Bill Text: NY S01305 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Directs the commissioner of agriculture and markets, in coordination with the commissioner of economic development, to work with the state's land grant university system to produce a report to provide advice, guidance, and recommendations on improving the resiliency and self-reliance of the state's farm and food supply and the related supply chain logistics to address food shortages, food waste, and the inability to get New York farm goods to markets that occurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the goal of creating permanent solutions beyond the state of emergency to reflect the changing wholesale, retail and consumer marketplace; makes related provisions.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-02-03 - SUBSTITUTED BY A952 [S01305 Detail]
Download: New_York-2021-S01305-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1305 2021-2022 Regular Sessions IN SENATE January 11, 2021 ___________ Introduced by Sen. HINCHEY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules AN ACT in relation to directing the commissioner of agriculture and markets to work with the state's land grant university system to produce a report to provide recommendations on the state's farm and food supply; and to repeal certain provisions of the agriculture and markets law relating thereto The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivision 51 of section 16 of the agriculture and markets 2 law, as added by a chapter of the laws of 2020 amending the agriculture 3 and markets law relating to establishing a New York food supply working 4 group, as proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 8561-A and A. 5 10607-A, is REPEALED. 6 § 2. (a) The commissioner of agriculture and markets, in coordination 7 with the commissioner of economic development, shall work with the 8 state's land grant university system to produce a report to provide 9 advice, guidance, and recommendations on improving the resiliency and 10 self-reliance of the state's farm and food supply and the related supply 11 chain logistics to address food shortages, food waste, and the inability 12 to get New York farm goods to markets that occurred as a result of the 13 COVID-19 pandemic, with the goal of creating permanent solutions beyond 14 the state of emergency to reflect the changing wholesale, retail and 15 consumer marketplace. 16 (b) The commissioners shall solicit the input of representatives of 17 the entire food supply chain from different regions of the state, 18 including women, minority, small, and family-owned businesses and farms, 19 of: 20 (i) farmers, organic and conventional; 21 (ii) food processors including, but not limited to, dairy, produce, 22 meat, and beverage processors; EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD07155-01-1S. 1305 2 1 (iii) retail food businesses including, but not limited to, retail 2 food stores and direct farm-to-consumer businesses; 3 (iv) the food service industry including, but not limited to, restau- 4 rants and institutional foodservice; 5 (v) food wholesalers and distributors; 6 (vi) food transporters including, but not limited to, direct-to-con- 7 sumer transporters serving retail food stores, foodservice, and farmers; 8 (vii) labor organizations and workers from the farm and food industry; 9 (viii) emergency food providers including, but not limited to, food 10 banks; 11 (ix) academic experts in food production, marketing, distribution, 12 food safety, and consumers; 13 (x) local, state and federal agencies with responsibility for food 14 production, processing, marketing, and safety; and 15 (xi) any other representatives of agriculture, the food industry, 16 economic development, or any other state agencies the commissioners of 17 agriculture and markets and economic development deem necessary. 18 (c) The commissioners shall hold on or before May first, two thousand 19 twenty-one, a roundtable meeting of the representatives consulted under 20 subdivision (b) of this section and may hold such additional roundtable 21 meetings as deemed necessary. The agenda and meeting information shall 22 be made available to the public in advance and such meeting shall be 23 open to, or accessible to, the public. Such meeting may include, among 24 other things, consideration of the following issues, especially as they 25 relate to state or federal emergencies: 26 (i) the need to strengthen the resiliency and self-reliance of the 27 state's farm and food supply and related supply chain logistics, to 28 prevent food shortages and food waste, and to overcome hurdles involved 29 in getting farm products to markets and consumers; and 30 (ii) the need for changes to, and development of, new state and feder- 31 al laws, rules, policies, and programs to address, and provide incen- 32 tives for, the goal of strengthening and improving the state food supply 33 in a manner that benefits New York farms, food businesses, workers, 34 retailers, restauranteurs, food banks, and consumers. 35 (d) The commissioners shall provide a written report of the findings 36 identifying any proposed recommendations, feasibility and costs associ- 37 ated with such recommendations, and guidance to the governor, the speak- 38 er of the assembly, and the temporary president of the senate on or 39 before December first, two thousand twenty-one, and shall publish such 40 report on the department of agriculture and market's website. 41 § 3. This act shall take effect on the same date and in the same 42 manner as a chapter of the laws of 2020 relating to establishing a New 43 York food supply working group, as proposed in legislative bills numbers 44 S. 8561-A and A. 10607-A, takes effect.