Bill Text: NY S00854 | 2015-2016 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Directs the commissioner of education, in cooperation with the commissioner of agriculture and markets, to establish voluntary guidelines to provide for the donation of excess, unused, edible food from school, university or other educational institutions' meal programs to voluntary food assistance programs.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 12-3)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2016-03-28 - referred to education [S00854 Detail]

Download: New_York-2015-S00854-Introduced.html

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                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                          854
                              2015-2016 Regular Sessions
                                   I N  S E N A T E
                                      (PREFILED)
                                    January 7, 2015
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by Sens. KLEIN, AVELLA, CARLUCCI, HASSELL-THOMPSON, HOYLMAN,
         LATIMER, MARCHIONE, MONTGOMERY, PARKER, RITCHIE, SAVINO -- 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 and the education law,
         in relation to authorizing school districts and institutions of higher
         education to donate excess food to  local  voluntary  food  assistance
         programs
         THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section 1. Section 16 of the agriculture and markets law is amended by
    2  adding a new subdivision 5-c to read as follows:
    3    5-C. COOPERATE WITH THE COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION, PURSUANT TO  SUBDI-
    4  VISION THIRTY-TWO OF SECTION THREE HUNDRED FIVE OF THE EDUCATION LAW, TO
    5  DEVELOP  GUIDELINES FOR THE VOLUNTARY IMPLEMENTATION BY SCHOOL DISTRICTS
    6  AND INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION, AS DEFINED IN SUBDIVISION EIGHT OF
    7  SECTION TWO OF THE  EDUCATION  LAW,  OF  PROGRAMS  WHICH  ENCOURAGE  THE
    8  DONATION OF EXCESS, UNUSED, EDIBLE FOOD FROM MEALS SERVED AT SUCH EDUCA-
    9  TIONAL FACILITIES TO LOCAL VOLUNTARY FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS.
   10    S  2.  Section  305  of  the  education law is amended by adding a new
   11  subdivision 32 to read as follows:
   12    32. THE COMMISSIONER, IN CONSULTATION AND COOPERATION WITH THE COMMIS-
   13  SIONER OF AGRICULTURE AND MARKETS, SHALL DEVELOP VOLUNTARY GUIDELINES TO
   14  ENCOURAGE AND FACILITATE THE ABILITY  OF  SCHOOL  DISTRICTS  AND  INSTI-
   15  TUTIONS  OF  HIGHER EDUCATION TO DONATE EXCESS, UNUSED, EDIBLE FOOD FROM
   16  MEALS SERVED AT SUCH EDUCATIONAL  FACILITIES  TO  LOCAL  VOLUNTARY  FOOD
   17  ASSISTANCE  PROGRAMS  INCLUDING,  BUT  NOT  LIMITED  TO,  COMMUNITY FOOD
   18  PANTRIES, SOUP KITCHENS, AND OTHER COMMUNITY AND  NOT-FOR-PROFIT  ORGAN-
   19  IZATIONS THAT DISTRIBUTE FOOD TO THE POOR AND DISADVANTAGED.
   20    SUCH GUIDELINES MAY INCLUDE, BUT NEED NOT BE LIMITED TO:
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD03889-01-5
       S. 854                              2
    1    A.  A  METHODOLOGY  TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
    2  AND LOCAL VOLUNTARY FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS OF THE PROVISIONS  OF  SUCH
    3  GUIDELINES;
    4    B.  A  MEANS  BY  WHICH EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS ARE PROVIDED WITH THE
    5  NAMES AND ADDRESSES  OF  ALL  NEARBY  LOCAL  VOLUNTARY  FOOD  ASSISTANCE
    6  PROGRAMS;
    7    C.  A  MEANS  BY  WHICH  LOCAL  VOLUNTARY FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS ARE
    8  PROVIDED WITH THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES OF NEARBY EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
    9  WHICH SERVE MEALS UPON THEIR PREMISES;
   10    D. NOTIFICATION TO EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS OF THEIR ABILITY TO  ELECT
   11  TO DONATE EXCESS, UNUSED, EDIBLE FOOD TO LOCAL VOLUNTARY FOOD ASSISTANCE
   12  PROGRAMS; AND
   13    E. THE PROVISION OF INFORMATION AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ON THE MANNER
   14  OF HOW TO BEST DONATE EXCESS FOOD IN A SAFE AND SANITARY MANNER.
   15    THE  COMMISSIONER  SHALL  COORDINATE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SUCH GUIDE-
   16  LINES WITH THE FARM-TO-SCHOOL PROGRAM AND THE NEW YORK HARVEST  FOR  NEW
   17  YORK  KIDS  WEEK  PROGRAM  ESTABLISHED PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION FIVE-B OF
   18  SECTION SIXTEEN OF THE AGRICULTURE AND MARKETS LAW.
   19    S 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
   20  it shall have become a law.