Bill Text: NY A10304 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced


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: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-05-13 - referred to environmental conservation [A10304 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-A10304-Introduced.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          10304

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                      May 13, 2022
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Gunther) --
          read once and referred to the Committee on Environmental Conservation

        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
    17  legislature concludes that this can best be accomplished by the creation
    18  of a task force on outdoor environmental education and recreation.
    19    §  2.  Objectives.  A  legislative task force on outdoor environmental
    20  education and recreation is hereby established to:
    21    (a) Promote the development of a framework that will ensure  that  New
    22  York  state has an aggressive outdoor environmental education and recre-
    23  ation plan for children that focuses on creating, developing and retain-
    24  ing opportunities for outdoor play and learning;

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02743-01-1

        A. 10304                            2

     1    (b) Identify and support programs which  offer  safe  access  to  open
     2  spaces and summer camp to children from urban areas;
     3    (c)  Promote  the development of policy recommendations to ensure that
     4  New York's public and private sectors focus  on  creating  opportunities
     5  for  underserved and at-risk children to participate in outdoor play and
     6  educational experiences;
     7    (d) Promote the development of strategies to ensure that  K-12  educa-
     8  tional  institutions develop policies and programs that promote environ-
     9  mental education to encourage  outdoor  play  thereby  improving  public
    10  health and take advantage of the physical, mental and spiritual benefits
    11  of moving outdoors in nature;
    12    (e)  Promote  the development of strategies to assist community based,
    13  nonprofit organizations in furthering programs that provide  for  summer
    14  camp  and  out  of  school  time opportunities for outdoor recreation or
    15  education;
    16    (f) Evaluate laws, rules, and procedures to ensure that  they  facili-
    17  tate,  or at least do not hinder, the growth of outdoor play or environ-
    18  mental education.
    19    § 3. Composition. The task force shall consist of twelve members.  The
    20  task  force members will have experience and expertise in outdoor recre-
    21  ation and environmental education. The task force shall consist of:  the
    22  commissioner of education or his or her designee,  the  commissioner  of
    23  health or his or her designee, the commissioner of environmental conser-
    24  vation  or his or her designee, the commissioner of the office of parks,
    25  recreation and historic preservation or his or her designee. One  member
    26  shall be a representative from a nonprofit health and wellness organiza-
    27  tion.  One  member  shall  be a representative from a nonprofit environ-
    28  mental conservation organization.  Two members shall be appointed by the
    29  governor; one member to be appointed by the temporary president  of  the
    30  senate; one member to be appointed by the minority leader of the senate;
    31  one  member  to  be  appointed  by  the speaker of the assembly; and one
    32  member to be appointed by the minority leader of the assembly. The  task
    33  force shall be appointed for a term of two years.
    34    § 4. Report. The task force shall report its findings, conclusions and
    35  recommendations  to  the governor, majority leader of the senate and the
    36  speaker of the assembly by January 1, 2024. The task force  may  develop
    37  and  publish  other  documents throughout the year as it deems necessary
    38  and/or appropriate.
    39    § 5. This act shall take effect immediately.
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