Bill Text: NY A06598 | 2009-2010 | General Assembly | Amended


Bill Title: Authorizes the department of health to implement a community food security, empowerment and economic development program (SEED) to help meet the food need of low-income people and promote comprehensive responses to local food, farm and nutrition issues; provides grants for the cost of program projects which will be available to non-profit organizations and local governments, with limited partnership with for-profit enterprises; makes related provisions.

Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 19-2)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-07-01 - held for consideration in ways and means [A06598 Detail]

Download: New_York-2009-A06598-Amended.html
                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                        6598--A
                              2009-2010 Regular Sessions
                                 I N  A S S E M B L Y
                                     March 6, 2009
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  COOK,  ORTIZ, GREENE, ROBINSON, SCHROEDER --
         Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. ALFANO,  BARRA,  BOYLAND,  CHRISTENSEN,
         COLTON,  GLICK,  GOTTFRIED,  JACOBS,  JOHN,  MARKEY, McENENY, PHEFFER,
         J. RIVERA, SCARBOROUGH, TITONE, TOWNS -- read once and referred to the
         Committee on Health -- reported and referred to the Committee on  Ways
         and  Means -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as
         amended and recommitted to said committee
       AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to  creating  a  food
         security, empowerment and economic development program
         THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section 1. Legislative intent. The legislature finds there is  a  need
    2  for  community  economic development to improve the food system in areas
    3  where there is an inadequate food supply and many residents who rely  on
    4  fluctuating  government  and private food assistance. There is a need to
    5  develop food resources and businesses in these communities that  provide
    6  higher  quality,  more  accessible food. The legislature also finds that
    7  local farmers and food producers  can  and  should  benefit  from  these
    8  efforts.
    9    The  legislature  further finds that as the federal government and New
   10  York state attempt to reduce dependency on government, there is  a  need
   11  to  support families leaving public assistance for work. One approach to
   12  increasing work opportunities and addressing the  food  needs  in  these
   13  communities  is  through  the  development of "community food security",
   14  which is defined as people successfully obtaining an acceptable,  nutri-
   15  tious diet using local non-emergency sources.
   16    Community  food  security projects are designed to meet the food needs
   17  of low income people,  increase  the  self-reliance  of  communities  in
   18  providing  for their own food needs, and promote comprehensive responses
   19  to local food, farm and nutrition issues. For  example,  these  projects
   20  provide  training  in  urban  gardening  and sales, assist entrepreneurs
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD00160-02-9
       A. 6598--A                          2
    1  starting  micro-enterprises,  support  farmers'  markets  in  distressed
    2  neighborhoods  and  provide  food-based  educational  opportunities  for
    3  schools.
    4    The  legislature  supports the goals of self-reliance, community-based
    5  economic development, profitable local agriculture,  improved  nutrition
    6  and  helping  families  and  individuals help themselves. Therefore, the
    7  legislature finds that the creation of a community food security program
    8  for New York state will benefit struggling working  families  and  their
    9  communities,  provide  new markets for family farmers, create food-based
