Table initiative. Similar initiatives have been implemented
throughout the United States and have been successful in
safely distributing food consistent with United States Food
and Drug Administration, State and local health agency
requirements.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. The act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known
as the Public School Code of 1949, is amended by adding a
section to read:
Section 1335.1. Shared Table School Nutrition Initiative.--
(a) The State Board of Education shall promulgate the rules and
regulations necessary for school districts in this Commonwealth
to manage and distribute excess school food consistent with
guidelines of the United States Food and Drug Administration.
(b) The policy under subsection (a) shall provide a list of
food products and methodologies for distribution that include:
(1) The types of food that may be distributed.
(2) Methods of food distribution that provide access to
excess food before, during and after the school day for students
to consume at school activities or to take home, which may
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include selection of an area where food service staff, students
or faculty may return appropriate food items.
(3) Methods in which excess food may be donated by the
school district to individuals or nonprofit charitable
organizations.
(c) The preparation, safety and donation of food under this
section to a nonprofit charitable organization shall be subject
to 42 Pa.C.S. ยง 8338 (relating to liability for damages from
donated food and grocery products).
(d) Each school district in this Commonwealth shall
establish, consistent with rules and regulations promulgated by
the State Board of Education, a program to participate in the
initiative under this section.
(e) A person authorized to dispense food under this section
shall not be criminally liable if the person performs the
activities in good faith and shall not be civilly liable for the
activities when the person acted in a reasonable manner
according to the approved practices.
Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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