STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 592 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN SENATE (Prefiled) January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sens. HINCHEY, ASHBY, BORRELLO, CLEARE, MAY, ROLISON, WEBB -- 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 the New York state youth in agriculture and entrepreneurship summer employment 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 29-A to read as follows: 3 ARTICLE 29-A 4 NEW YORK STATE YOUTH IN AGRICULTURE AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP SUMMER 5 EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM 6 Section 525. Legislative intent and findings. 7 526. Definitions. 8 527. New York state youth in agriculture and entrepreneurship 9 summer employment program. 10 528. Commissioner's power and duties. 11 § 525. Legislative intent and findings. The legislature hereby finds 12 that diversifying the agricultural industry addresses issues of food 13 insecurity and food access in the state. The legislature further finds 14 that there are certain culturally significant foods in the state and 15 seeks to encourage the continuance of production of such foods and to 16 generate an interest in the production of such foods by future gener- 17 ations of persons working in agriculture. The legislature hereby estab- 18 lishes the New York state youth in agriculture and entrepreneurship 19 summer employment program to allow students the opportunity to be 20 educated on the agricultural industry and alternative career paths and 21 to attain entrepreneurial experience. The legislature also establishes 22 this program to subsidize youth employment for farms and farmers' EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD01740-01-5S. 592 2 1 markets that could otherwise participate in the program if the wages 2 were not a hardship. It is the intention of the legislation that the 3 New York state youth in agriculture and entrepreneurship summer employ- 4 ment program serves as a stepping stone for such youth in careers in 5 agriculture and entrepreneurship, as well as to provide farmers means to 6 participate in the program. 7 § 526. Definitions. As used in this section: 8 1. "Minority or socially disadvantaged" means a group whose members 9 have been subjected to racial, ethnic, or gender prejudice because of 10 their identity as members of a group without regard to their individual 11 qualities or citizenship status. These groups include, but are not 12 limited to, the following: 13 (a) African Americans; 14 (b) Native Indians; 15 (c) Alaskan Natives; 16 (d) Hispanics; 17 (e) Asian Americans; and, 18 (f) Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. 19 2. "Low income or economically disadvantaged" means having a family 20 income that does not exceed one hundred fifty percent of the federal 21 poverty level, including being a child of a working migratory family or 22 an agricultural worker who is employed by more than one agricultural 23 employer during the course of a year and whose income varies according 24 to weather conditions and market stability. 25 3. "Qualifying business" means a farmers market, mobile market, commu- 26 nity supported agriculture, cooperative, or any other type of business 27 structure that provides New York grown and raised foods directly to 28 consumers as approved by the commissioner. 29 4. "Qualifying farm" means a small to medium-sized farm or urban farm 30 participating in a qualifying business. 31 5. "Agricultural work" means work performed maintaining crops or tend- 32 ing livestock. 33 6. "Entrepreneurship work experience" means experience that aims to 34 develop skills deemed necessary to succeed in the design, launch and 35 running of a new business. 36 7. "Subsidized employment" means any employment through the New York 37 state youth in agriculture and entrepreneurship summer employment 38 program for which any costs associated with participation in the 39 program, including wages and transportation, are paid by the state or by 40 the federal government. 41 § 527. New York state youth in agriculture and entrepreneurship summer 42 employment program. 1. There is hereby established in the department the 43 New York state youth in agriculture and entrepreneurship summer employ- 44 ment program to provide students with the opportunity to be educated on 45 the agricultural industry and alternative career paths and to provide 46 agricultural work experience and entrepreneurship work experience. 47 2. The commissioner shall establish application criteria that require 48 qualifying businesses and qualifying farms to provide unsubsidized or 49 subsidized employment as follows: 50 (a) Unsubsidized employment: 51 (i) demonstrate that such business or farm can provide students with 52 both agricultural work experience and entrepreneurship work experience; 53 (ii) pay wages to eligible students in an amount that is above minimum 54 wage;S. 592 3 1 (iii) provide transportation to and from the qualifying business or 2 qualifying farm or to provide transportation compensation to the eligi- 3 ble student; and 4 (iv) provide eligible students with a minimum of sixteen hours and a 5 maximum of no more than forty hours of work per week. 6 (b) Subsidized employment: 7 (i) demonstrate that such business or farm can provide students with 8 both agricultural work experience and entrepreneurship work experience; 9 (ii) establish a hardship to pay wages to eligible students in an 10 amount that is above minimum wage; 11 (iii) demonstrate a hardship to provide transportation to and from 12 the qualifying business or qualifying farm or a hardship to provide 13 transportation compensation to the eligible student; and 14 (iv) provide eligible students with a minimum of sixteen hours and a 15 maximum of no more than forty hours of work per week. 16 § 528. Commissioner's powers and duties. The commissioner shall have 17 the following powers and duties with regards to the New York state youth 18 in agriculture and entrepreneurship summer employment program: 19 1. to promulgate grants as necessary to achieve the legislative intent 20 of this program as set forth in this article. 21 2. to apply for federal grants to help fund the program. 22 3. in consultation and cooperation with the commissioner of social 23 services, the commissioner of education, and the president of the higher 24 education services corporation, to perform outreach to ensure the 25 program is known and available to students who are socially disadvan- 26 taged or economically disadvantaged. 27 4. to establish a website for the program which includes a portal 28 where students may apply for jobs and where qualifying businesses and 29 qualifying farms may connect and which provides promotional materials 30 about the program in a pdf format that is easily accessible and print- 31 able by organizations and the general public. 32 5. to include annual outreach campaigns that start at least three 33 months prior to the date when applications for the summer program are 34 first able to be submitted. Such campaigns shall include outreach to 35 schools, non-profit organizations, qualifying businesses and qualifying 36 farms. Such outreach shall be performed in a variety of methods, includ- 37 ing a social media campaign. 38 6. to create an informational packet for students on agricultural 39 opportunities in higher education including, but not limited to, infor- 40 mation on the availability of scholarships, student loan forgiveness, 41 and government assistance to create and establish farms. 42 7. to establish a subsidized employment program for qualifying farms 43 and qualifying businesses that could otherwise participate in the 44 program if paying wages were not a hardship. 45 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after 46 it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend- 47 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen- 48 tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and 49 completed on or before such effective date.