Bill Text: NY A06042 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Provides for the establishment of the young farmer advisory board on agriculture to identify issues relating to young and beginning farmers and to provide advice to the commissioner, the governor and relevant state agencies regarding the promotion of agriculture as a career path and the economic development of young and aspiring farmers.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-06-20 - substituted by s4021 [A06042 Detail]

Download: New_York-2017-A06042-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          6042
                               2017-2018 Regular Sessions
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                    February 21, 2017
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by M. of A. MAGEE -- read once and referred to the Committee
          on Agriculture
        AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation  to  estab-
          lishing a young farmer agriculture advisory board
          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  section 309-a to read as follows:
     3    §  309-a.  Young farmer advisory board on agriculture.  1. There shall
     4  be established within the department the young farmer advisory board  on
     5  agriculture, to advise and make recommendations to the state agencies on
     6  state  government plans, policies and programs affecting agriculture, as
     7  outlined below, and in such areas as  its  experience  and  studies  may
     8  indicate  to  be  appropriate.  The  department  shall provide necessary
     9  secretariat and support services to the board.
    10    2. The young farmer advisory board on  agriculture  shall  consist  of
    11  twenty members, ten to be appointed by the governor, with the advice and
    12  consent  of  the  senate and assembly, selected for their experience and
    13  expertise related to areas of board responsibility. The board  shall  be
    14  comprised of diverse members of the agriculture industry as follows:
    15    (a) Of the twenty members appointed to the board:
    16    (1) one shall be from the department;
    17    (2) one shall be from the empire state development corporation;
    18    (3) one shall be an officer of the Future Farmers of America (FFA);
    19    (4) one shall be an urban farmer;
    20    (5) one shall be from the New York Farm Bureau; and
    21    (6)  fifteen  shall  be  from the general public appointed as follows:
    22  five to be appointed by the temporary president of the senate,  five  to
    23  be appointed by the speaker of the assembly, and five to be appointed by
    24  the governor.
    25    (b) Each member shall:
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD09202-03-7
        A. 6042                             2
     1    (1)  be  interested in the preservation and development of agriculture
     2  and preservation of the agricultural way of life in New York;
     3    (2)  be  under the age of forty-five years old at the beginning of the
     4  member's term;
     5    (3) derive at least fifty percent of the member's personal income from
     6  farming or agricultural activities in the state;
     7    (4) be a resident of the state; and
     8    (5) be appointed for a term of three years and may serve  until  their
     9  successors  are  chosen;  provided,  however,  that of the members first
    10  appointed, six shall serve for a term of one year, six shall serve for a
    11  term of two years and eight shall serve for a term of three years.
    12    (c) Members shall serve  without  salary  but  shall  be  entitled  to
    13  reimbursement of their ordinary and necessary travel expenses.
    14    (d) The members of the board shall meet quarterly.
    15    3.  The duties and responsibilities of the young farmer advisory board
    16  on agriculture shall include, but not be limited to:
    17    (a) annually electing from its members a chairperson,  a  vice  chair-
    18  person,  and  a  secretary of the advisory board at the advisory board's
    19  first meeting of the calendar year;
    20    (b) communicating to the general public, the federal  government,  and
    21  the  state  government  the importance of young and beginning farmers to
    22  agriculture in the state;
    23    (c) identify issues relating to young and  beginning  farmers  in  the
    24  state  and  provide  timely advice to the commissioner, the governor and
    25  the relevant state agencies, with regard to the promotion of agriculture
    26  as a career path and the economic  development  of  young  and  aspiring
    27  farmers;
    28    (d)  produce an annual report and provide such report to the governor,
    29  the temporary president of the senate and the speaker of the assembly on
    30  or before the end of each calendar year. Such report shall identify  and
    31  prioritize policy issues which affect young and aspiring farmers; and
    32    (e)  establish  committees, as necessary, to develop projects relating
    33  to the aspects of life for young and beginning farmers in the state.
    34    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.