BILL NUMBER:S2464

TITLE OF BILL:  An act to amend the public authorities law, in
relation to payments of grants to farm operations by NYSERDA

PURPOSE:

To ensure that the payment of grants by NYSERDA to farm operations is
made no later than 90 days after the notification of such funding
award.

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends subdivision 14 of section 1854 of the Public
Authorities Law to state that the New York State Energy and Research
Development Authority (NYSERDA) can make payments of grants to farm
operations as defined in the Agriculture and Markets Law. This section
also requires that the payment of such grants administered by NYSERDA
to farm operations shall be made no later than 90 days after the
notification of such funding award. Section 2 provides the effective
date.

JUSTIFICATION:

This bill ensures that farm operations, as defined in subdivision 11
of section 301 of the Agriculture and Markets Law, are able to receive
              

grants from NYSERDA and that the payment of such grants is made no
later than 90 days after the notification of such funding award.
Currently, farm operations receive grants from NYSERDA but the payment
of such grants has been severely delayed. This delay causes a
shortfall in the budget of many farms. Hardworking farmers continue to
wait for many months, even years, for the payment of grants they have
been promised by NYSERDA. Such long delays are unacceptable and
unbearable for a business to endure as they wait for the payment of
grants which have been promised to them. Therefore, this legislation
seeks to remedy the problem by requiring NYSERDA to make the payment
of such grants no later than 90 days after the notification of such
funding award.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2013-2014: S.6224/A.8977

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

Minimal.

EFFECTIVE DATE:

This act shall take effect immediately.