Bill Text: NY S07925 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Establishes a farm-to-school task force and directs the commissioner of education to develop a program to require all public schools to provide fresh foods to students in a manner that supports local agriculture.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-03-03 - REFERRED TO AGRICULTURE [S07925 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S07925-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          7925

                    IN SENATE

                                      March 3, 2020
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen. JACKSON -- 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  estab-
          lishing  a  farm-to-school task force; and to amend the education law,
          in relation to requiring all public schools to provide fresh foods  to
          students in a manner that supports local agriculture

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Subdivision 5-b  of  section  16  of  the  agriculture  and
     2  markets law is amended by adding a new paragraph (d) to read as follows:
     3    (d) Establish a task force to study and make recommendations on how to
     4  provide  fresh foods in all school districts in the state while support-
     5  ing New York local agriculture. Such task force  shall  be  composed  of
     6  nine  members who shall possess expertise in issues relating to the work
     7  of the task force. Two members shall be appointed by the  governor,  two
     8  members  shall  be appointed by the speaker of the assembly, two members
     9  shall be appointed by the temporary president of the senate, one  member
    10  shall  be  appointed  by the minority leader of the assembly, one member
    11  shall be appointed by the minority leader of the senate and  one  member
    12  shall  be  the  commissioner or his or her designee. The commissioner or
    13  his or her designee shall  serve  as  chairperson  of  the  task  force.
    14  Members  of  the task force shall be appointed no later than one hundred
    15  twenty days after the effective date of this paragraph. Vacancies  shall
    16  be  filled  within  thirty days in the same manner provided for original
    17  appointments. No later than one year after all initial appointments have
    18  been made the task force shall make a report to the governor, the legis-
    19  lature and the commissioner of education of  its  findings,  conclusions
    20  and recommendations.
    21    §  2.  Subdivision 31 of section 305 of the education law, as added by
    22  chapter 2 of the laws of 2001, is amended to read as follows:
    23    31. The commissioner shall cooperate with the commissioner of agricul-
    24  ture and markets in establishing a farm-to-school program and coordinat-
    25  ing New York Harvest For New York Kids Week as described in  subdivision
    26  five-b  of  section  sixteen  of  the  agriculture  and markets law. The

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD14389-03-0
        S. 7925                             2

     1  commissioner's responsibilities shall include, but not  be  limited  to,
     2  developing a program based on the findings of the task force established
     3  pursuant  to  paragraph  (d) of subdivision five-b of section sixteen of
     4  the  agriculture and markets law, to require all school districts in the
     5  state to provide fresh foods to students in a manner that  supports  New
     6  York  local  agriculture,  compiling  information  for the department of
     7  agriculture and markets from  school  districts  and  other  educational
     8  institutions  under the department's jurisdiction interested in purchas-
     9  ing New York farm products and  disseminating  to  those  districts  and
    10  institutions  information from the department of agriculture and markets
    11  about the availability of New York farm products, and  contact  informa-
    12  tion  for  farmers  and  other  businesses  marketing such products. The
    13  commissioner shall report to the legislature about the need for  changes
    14  in  law to facilitate the purchase of such products by schools and other
    15  institutions.
    16    § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of January next  succeed-
    17  ing the date on which it shall have become a law.