Bill > HB1536

This bill establishes the "Representative Johnny Shaw Tennessee Agricultural Innovation and Education Initiative," which will be managed by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (the "Department"). The initiative aims to support agriculture in the state by promoting outreach, education, and storytelling, expanding access to digital learning resources for the agricultural workforce, fostering market opportunities for farmers and agricultural businesses, encouraging collaborations to prepare future agricultural leaders, and strengthening Tennessee's position as a leader in agricultural technology and innovation. To achieve these goals, the Department is authorized to partner with private, nonprofit, or academic organizations, considering their experience with agriculture-focused digital platforms, educational programming, partnerships with state agricultural entities, audience engagement, support for small and beginning farmers, and experience managing public-private initiatives. Importantly, any intellectual property or creative materials developed by these partners will remain their exclusive property, and the state will not claim ownership of creative content beyond ensuring it aligns with the initiative's purposes. The initiative will prioritize benefits for Tennessee farmers, students, workforce participants, consumers, and communities, though collaboration with out-of-state organizations is permitted if it enhances market access, workforce readiness, or innovation for Tennessee agriculture. Program activities may include developing educational content, workforce training, digital literacy tools, e-commerce onboarding for producers, youth engagement, marketing of state-grown products, and technical assistance for rural communities adopting digital tools. The Comptroller of the Treasury will conduct an initial evaluation of the initiative after its third fiscal year, with subsequent biennial evaluations by the Department, both reporting on participation, outcomes, and return on investment. Contracted partners will submit annual performance reports. The bill intends for a recurring annual appropriation of $1,000,000 to fund partner contracts, outreach, technology, administration, and evaluation, and encourages seeking matching funds from other sources. The Department is also granted authority to create rules to implement the initiative.