   10  jobs and small businesses, and ensure healthier citizens  and  neighbor-
   11  hoods.
   12    S 2. The public health law is amended by adding a new article 27-FF to
   13  read as follows:
   14                                ARTICLE 27-FF
   15                          COMMUNITY FOOD SECURITY,
   16                               EMPOWERMENT AND
   17                        ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
   18  SECTION 2790. COMMUNITY FOOD SECURITY, EMPOWERMENT AND ECONOMIC DEVELOP-
   19                  MENT PROGRAM.
   20          2791. GRANTS TO ORGANIZATIONS.
   21          2792. ADVISORY COUNCIL.
   22    S  2790. COMMUNITY FOOD SECURITY, EMPOWERMENT AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
   23  PROGRAM.  THE COMMUNITY FOOD SECURITY, EMPOWERMENT AND ECONOMIC DEVELOP-
   24  MENT PROGRAM IS ESTABLISHED  WITHIN  THE  DEPARTMENT.  SUCH  PROGRAM  IS
   25  ESTABLISHED  TO  SUPPORT  THE  DEVELOPMENT  OF  COMMUNITY  FOOD PROJECTS
   26  DESIGNED TO MEET THE FOOD  NEEDS  OF  LOW-INCOME  PEOPLE,  INCREASE  THE
   27  SELF-RELIANCE  OF  COMMUNITIES IN PROVIDING FOR THEIR OWN FOOD NEEDS AND
   28  PROMOTE COMPREHENSIVE  RESPONSES  TO  LOCAL  FOOD,  FARM  AND  NUTRITION
   29  ISSUES.  THESE  PROJECTS  WILL ATTEMPT TO: INCREASE THE AVAILABILITY, IN
   30  THE TARGETED COMMUNITIES, OF CULTURALLY ACCEPTABLE,  AFFORDABLE,  NUTRI-
   31  TIONALLY  ADEQUATE  FOOD,  FROM LOCAL SOURCES WHENEVER POSSIBLE; DEVELOP
   32  LINKAGES BETWEEN LOCAL FARMERS AND COMMUNITIES SERVED  BY  THE  PROJECT;
   33  SUPPORT  JOB  DEVELOPMENT  AND  JOB  TRAINING, INCLUDING WORK EXPERIENCE
   34  REQUIRED BY WELFARE REFORM; SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT  OF  ENTREPRENEURIAL
   35  ENTERPRISES;  PROMOTE  GOOD  NUTRITION; ENCOURAGE LONG-TERM PLANNING AND
   36  MULTI-AGENCY INVOLVEMENT IN THE PROJECT; AND,  INCLUDE  COMMUNITY  RESI-
   37  DENTS IN DECISION-MAKING.
   38    S  2791.  GRANTS  TO ORGANIZATIONS. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL MAKE GRANTS
   39  FOR PROGRAM PROJECTS, SUBJECT TO THE AVAILABILITY OF FUNDING, TO  COMMU-
   40  NITY-BASED  NONPROFIT  ORGANIZATIONS  AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS. IN ORDER TO
   41  MEET THE GOALS OF THE PROGRAM, APPLICANTS MAY CREATE  PARTNERSHIPS  WITH
   42  OTHER  ENTITIES,  INCLUDING  LIMITED  PARTICIPATION BY FOR-PROFIT ENTER-
   43  PRISES.
   44    PREFERENCE FOR THESE GRANTS SHALL BE  GIVEN  TO  PROJECTS  LOCATED  IN
   45  COMMUNITIES  WITH A SIGNIFICANT PERCENTAGE OF THE POPULATION PARTICIPAT-
   46  ING IN GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS.
   47    PROJECTS FUNDED BY THESE GRANTS SHALL BE DESIGNED TO BECOME  SELF-SUS-
   48  TAINING, NOT DEPENDENT ON CONTINUAL GRANTS FROM THIS PROGRAM.
   49    S  2792. ADVISORY COUNCIL. AN ADVISORY COUNCIL SHALL BE ESTABLISHED TO
   50  ASSIST THE COMMISSIONER IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE GRANT PROGRAM  AND  IN
   51  REVIEWING APPLICATIONS FOR SUCH GRANTS. THE COUNCIL SHALL BE COMPOSED OF
   52  TWELVE  MEMBERS  WITH EXPERTISE IN COMMUNITY FOOD SECURITY.  SIX MEMBERS
   53  SHALL BE APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR, TWO MEMBERS SHALL  BE  APPOINTED  BY
   54  THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE, TWO MEMBERS SHALL BE APPOINTED BY
   55  THE SPEAKER OF THE ASSEMBLY, ONE MEMBER SHALL BE APPOINTED BY THE MINOR-
   56  ITY LEADER OF THE SENATE AND ONE MEMBER SHALL BE APPOINTED BY THE MINOR-
       A. 6598--A                          3
    1  ITY LEADER OF THE ASSEMBLY. THESE MEMBERS SHALL SERVE AT THE WILL OF THE
    2  APPOINTING  AUTHORITY.  THE COMMISSIONERS OF THE OFFICE OF TEMPORARY AND
    3  DISABILITY ASSISTANCE, AGRICULTURE AND MARKETS AND ECONOMIC  DEVELOPMENT
    4  OR THEIR DESIGNEES SHALL ALSO PARTICIPATE IN THE ADVISORY COUNCIL.
    5    S 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
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