Hunger Task Force
WHEREAS, hunger does exist in Vermont, and current resources available to prevent hunger may be inadequate or may not be efficiently used; and
WHEREAS, providers of assistance to low-income Vermonters have documented a significant growth in the demand for food assistance services in the past two years; and
WHEREAS, 9 percent of Vermont households report food insecurity, as described in the United States Department of Agriculture publication Household Food Security in the United States, 2004, and the more severe form, food insecurity with hunger, doubled from 1.8 percent to 3.6 percent between 2000 and 2004; and
WHEREAS, the consequences of inadequate access to nutritious foods and a healthful diet have been shown to contribute to decreased ability to perform in school or on the job and to chronic health problems throughout life, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, James H. Douglas, by virtue of the power vested in me as Governor of the State of Vermont, do hereby establish a Hunger Task Force. The Task Force shall be advisory to the Governor and shall have the following functions and duties:
1. To study the extent to which hunger exists in Vermont and analyze factors contributing to its causes;
2. To examine the extent to which public and private sector programs and services are addressing the problem of hunger in Vermont through actions taken to prevent or mitigate hunger where it exists; and
3. To recommend actions that should be taken, sustained or expanded to respond to hunger in Vermont.
The Task Force shall consist of no more than fourteen members. The Task Force shall be composed of the following members:
- The Commissioner of the Department of Health, or his/her designee, who shall serve as Chairperson;
- One representative from the Department of Education, appointed by the Commissioner of Education, involved in the school meals program;
- One representative from the Department for Children and Families, appointed by the Commissioner of the Department of Children and Families;
- One representative from the Agency of Agriculture, appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture;
- A Senator appointed by the Committee on Committees of the Senate;
- A Representative appointed by the Speaker of the House;
- One representative from the ecumenical sector, appointed by the Governor;
- One representative from a Community Action Agency, appointed by the Governor;
- No more than four individuals representing private agencies and programs that provide services to low-income Vermonters, at least one of which shall be a statewide organization with an anti-hunger focus, and at least one of which shall be an organization that provides services to an especially vulnerable population such as elders, disabled or homeless persons, appointed by the Governor; and
- Two public members, at least one of whom shall have an income below 185 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, appointed by the Governor.
The Chairperson may call upon other persons or organizations as needed to assist the Task Force in its endeavors. The Task Force may establish committees for the effective discharge of its responsibilities.
The Chairperson shall report to the Governor on the results of the Task Force efforts no later than November 15, 2006, and annually no later than November 15.
The Agency of Human Services, Vermont Department of Health shall provide administrative and staff support to the Task Force. Expenses of the members of the Task Force, including any actual and necessary expenses, while carrying out the charges delineated above, shall be borne by the Agency of Human Services from available appropriations pursuant to 32 V.S.A. §1010(e).
This Executive Order shall take effect upon signing and shall expire on November 15, 2009, unless extended.
Witness my name hereunto subscribed and the Great Seal of the State of Vermont hereunto affixed at Montpelier this 23rd day of February, 2006.
James H. Douglas, Governor
By the Governor: Neale F. Lunderville, Secretary of Civil and Military Affairs
EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 01-06