[ Text of section added by 2019, 5, Sec. 7 effective March 29, 2019.]

Section 2EEEEE. (a) There shall be a Massachusetts Veterans and Warriors to Agriculture Program Fund. The fund shall be administered by the department of agricultural resources. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, there shall be credited to the fund any revenue from appropriations or other money authorized by the general court and specifically designated to be credited to the fund and any gifts, grants, private contributions or investment income earned on the fund's assets and all other sources. Money deposited in the fund that is unexpended at the end of the fiscal year shall not revert to the General Fund and shall be available for expenditure in the subsequent fiscal year and shall not be subject to section 5C.

(b) The department of agricultural resources, in consultation with the department of veteran services, shall establish, develop and implement the Massachusetts Veterans and Warriors to Agriculture Program to enhance the education, training, employment, income, productivity and retention of veterans currently working or aspiring to work in the field of agriculture in the commonwealth. Amounts credited to the fund shall be used, without further appropriation, for the costs associated with administering and implementing the program and may also be used to provide grants or loans on a competitive basis to public, private and charitable entities to finance projects in furtherance of the purpose of the program. Expenditures from the fund for such purpose shall complement and not replace existing local, state, private or federal funding for related training and educational programs.

(c) Annually, not later than March 1, the department shall submit a report to the clerks of the house of representatives and the senate, the joint committee on environment, natural resources and agriculture and the house and senate committees on ways and means that provides an accounting of the money received in the fund, broken down by source, and the expenditures made from the fund, broken down by payer and amount paid.