Bill Text: NY S06787 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to inspection and sale of industrial hemp seeds; includes industrial hemp as a crop.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-06-21 - SUBSTITUTED BY A8509 [S06787 Detail]

Download: New_York-2017-S06787-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          6787
                               2017-2018 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                      June 17, 2017
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by Sen. O'MARA -- (at request of the Governor) -- read twice
          and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee
          on Rules
        AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets  law,  in  relation  to  the
          inspection  and  sale  of  industrial  hemp  seeds, the support of the
          industrial hemp industry and the inclusion of  industrial  hemp  as  a
          crop
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. Declaration of legislative findings and intent. It is here-
     2  by found and declared that industrial hemp is an agricultural commodity,
     3  the domestic cultivation of which has the potential not only to generate
     4  new jobs in agriculture and enhance the profitability of New York farms,
     5  but to expand opportunities for processors and manufacturers producing a
     6  wide array of traditional and new products using industrial hemp.
     7    It is the declared policy of the state to become a leader in encourag-
     8  ing and supporting research into the growth, cultivation, uses, process-
     9  ing and development of industrial hemp and products derived from  indus-
    10  trial  hemp  to  benefit  its  people  and to support New York farms and
    11  businesses to the full extent permitted by law.
    12    § 2. Subdivision 3 of section 136 of the agriculture and markets  law,
    13  as  amended  by  chapter  160 of the laws of 1983, is amended to read as
    14  follows:
    15    3. The terms "agricultural seeds" and "crop seeds" include  the  seeds
    16  of  grass,  forage,  cereal,  field  beans,  and  fiber crops, including
    17  "industrial hemp" as defined in section five hundred five of this  chap-
    18  ter,  or  any other kinds of seeds commonly recognized within this state
    19  as agricultural seeds, lawn seeds, and mixtures of such seeds.
    20    § 3. Subdivision 2 of section 301 of the agriculture and  markets  law
    21  is amended by adding a new paragraph l to read as follows:
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD12018-01-7
        S. 6787                             2
     1    l.  Industrial  hemp  as  defined in section five hundred five of this
     2  chapter.
     3    §  4.  The  agriculture  and  markets  law  is amended by adding a new
     4  section 510 to read as follows:
     5    § 510. Industrial hemp seed certification program.   The  commissioner
     6  shall  establish  an  industrial  hemp seed certification program in the
     7  department to, among other things,  set  industrial  hemp  seed  certif-
     8  ication  standards  and establish seed quality benchmarks to ensure that
     9  the local hemp cultivars are developed to be well adapted for  New  York
    10  state's  climate  and farm management practices and that they are stable
    11  with respect to the concentration of delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol.
    12    § 5. The agriculture and markets  law  is  amended  by  adding  a  new
    13  section 511 to read as follows:
    14    §  511.  Industrial  hemp  data collection and best farming practices.
    15  The department, through  the  commissioner,  shall  have  the  power  to
    16  collect  and  publish  data and research concerning, among other things,
    17  the growth, cultivation, production and processing methods of industrial
    18  hemp  and  products  derived  from  industrial  hemp.  Based  upon  this
    19  collection  of  data  and  research,  the department shall work with the
    20  cornell cooperative extension to  promote  best  farming  practices  for
    21  industrial  hemp which are compatible with state water quality and other
    22  environmental objectives.
    23    § 6. The agriculture and markets  law  is  amended  by  adding  a  new
    24  section 512 to read as follows:
    25    §  512.  Industrial  hemp economic development. The commissioner shall
    26  consult and cooperate with the New York State urban  development  corpo-
    27  ration  with  respect  to the funding and support of research concerning
    28  industrial hemp and businesses involved in the processing  and  manufac-
    29  turing of industrial hemp products.
    30    §  7.  The  agriculture  and  markets  law  is amended by adding a new
    31  section 513 to read as follows:
    32    § 513. Industrial hemp one-stop shop. The commissioner shall establish
    33  a department one-stop shop hotline and webpage  to  provide  information
    34  and  technical assistance to producers and manufacturers with respect to
    35  the law and regulations surrounding  industrial  hemp  for  so  long  as
    36  industrial  hemp  is  subject  to  regulation under the federal or state
    37  Controlled Substances Act.
    38    § 8. The agriculture and markets  law  is  amended  by  adding  a  new
    39  section 514 to read as follows:
    40    § 514. Industrial hemp workgroup. The commissioner shall appoint a New
    41  York  state  industrial hemp workgroup, composed of researchers, produc-
    42  ers, processors and  manufacturers,  serving  two-year  terms,  to  make
    43  recommendations  concerning  research  topics  for  the  industrial hemp
    44  research pilot program, state and federal  policies  and  policy  initi-
    45  atives,  and opportunities for the promotion and marketing of industrial
    46  hemp as consistent with federal and state laws, rules  and  regulations,
    47  which  workgroup  shall continue for such time as the commissioner deems
    48  appropriate.
    49    § 9. This act shall take effect immediately.