(a) The Food Policy Council shall consist of 13 voting members appointed by the Mayor with the advice and consent of the Council of the District of Columbia, one of whom shall be the Food Policy Director appointed pursuant to § 48-314(a). The members shall be equally representative of established public, nonprofit, and for-profit entities and organizations involved in the local food economy or food access in the District.

(b) Voting members shall serve terms of 3 years; provided that of the initial members appointed, 4 shall serve for a term of 3 years, 4 shall serve for a term of 2 years, and 4 shall serve for a term of one year.. Members may be reappointed but may serve no more than 2 consecutive full terms. The Food Policy Director shall serve on the Food Policy Council as long as he or she remains the Food Policy Director.

(c) When a vacancy develops on the Food Policy Council, the Mayor shall, with the advice and consent of the Council of the District of Columbia, appoint a successor to fill the unexpired portion of the term within 90 days of the vacancy.

(d) Excluding the Food Policy Director, voting members shall be evenly divided into 4 working groups to address prominent food policy issues. Each working group shall include a balance among members of public, nonprofit, and for-profit entities and organizations involved in the local food economy or food access. Each working group may include between 4 to 8 additional members of the public named by the voting members with recognized expertise in the working group's policy area. The working groups shall make recommendations for food policy to the Food Policy Council to be included in the annual report. The working groups shall focus on the following policy groups:

(1) Local food business and labor development;

(2) Food equity, access, and health and nutrition education;

(3) Sustainable food procurement of locally grown food; and

(4) Urban agriculture and food system education.

(e) The voting members shall elect a chairperson of the Food Policy Council. The chairperson shall name voting members to working groups. All voting members shall serve without compensation.

(f) The Food Policy Council shall develop its own rules of procedure.

(g) The Food Policy Council shall meet at least once every other month. The meetings shall be held in the District and be open to the public, and members of the public shall be allowed to voice questions or concerns about food policy at the meetings. A quorum to transact business shall consist of a majority of the voting members.

(h) There shall be 10 ex officio nonvoting members, including Directors of the following departments or their designees:

(1) Department of Human Services;

(2) Department of Health;

(3) Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs;

(4) Department of Parks and Recreation;

(5) Office of the State Superintendent of Education;

(6) Office of Planning;

(7) District Department of Transportation;

(8) District Department of the Environment;

(9) Department of General Services; and

(10) Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development.

(i) Ex officio members shall develop and implement policies and programs in their agencies that are consistent with the Food Policy Council's purposes. They shall meet with the Food Policy Director and the Food Policy Council at least quarterly each year to assist in coordinating plans and policies that are beneficial to the local food economy and improving food access in the District. In addition, ex officio members shall work with the Food Policy Director and the Food Policy Council to examine existing regulations and policies that may be overly burdensome as applied to the local food economy.

(Mar. 10, 2015, D.C. Law 20-191, § 4, 61 DCR 12160.)