Bill Text: NY S00337 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

---

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) 2024-01-03 - REFERRED TO AGRICULTURE [S00337 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S00337-Introduced.html

---

                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                           337

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                       (Prefiled)

                                     January 4, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen. JACKSON -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Agriculture

        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 and increases
          market opportunities for farmers from under-represented communities

          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

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02245-01-3
        S. 337                              2

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