Bill Text: NY A01171 | 2013-2014 | General Assembly | Amended
Bill Title: Creates a legislative task force on outdoor environmental education and recreation that will benefit residents of New York state by fostering stewardship and conservation of the environment, and an appreciation of the importance of the wise use of natural resources as well as acknowledgment of the health benefits of time spent in nature.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 9-5)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-01-22 - print number 1171a [A01171 Detail]
Download: New_York-2013-A01171-Amended.html
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
1171--A
2013-2014 Regular Sessions
I N A S S E M B L Y
(PREFILED)
January 9, 2013
___________
Introduced by M. of A. GUNTHER, ROBINSON, CROUCH, LUPARDO, ENGLEBRIGHT,
ROBERTS, JAFFEE -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. BARCLAY, BOYLAND,
FINCH, HAWLEY, RIVERA, SALADINO, TITONE -- read once and referred to
the Committee on Environmental Conservation -- recommitted to the
Committee on Environmental Conservation in accordance with Assembly
Rule 3, sec. 2 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered
reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT creating a legislative task force on outdoor environmental educa-
tion and recreation that will benefit residents of New York state by
stewardship and conservation of the environment, an appreciation of
the importance of the wise use of natural resources as well as
acknowledgment of the health benefits of time spent in nature
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
1 Section 1. Legislative findings. (a) The legislature hereby finds that
2 in the last two decades, childhood has moved indoors. The average Ameri-
3 can boy or girl spends just four to seven minutes each day in unstruc-
4 tured outdoor play, and more than seven hours each day in front of an
5 electronic screen. The decline in the appreciation and prevalence of
6 outdoor recreation opportunities profoundly impacts the wellness of our
7 state's youth. The correlation between increasing childhood obesity
8 rates and the decline in outdoor recreation is undeniable.
9 (b) The legislature further finds that visual and physical access to
10 basic types of open space is vital for everyone, and particularly valu-
11 able to children growing up in "urban hardscapes", or areas where access
12 to nature is limited.
13 (c) The legislature further finds that the development of policies
14 that foster stewardship of the environment, the importance of the wise
15 use of natural resources and recognition of the health benefits of time
16 spent in nature are essential to the residents of New York state. The
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01646-03-4
A. 1171--A 2
1 legislature concludes that this can best be accomplished by the creation
2 of a task force on outdoor environmental education and recreation.
3 S 2. Objectives. A legislative task force on outdoor environmental
4 education and recreation is hereby established to:
5 (a) Promote the development of a framework that will ensure that New
6 York state has an aggressive outdoor environmental education and recre-
7 ation plan for children that focuses on creating, developing and retain-
8 ing opportunities for outdoor play and learning;
9 (b) Identify and support programs which offer safe access to open
10 spaces and summer camp to children from urban areas;
11 (c) Promote the development of policy recommendations to ensure that
12 New York's public and private sectors focus on creating opportunities
13 for underserved and at-risk children to participate in outdoor play and
14 educational experiences;
15 (d) Promote the development of strategies to ensure that K-12 educa-
16 tional institutions develop policies and programs that promote environ-
17 mental education to encourage outdoor play thereby improving public
18 health and take advantage of the physical, mental and spiritual benefits
19 of moving outdoors in nature;
20 (e) Promote the development of strategies to assist community based,
21 nonprofit organizations in furthering programs that provide for summer
22 camp and out of school time opportunities for outdoor recreation or
23 education;
24 (f) Evaluate laws, rules, and procedures to ensure that they facili-
25 tate, or at least do not hinder, the growth of outdoor play or environ-
26 mental education.
27 S 3. Composition. The task force shall consist of twelve members. The
28 task force members will have experience and expertise in outdoor recre-
29 ation and environmental education. The task force shall consist of: the
30 commissioner of education or his or her designee, the commissioner of
31 health or his or her designee, the commissioner of environmental conser-
32 vation or his or her designee, the commissioner of the office of parks,
33 recreation and historic preservation or his or her designee. One member
34 shall be a representative from a nonprofit health and wellness organiza-
35 tion. One member shall be a representative from a nonprofit environ-
36 mental conservation organization. Two members shall be appointed by the
37 governor; one member to be appointed by the temporary president of the
38 senate; one member to be appointed by the minority leader of the senate;
39 one member to be appointed by the speaker of the assembly; and one
40 member to be appointed by the minority leader of the assembly. The task
41 force shall be appointed for a term of two years.
42 S 4. Report. The task force shall report its findings, conclusions and
43 recommendations to the governor, majority leader of the senate and the
44 speaker of the assembly by January 1, 2017. The task force may develop
45 and publish other documents throughout the year as it deems necessary
46 and/or appropriate.
47 S 5. This act shall take effect immediately.
