Bill Text: NY S07180 | 2013-2014 | General Assembly | Introduced

New York Senate Bill 7180 (Prior Session Legislation)

Introduced

Bill Title: Relates to encouraging community-based organizations to increase opportunities for seniors to participate in community gardens.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2014-12-17 - APPROVAL MEMO.25 [S07180 Detail]

Download: New_York-2013-S07180-Introduced.html

                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         7180
                                   I N  S E N A T E
                                      May 2, 2014
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  Sen. VALESKY -- 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, in relation to  encour-
         aging  community-based  organizations  to  increase  opportunities for
         seniors to participate in community gardens
         THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 4 of section 31-j of the agri-
    2  culture and markets law, as added by chapter 528 of the laws of 2013, is
    3  amended to read as follows:
    4    (a)  The  goals of the task force may include, but are not limited to,
    5  the study, evaluation and development of recommendations: (i) to encour-
    6  age the establishment and expansion of community gardens by state  agen-
    7  cies, municipal governments and private parties, (ii) to encourage coop-
    8  eration  between  the activities and operations of community gardens and
    9  provision of donated food to local voluntary  food  assistance  programs
   10  for  the  poor  and  disadvantaged, [and] (iii) to increase the benefits
   11  that community gardens may provide to the local community in which  they
   12  are  located,  AND  (IV)  TO  ENCOURAGE COOPERATION WITH COMMUNITY-BASED
   13  ORGANIZATIONS TO INCREASE THE  OPPORTUNITIES  FOR  SENIORS,  THOSE  AGED
   14  SIXTY-TWO YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER, TO PARTICIPATE IN COMMUNITY GARDENS.
   15    S  2.  Paragraph e of subdivision 2 of section 31-h of the agriculture
   16  and markets law, as added by chapter 528 of the laws of 2013, is amended
   17  to read as follows:
   18    e. Assist, support and encourage contact and cooperation between,  and
   19  the  cooperative  sharing  of resources between community garden groups,
   20  school garden programs and local  voluntary  food  assistance  programs,
   21  such  as  community  food  pantries,  soup kitchens, SENIOR CENTERS, and
   22  other  community  and  not-for-profit  organizations  that  provide   or
   23  distribute  food  to  the ELDERLY, poor, and disadvantaged. Such support
   24  can include the provision of surplus  community  garden  food  or  other
   25  agricultural  products to such local voluntary food assistance programs;
   26  and
   27    S 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD14599-01-4