South Carolina H 3214: Public School-Based Canneries Pilot Program

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 3214 Text of Previous Version (Apr. 30, 2025) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 3214

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

Committee Report

April 29, 2025

H. 3214

Introduced 
by Reps. Chumley, Magnuson, Taylor, Forrest and Hixon 

S. Printed 4/29/25--H. [SEC 
4/30/2025 10:17 AM]

Read the first time January 14, 2025

________

The committee on House Agriculture, 
Natural Res. and Environmental Affairs

To whom was referred a Joint Resolution (H. 
3214) to provide a three-year pilot program establishing public school-based 
community canneries where members of the general public may bring locally grown 
produce to, etc., respectfully

Report:

That they have duly and carefully considered 
the same, and recommend that the same do pass:

WILLIAM HIXON for Committee.

_______

A joint Resolution

TO PROVIDE A THREE-YEAR PILOT PROGRAM ESTABLISHING PUBLIC 
SCHOOL-BASED COMMUNITY CANNERIES WHERE MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC MAY BRING 
LOCALLY GROWN PRODUCE TO BE CANNED FOR THEIR PERSONAL USE, AND TO PROVIDE 
RELATED RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND CLEMSON EXTENSION 
AGENCY.

Whereas, public 
school-based community canneries developed in the Southeastern United States 
and South Carolina in the 1920s, and experienced increased popularity in the 
Depression and World War II when "victory gardens" became a commonplace means 
for families to provide fruits and vegetables for their personal use in times 
of limited resources; and

Whereas, while such 
community canneries continue to thrive in Georgia and other states, they ceased 
to function in South Carolina, depriving communities of an efficient means to 
provide healthful food for their personal use; and

Whereas, the Food 
Systems and Safety Program of the Clemson University Cooperative Extension 
Service offers robust food preservation programs to the public, including the 
"Carolina Canning" program to help promote an understanding of canning as a 
means for preserving foods; and

Whereas, an initiative 
that would not only provide community instruction in food preservation using 
canning methods promoted by the Carolina Canning program but also the 
facilities and supplies needed to preserve locally grown food for personal use 
would further the desirable goal of helping South Carolinians provide and 
maintain supplies of nutritious food and enjoy the rewards of the fruits of 
their labors long after growing seasons end. Now, therefore,

Be it enacted by the 
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. (A) The 
State Board of Education, in conjunction with the Food Systems and Safety 
Program of the Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service (Clemson 
Extension Service), shall plan, develop, institute, and oversee a pilot program 
of three public school-based community canning sites where members of the 
general public may bring locally grown produce to be canned for their personal 
use. The purpose of this program is to enable families to safely preserve and 
store food grown by them for personal consumption through the use of:

 (1) research-based 
information, procedures, and instruction concerning canning food; and

 (2) industrial-grade 
equipment and related supplies that allow faster processing of fruits and 
vegetables on a larger scale than can be done at home.

 (B) The State 
Board of Education and Clemson Extension Service shall cause the public 
school-based community canneries to be pilot tested in three selected school 
districts from 2026 through 2029 and shall provide community training programs 
for food preservation using canning. Use of the canning facilities and canning 
supplies must be provided to the community with limits on the amount available 
for each family as determined appropriate by the State Board of Education and 
Clemson Extension Service. Community members wishing to use the facilities must 
be required to sign an agreement stating that they will not sell any of the 
food that they can at the cannery. Each cannery must maintain schedules of 
times at which the canning facilities are available to the public and also 
shall maintain records related to the use of the facilities as the State Board 
of Education and the Clemson Extension Service consider 
appropriate.

 (C) Before 
January 1, 2029, the State Board of Education and Clemson Extension Service 
shall report on the performance of each cannery and make recommendations 
regarding whether the program should be continued and expanded through the 
permanent enactment of legislation for that purpose.

SECTION 2. This joint resolution takes effect 
upon approval by the Governor and is subject to funding by the General Assembly.

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This web page was last updated on April 30, 2025 at 10:19 AM