Bill Text: NY A05462 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Establishes a farm-to-school task force; directs the commissioner of education to develop a program to require all public schools to provide fresh foods to students in a manner that supports local agriculture and increases market opportunities for farmers from under-represented communities.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-01-05 - referred to agriculture [A05462 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-A05462-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         5462--A

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    February 17, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced by M. of A. KELLES -- read once and referred to the Committee
          on   Agriculture   --  committee  discharged,  bill  amended,  ordered
          reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee

        AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation  to  estab-
          lishing  a  farm-to-school task force; and to amend the education law,
          in relation to requiring all public schools to provide fresh foods  to
          students in a manner that supports local agriculture

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

     1    Section 1. Subdivision 5-b  of  section  16  of  the  agriculture  and
     2  markets law is amended by adding a new paragraph (d) to read as follows:
     3    (d) Establish a task force to study and make recommendations on how to
     4  provide fresh foods in all school districts in the state, while support-
     5  ing  New York local agriculture, and increasing market opportunities for
     6  farmers from under-represented communities, including but not limited to
     7  farmers who are black, indigenous, and people of color. Such task  force
     8  shall  be composed of nine members who shall possess expertise in issues
     9  relating to the work of the task force. Two members shall  be  appointed
    10  by  the  governor,  two members shall be appointed by the speaker of the
    11  assembly, two members shall be appointed by the temporary  president  of
    12  the  senate, one member shall be appointed by the minority leader of the
    13  assembly, one member shall be appointed by the minority  leader  of  the
    14  senate  and one member shall be the commissioner or his or her designee.
    15  The commissioner or his or her designee shall serve  as  chairperson  of
    16  the  task force.   Members of the task force shall be appointed no later
    17  than one hundred twenty days after the effective date of this paragraph.
    18  Vacancies shall be filled within thirty days in the same manner provided
    19  for original appointments. No later than  one  year  after  all  initial
    20  appointments  have  been  made the task force shall make a report to the
    21  governor, the legislature and the commissioner of education of its find-
    22  ings, conclusions and recommendations.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02315-06-1
        A. 5462--A                          2

     1    § 2. Subdivision 31 of section 305 of the education law, as  added  by
     2  chapter 2 of the laws of 2001, is amended to read as follows:
     3    31. The commissioner shall cooperate with the commissioner of agricul-
     4  ture and markets in establishing a farm-to-school program and coordinat-
     5  ing  New York Harvest For New York Kids Week as described in subdivision
     6  five-b of section sixteen  of  the  agriculture  and  markets  law.  The
     7  commissioner's  responsibilities  shall  include, but not be limited to,
     8  developing a program based on the findings of the task force established
     9  pursuant to paragraph (d) of subdivision five-b of  section  sixteen  of
    10  the  agriculture and markets law, to require all school districts in the
    11  state to provide fresh foods to students in a manner that  supports  New
    12  York  local  agriculture,  compiling  information  for the department of
    13  agriculture and markets from  school  districts  and  other  educational
    14  institutions  under the department's jurisdiction interested in purchas-
    15  ing New York farm products and  disseminating  to  those  districts  and
    16  institutions  information from the department of agriculture and markets
    17  about the availability of New York farm products, and  contact  informa-
    18  tion  for  farmers  and  other  businesses  marketing such products. The
    19  commissioner shall report to the legislature about the need for  changes
    20  in  law to facilitate the purchase of such products by schools and other
    21  institutions.
    22    § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of January next  succeed-
    23  ing the date on which it shall have become a law.