Bill Text: NY A05781 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Amended


Bill Title: Establishes the Nourish New York program to facilitate programming that ensures that certain surplus agricultural products are provided to food relief organizations at competitive wholesale prices.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 20-9)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-05-25 - substituted by s4892a [A05781 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-A05781-Amended.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         5781--A

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    February 25, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M.  of A. CRUZ, LUPARDO, BARRON, AUBRY, GUNTHER, KELLES,
          STECK, FERNANDEZ, CLARK,  THIELE,  RODRIGUEZ,  JACKSON,  DeSTEFANO  --
          Multi-Sponsored  by -- M. of A. B. MILLER -- 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 the
          Nourish New York program

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

     1    Section  1. The agriculture and markets law is amended by adding a new
     2  article 27 to read as follows:
     3                                 ARTICLE 27
     4                              NOURISH NEW YORK
     5  Section 450. Declaration of legislative findings and intent.
     6          451. Definitions.
     7          452. Nourish New York program.
     8    § 450. Declaration of legislative findings and intent. While the Nour-
     9  ish New York program was developed in response to disrupted food  supply
    10  chains  due  to  the  COVID-19  pandemic, it has emerged as an important
    11  innovation, significantly supporting the state's farms  while  providing
    12  nourishing  fresh  foods  to  people  experiencing  food insecurity. The
    13  COVID-19 crisis unveiled the  weaknesses  in  our  state's  food  supply
    14  system  and  has caused serious economic hardships for the state's farms
    15  and agribusinesses.  But, in the ten months since its inception, Nourish
    16  New York has already strengthened the state's food  supply  network  and
    17  expanded markets for New York farm products. The local food movement has
    18  also  gained  significant  momentum during the pandemic, with increasing
    19  numbers of New Yorkers wanting to know  where  their  food  is  sourced.
    20  This  presents  the  state with a major opportunity to support our local
    21  economies and create greater equity in  our  food  system  by  providing

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD09808-07-1

        A. 5781--A                          2

     1  greater  access to local, healthy options in food insecure areas through
     2  making the Nourish New York program permanent.
     3    §  451.  Definitions.  1. "Food relief organization" means a religious
     4  organization or other not-for-profit that  provides  food  for  free  to
     5  persons  experiencing  food  insecurity,  including but not limited to a
     6  food pantry, food bank, or soup kitchen or community-based  organization
     7  that provides food for free to persons experiencing food insecurity.
     8    2. "Surplus agricultural products" means consumable or edible agricul-
     9  tural  products  grown  in  New  York  but shall not include condiments,
    10  sweeteners or beverages containing alcohol.
    11    § 452. Nourish New York program. 1. The  commissioner  shall,  to  the
    12  extent  permitted  by  state or federal appropriations for such purpose,
    13  facilitate programming that ensures surplus  agricultural  products  are
    14  provided to food relief organizations at competitive wholesale prices.
    15    2. The commissioner shall provide technical assistance and information
    16  about  the  program  to  food relief organizations, producers of surplus
    17  agricultural products and the public, including,  but  not  limited  to,
    18  information posted on the department's website.
    19    3.  The commissioner shall provide means, which may include posting on
    20  the department's website, for producers to make available surplus  agri-
    21  cultural  products  and  for food relief organizations to access surplus
    22  agricultural products.
    23    4. The commissioner, in consultation with the  department  of  health,
    24  shall review the current funding structure, funding adequacy and current
    25  service  levels of the hunger prevention nutrition assistance program in
    26  all regions of the state. Review of current service  levels  shall  take
    27  into  account  the  size  of the service area, the population in need of
    28  such hunger prevention nutrition assistance program  and  the  need  for
    29  additional  facilities  within  a  region in order to address increasing
    30  food insecurity and hunger.  Following  such  review,  the  commissioner
    31  shall make and report any recommendations, including but not limited to,
    32  increasing the maximum amount of money each food pantry may be allocated
    33  by  such  program,  whether  such  program funding should be indexed for
    34  inflation annually, and any  structural  and  funding  adequacy  changes
    35  deemed necessary.
    36    5. The commissioner shall review and report on the need to establish a
    37  grant  program  to  fund  the  purchase  of  cold  storage equipment for
    38  regional food banks, food pantries and other  emergency  food  organiza-
    39  tions.  Such  grant  program  shall prioritize regions of the state that
    40  have the highest demand for emergency food  and  regions  of  the  state
    41  where regional food banks and pantries have determined the need for more
    42  capacity  to  safely  store perishable food before such food is distrib-
    43  uted.  Such report shall be completed and submitted to the governor  and
    44  the legislature no later than February first, two thousand twenty-two.
    45    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
feedback