S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                  10308

                          I N  A S S E M B L Y

                              May 22, 2012
                               ___________

Introduced  by M. of A. MAGEE -- read once and referred to the Committee
  on Agriculture

AN ACT to amend the elder law and the agriculture and  markets  law,  in
  relation to establishing a farm-to-senior program

  THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section 1. Paragraph (b) of  subdivision  14  and  subdivision  15  of
section 202 of the elder law, paragraph (b) of subdivision 14 as amended
and  subdivision  15  as  added  by chapter 263 of the laws of 2011, are
amended and a new subdivision 16 is added to read as follows:
  (b) make recommendations, in consultation with the division of housing
and community renewal, to the governor  and  legislature  for  assisting
mixed-use  age-integrated  housing  development  or redevelopment demon-
stration projects in urban, suburban and rural areas of the state.   The
director of the office for the aging and secretary of state shall estab-
lish  an  advisory  committee  for  purposes  of  this subdivision. Such
committee shall include, but not be limited to, top  representatives  of
local  government,  senior  citizen  organizations,  developers,  senior
service providers and planners; [and]
  15. to periodically,  in  consultation  with  the  state  director  of
[veteran's]  VETERANS'  affairs,  review  the  programs  operated by the
office to ensure that the needs of the state's aging veteran  population
are  being  met  and  to  develop  improvements to programs to meet such
needs[.]; AND
  16. (A) IN  COOPERATION  WITH  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  AGRICULTURE  AND
MARKETS, TO ESTABLISH A FARM-TO-SENIOR PROGRAM TO FACILITATE AND PROMOTE
THE  PURCHASE  OF  NEW  YORK  FARM  PRODUCTS BY SENIOR CENTERS AND OTHER
INSTITUTIONS FOR THE AGING UNDER THE JURISDICTION  OF  THE  OFFICE.  THE
OFFICE  SHALL MAKE INFORMATION AVAILABLE TO FARMERS, FARM ORGANIZATIONS,
AND INSTITUTIONS FOR THE AGING INTERESTED IN ESTABLISHING FARM-TO-SENIOR
PROGRAMS.
  (B) IN COOPERATION WITH THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE  AND  MARKETS,
TO  ESTABLISH  A  PROMOTIONAL EVENT, TO BE KNOWN AS THE "NEW YORK GOLDEN
HARVEST: SENIORS WEEK", TO PROMOTE NEW YORK  AGRICULTURE  AND  FOODS  TO

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                           LBD15785-02-2

A. 10308                            2

SENIORS  AT  SENIOR CENTERS, FARMS, FARMERS' MARKETS AND OTHER LOCATIONS
IN THE COMMUNITY. SUCH POWERS AND  DUTIES  SHALL  INCLUDE,  BUT  NOT  BE
LIMITED  TO, COMPILING INFORMATION FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND
MARKETS  FROM  SENIOR CENTERS AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS FOR THE AGING UNDER
THE JURISDICTION OF THE OFFICE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING  NEW  YORK  FARM
PRODUCTS  AND  DISSEMINATING  TO  THOSE  SENIOR CENTERS AND OTHER INSTI-
TUTIONS FOR THE AGING INFORMATION FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND
MARKETS ABOUT THE AVAILABILITY OF NEW YORK FARM  PRODUCTS,  AND  CONTACT
INFORMATION  FOR  FARMERS  AND OTHER BUSINESSES MARKETING SUCH PRODUCTS.
THE DIRECTOR SHALL REPORT TO THE LEGISLATURE ON THE NEED FOR CHANGES  IN
LAW  TO  FACILITATE THE PURCHASES OF SUCH PRODUCTS BY SENIOR CENTERS AND
OTHER INSTITUTIONS FOR THE AGING.
  S 2. Section 16 of the agriculture  and  markets  law  is  amended  by
adding a new subdivision 5-c to read as follows:
  5-C. (A) ESTABLISH, IN COOPERATION WITH THE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE FOR
THE  AGING,  A  FARM-TO-SENIOR  PROGRAM  TO  FACILITATE  AND PROMOTE THE
PURCHASE OF NEW YORK FARM PRODUCTS BY SENIOR CENTERS  AND  OTHER  INSTI-
TUTIONS  FOR  THE  AGING  UNDER  THE  JURISDICTION OF THE OFFICE FOR THE
AGING. THE DEPARTMENT SHALL SOLICIT INFORMATION FROM THE OFFICE FOR  THE
AGING  REGARDING  SENIOR  CENTERS  AND  OTHER INSTITUTIONS FOR THE AGING
INTERESTED IN PURCHASING NEW  YORK  FARM  PRODUCTS,  INCLUDING  BUT  NOT
LIMITED  TO, THE TYPE AND AMOUNT OF SUCH PRODUCTS SENIOR CENTERS WISH TO
PURCHASE AND THE NAME OF THE APPROPRIATE CONTACT PERSON FROM THE  INTER-
ESTED  SENIOR CENTER. THE DEPARTMENT SHALL MAKE THIS INFORMATION READILY
AVAILABLE TO INTERESTED NEW YORK FARMERS, FARM ORGANIZATIONS  AND  BUSI-
NESSES  THAT MARKET NEW YORK FARM PRODUCTS. THE DEPARTMENT SHALL PROVIDE
INFORMATION TO THE OFFICE FOR THE AGING AND  INTERESTED  SENIOR  CENTERS
AND  OTHER  INSTITUTIONS  FOR  THE  AGING  UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF THE
OFFICE FOR THE AGING ABOUT THE AVAILABILITY OF NEW YORK  FARM  PRODUCTS,
INCLUDING  BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE TYPES AND AMOUNT OF PRODUCTS, AND THE
NAMES AND CONTACT INFORMATION OF FARMERS, FARM ORGANIZATIONS  AND  BUSI-
NESSES  MARKETING  SUCH  PRODUCTS.  THE COMMISSIONER SHALL REPORT TO THE
LEGISLATURE ON THE NEED FOR CHANGES IN LAW TO FACILITATE  THE  PURCHASES
OF  SUCH PRODUCTS BY SENIOR CENTERS AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS FOR THE AGING
UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF THE OFFICE FOR THE AGING.
  (B) COORDINATE WITH THE OFFICE FOR THE AGING IN ESTABLISHING A  PROMO-
TIONAL EVENT, TO BE KNOWN AS "NEW YORK GOLDEN HARVEST: SENIORS WEEK", TO
PROMOTE  NEW  YORK  AGRICULTURE  AND FOODS TO SENIORS AT SENIOR CENTERS,
FARMS, FARMERS' MARKETS AND OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE COMMUNITY.
  S 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
it shall have become a law, provided, however, that effective immediate-
ly, the director of the office for the aging  and  the  commissioner  of
agriculture  and  markets are authorized to promulgate any and all rules
and regulations necessary to implement the provisions of this act on  or
before such effective date.