Bill Text: NY S01458 | 2023-2024 | 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: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-1)
Status: (Engrossed) 2024-03-11 - referred to governmental operations [S01458 Detail]
Download: New_York-2023-S01458-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1458 2023-2024 Regular Sessions IN SENATE January 12, 2023 ___________ Introduced by Sens. SERRANO, HINCHEY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation 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: EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD04135-01-3S. 1458 2 1 (a) Promote the development of a framework that will ensure that New 2 York state has an aggressive outdoor environmental education and recre- 3 ation plan for children that focuses on creating, developing and retain- 4 ing opportunities for outdoor play and learning; 5 (b) Identify and support programs which offer safe access to open 6 spaces and summer camp to children from urban areas; 7 (c) Promote the development of policy recommendations to ensure that 8 New York's public and private sectors focus on creating opportunities 9 for underserved and at-risk children to participate in outdoor play and 10 educational experiences; 11 (d) Promote the development of strategies to ensure that K-12 educa- 12 tional institutions develop policies and programs that promote environ- 13 mental education to encourage outdoor play thereby improving public 14 health and take advantage of the physical, mental and spiritual benefits 15 of moving outdoors in nature; 16 (e) Promote the development of strategies to assist community based, 17 nonprofit organizations in furthering programs that provide for summer 18 camp and out of school time opportunities for outdoor recreation or 19 education; 20 (f) Evaluate laws, rules, and procedures to ensure that they facili- 21 tate, or at least do not hinder, the growth of outdoor play or environ- 22 mental education. 23 § 3. a. Composition. The task force shall consist of twelve members. 24 The task force members will have experience and expertise in outdoor 25 recreation and environmental education. The task force shall consist of: 26 the commissioner of education or his or her designee, the commissioner 27 of health or his or her designee, the commissioner of environmental 28 conservation or his or her designee, the commissioner of the office of 29 parks, recreation and historic preservation or his or her designee. One 30 member shall be a representative from a nonprofit health and wellness 31 organization. One member shall be a representative from a nonprofit 32 environmental conservation organization. Two members shall be appointed 33 by the governor; one member to be appointed by the temporary president 34 of the senate; one member to be appointed by the minority leader of the 35 senate; one member to be appointed by the speaker of the assembly; and 36 one member to be appointed by the minority leader of the assembly. The 37 task force shall be appointed for a term of two years. 38 b. The commissioner of the office of parks, recreation and historic 39 preservation or his or her designee shall serve as chair of the task 40 force. 41 c. The members of the task force shall receive no compensation for 42 their services, but shall be allowed their actual and necessary expenses 43 incurred in the performance of their duties pursuant to this act. 44 § 4. Report. The task force shall report its findings, conclusions and 45 recommendations to the governor, majority leader of the senate and the 46 speaker of the assembly by January 1, 2026. The task force may develop 47 and publish other documents throughout the year as it deems necessary 48 and/or appropriate. 49 § 5. This act shall take effect immediately.
