Bill Text: NY S05664 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Amended

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Bill Title: Authorizes 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: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 13-5)

Status: (Passed) 2017-09-13 - SIGNED CHAP.316 [S05664 Detail]

Download: New_York-2017-S05664-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                         5664--B
            Cal. No. 778
                               2017-2018 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                     April 24, 2017
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  Sens. KLEIN, ADDABBO, AVELLA, BOYLE, CARLUCCI, GALLIVAN,
          HOYLMAN, KENNEDY, LATIMER,  MARCHIONE,  MONTGOMERY,  PARKER,  RITCHIE,
          SAVINO,  SERRANO,  VALESKY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on  Agriculture  --  reported
          favorably  from  said  committee,  ordered to first and second report,
          ordered to a third reading, amended and ordered  reprinted,  retaining
          its  place  in the order of third reading -- again amended and ordered
          reprinted, retaining its place in the order of third reading
        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 fifty-six 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 of  programs  which  encourage  the
     7  donation of excess, unused, edible food from meals served at such educa-
     8  tional facilities to local voluntary food assistance programs.
     9    §  2.  Section  305  of  the  education law is amended by adding a new
    10  subdivision 56 to read as follows:
    11    56. The commissioner, in consultation and cooperation with the commis-
    12  sioner of agriculture and markets, may develop guidelines  to  encourage
    13  school  districts and institutions of higher education to donate excess,
    14  unused, edible food from meals served at such educational facilities  to
    15  local  voluntary food assistance programs including, but not limited to,
    16  community food pantries, soup kitchens, and other community and not-for-
    17  profit organizations that distribute food to the poor and disadvantaged.
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD07734-05-7
        S. 5664--B                          2
     1  Such guidelines developed concerning donated food shall comply with  all
     2  federal,  state and local public health laws, rules and regulations that
     3  govern food safety and food donation.
     4    Such guidelines may include, but not be limited to:
     5    a.  a  procedure  to  provide  information to school districts, insti-
     6  tutions of higher education and local voluntary food assistance programs
     7  of the provisions of such guidelines;
     8    b. notification to educational institutions of their ability to  elect
     9  to donate excess, unused, edible food to local voluntary food assistance
    10  programs; and
    11    c.  information  and  technical assistance on how school districts and
    12  institutions of higher education may best donate excess food in  a  safe
    13  and sanitary manner.
    14    The  commissioner  shall  coordinate the implementation of such guide-
    15  lines with the farm-to-school program established pursuant  to  subdivi-
    16  sion five-b of section sixteen of the agriculture and markets law.
    17    § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
    18  it shall have become a law.