Bill Text: NY A00952 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Directs the commissioner of agriculture and markets, in coordination with the commissioner of economic development, to work with the state's land grant university system to produce a report to provide advice, guidance, and recommendations on improving the resiliency and self-reliance of the state's farm and food supply and the related supply chain logistics to address food shortages, food waste, and the inability to get New York farm goods to markets that occurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the goal of creating permanent solutions beyond the state of emergency to reflect the changing wholesale, retail and consumer marketplace; makes related provisions.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)

Status: (Passed) 2021-02-16 - signed chap.24 [A00952 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-A00952-Introduced.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                           952

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                       (Prefiled)

                                     January 6, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by M. of A. LUPARDO -- read once and referred to the Commit-
          tee on Agriculture

        AN ACT in relation to directing  the  commissioner  of  agriculture  and
          markets  to  work  with  the  state's  land grant university system to
          produce a report to provide recommendations on the  state's  farm  and
          food  supply;  and to repeal certain provisions of the agriculture and
          markets law relating thereto

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Subdivision 51 of section 16 of the agriculture and markets
     2  law,  as added by a chapter of the laws of 2020 amending the agriculture
     3  and markets law relating to establishing a New York food supply  working
     4  group,  as  proposed  in  legislative  bills  numbers  S.  8561-A and A.
     5  10607-A, is REPEALED.
     6    § 2. (a) The commissioner of agriculture and markets, in  coordination
     7  with  the  commissioner  of  economic  development,  shall work with the
     8  state's land grant university system to  produce  a  report  to  provide
     9  advice,  guidance,  and  recommendations on improving the resiliency and
    10  self-reliance of the state's farm and food supply and the related supply
    11  chain logistics to address food shortages, food waste, and the inability
    12  to get New York farm goods to markets that occurred as a result  of  the
    13  COVID-19  pandemic, with the goal of creating permanent solutions beyond
    14  the state of emergency to reflect the  changing  wholesale,  retail  and
    15  consumer marketplace.
    16    (b)  The  commissioners  shall solicit the input of representatives of
    17  the entire food supply  chain  from  different  regions  of  the  state,
    18  including women, minority, small, and family-owned businesses and farms,
    19  of:
    20    (i) farmers, organic and conventional;

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD07155-01-1

        A. 952                              2

     1    (ii)  food  processors  including, but not limited to, dairy, produce,
     2  meat, and beverage processors;
     3    (iii)  retail  food  businesses  including, but not limited to, retail
     4  food stores and direct farm-to-consumer businesses;
     5    (iv) the food service industry including, but not limited to,  restau-
     6  rants and institutional foodservice;
     7    (v) food wholesalers and distributors;
     8    (vi)  food  transporters including, but not limited to, direct-to-con-
     9  sumer transporters serving retail food stores, foodservice, and farmers;
    10    (vii) labor organizations and workers from the farm and food industry;
    11    (viii) emergency food providers including, but not  limited  to,  food
    12  banks;
    13    (ix)  academic  experts  in  food production, marketing, distribution,
    14  food safety, and consumers;
    15    (x) local, state and federal agencies  with  responsibility  for  food
    16  production, processing, marketing, and safety; and
    17    (xi)  any  other  representatives  of  agriculture, the food industry,
    18  economic development, or any other state agencies the  commissioners  of
    19  agriculture and markets and economic development deem necessary.
    20    (c)  The commissioners shall hold on or before May first, two thousand
    21  twenty-one, a roundtable meeting of the representatives consulted  under
    22  subdivision  (b) of this section and may hold such additional roundtable
    23  meetings as deemed necessary. The agenda and meeting  information  shall
    24  be  made  available  to  the public in advance and such meeting shall be
    25  open to, or accessible to, the public. Such meeting may  include,  among
    26  other  things, consideration of the following issues, especially as they
    27  relate to state or federal emergencies:
    28    (i) the need to strengthen the resiliency  and  self-reliance  of  the
    29  state's  farm  and  food  supply  and related supply chain logistics, to
    30  prevent food shortages and food waste, and to overcome hurdles  involved
    31  in getting farm products to markets and consumers; and
    32    (ii) the need for changes to, and development of, new state and feder-
    33  al  laws,  rules,  policies, and programs to address, and provide incen-
    34  tives for, the goal of strengthening and improving the state food supply
    35  in a manner that benefits New  York  farms,  food  businesses,  workers,
    36  retailers, restauranteurs, food banks, and consumers.
    37    (d)  The  commissioners shall provide a written report of the findings
    38  identifying any proposed recommendations, feasibility and costs  associ-
    39  ated with such recommendations, and guidance to the governor, the speak-
    40  er  of  the  assembly,  and  the temporary president of the senate on or
    41  before December first, two thousand twenty-one, and shall  publish  such
    42  report on the department of agriculture and market's website.
    43    §  3.  This  act  shall  take  effect on the same date and in the same
    44  manner as a chapter of the laws of 2020 relating to establishing  a  New
    45  York food supply working group, as proposed in legislative bills numbers
    46  S. 8561-A and A. 10607-A, takes effect.
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