Bill Text: NY S04288 | 2011-2012 | 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: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-01-04 - REFERRED TO AGRICULTURE [S04288 Detail]

Download: New_York-2011-S04288-Introduced.html

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                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         4288
                              2011-2012 Regular Sessions
                                   I N  S E N A T E
                                    March 28, 2011
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  Sen.  KLEIN  -- 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:
   21    A. A METHODOLOGY TO PROVIDE INFORMATION  TO  EDUCATIONAL  INSTITUTIONS
   22  AND  LOCAL  VOLUNTARY FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS OF THE PROVISIONS OF SUCH
   23  GUIDELINES;
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD08800-03-1
       S. 4288                             2
    1    B. A MEANS BY WHICH EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS  ARE  PROVIDED  WITH  THE
    2  NAMES  AND  ADDRESSES  OF  ALL  NEARBY  LOCAL  VOLUNTARY FOOD ASSISTANCE
    3  PROGRAMS;
    4    C.  A  MEANS  BY  WHICH  LOCAL  VOLUNTARY FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS ARE
    5  PROVIDED WITH THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES OF NEARBY EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
    6  WHICH SERVE MEALS UPON THEIR PREMISES;
    7    D. NOTIFICATION TO EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS OF THEIR ABILITY TO  ELECT
    8  TO DONATE EXCESS, UNUSED, EDIBLE FOOD TO LOCAL VOLUNTARY FOOD ASSISTANCE
    9  PROGRAMS; AND
   10    E. THE PROVISION OF INFORMATION AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ON THE MANNER
   11  OF HOW TO BEST DONATE EXCESS FOOD IN A SAFE AND SANITARY MANNER.
   12    THE  COMMISSIONER  SHALL  COORDINATE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SUCH GUIDE-
   13  LINES WITH THE FARM-TO-SCHOOL PROGRAM AND THE NEW YORK HARVEST  FOR  NEW
   14  YORK  KIDS  WEEK  PROGRAM  ESTABLISHED PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION FIVE-B OF
   15  SECTION SIXTEEN OF THE AGRICULTURE AND MARKETS LAW.
   16    S 3. This act shall take effect immediately.