NY State Senate Bill 2023-S337

Senate Bill S337

2023-2024 Legislative Session

Establishes a farm-to-school task force and requiring all public schools to provide fresh foods to students in a manner that supports local agriculture

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Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Agriculture Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 03, 2024	referred to agriculture
Jan 04, 2023	referred to agriculture

co-Sponsors

2023-S337 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Agriculture
Law Section:: Agriculture and Markets Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §16, Ag & Mkts L; amd §305, Ed L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2019-2020: S7925
2021-2022: S1907

2023-S337 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Establishes a farm-to-school task force; 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 and increases market opportunities for farmers from under-represented communities.

2023-S337 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S337

SPONSOR: JACKSON
 
TITLE OF BILL:

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 and increases
market opportunities for farmers from under-represented communities

 
PURPOSE:

The purpose of this legislation is to create a task force for urban and
rural agricultural regions to work with school food providers and farm-
ers to develop recommendations that will provide fresh foods in all New
York State public schools in a manner that supports local agriculture
while providing market opportunities for farmers from under-represented
communities.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 adds a new paragraph (d) to Subdivision 5-B of Section 16 of
the Agriculture and Markets Law that establishes a task force that will
study and make recommendations on how to provide fresh foods in all
school districts in New York in a manner that supports local agriculture
while providing market opportunities for under-represented farmers. The
task force will consist of 9 members who shall possess expertise in
issues relating to the work of the task force. The task force members
shall be appointed as follows: 2 members by the governor, 2 members by
the speaker of the assembly, 2 members by the temporary president of the
senate, 1 member by the minority leader of the assembly, 1 member by the
minority leader of the senate, and the commissioner, or their designee,
of the Department of Agriculture and Markets. The commissioner, or their
designee, shall serve as the chairperson of the task force.

Section 2 amends Subdivision 31 of Section 305 of the Education Law by
requiring the commissioner of the State Education Department to develop
a program based on the findings of the task force to require all school
districts to provide fresh foods to students in a manner that supports
local agriculture and provides market opportunities for under-represent-
ed farmers.

Section 3 is the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

This bill will build a bridge between our state's schools and the bounty
of New York's farms. It will help us accomplish three major goals:
first, provide the best quality fruits and vegetables available to
schools in every school district in our state; second, help establish
healthy eating habits for children in their formative years; and third,
help guarantee the future of farming in New York by promoting local
agriculture and market opportunities for under-represented farmers. This
will be a win/win situation for students, educators, school districts,
and the state's agricultural community.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2021-2022: S.1907-A - Referred to Agriculture/A.5462-B - Referred to
Agriculture

2019-2020: S.7925 - Referred to Agriculture

 
STATE AND LOCAL FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the first of January succeeding the date
on which it shall have become a law.

2023-S337 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    337
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 4, 2023
                                ___________
 
 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 and increases
   market opportunities for farmers from under-represented communities
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Subdivision  5-b  of  section  16  of the agriculture and
 markets law is amended by adding a new paragraph (d) to read as follows:
   (D) ESTABLISH A TASK FORCE TO STUDY AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW TO
 PROVIDE FRESH FOODS IN ALL SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE STATE, WHILE SUPPORT-
 ING NEW YORK LOCAL AGRICULTURE, AND INCREASING MARKET OPPORTUNITIES  FOR
 FARMERS FROM UNDER-REPRESENTED COMMUNITIES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
 FARMERS  WHO ARE BLACK, INDIGENOUS, AND PEOPLE OF COLOR. SUCH TASK FORCE
 SHALL BE COMPOSED OF NINE MEMBERS WHO SHALL POSSESS EXPERTISE IN  ISSUES
 RELATING  TO  THE WORK OF THE TASK FORCE. TWO MEMBERS SHALL BE APPOINTED
 BY THE GOVERNOR, TWO MEMBERS SHALL BE APPOINTED BY THE  SPEAKER  OF  THE
 ASSEMBLY,  TWO  MEMBERS SHALL BE APPOINTED BY THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF
 THE SENATE, ONE MEMBER SHALL BE APPOINTED BY THE MINORITY LEADER OF  THE
 ASSEMBLY,  ONE  MEMBER  SHALL BE APPOINTED BY THE MINORITY LEADER OF THE
 SENATE AND ONE MEMBER SHALL BE THE COMMISSIONER OR HIS OR HER  DESIGNEE.
 THE  COMMISSIONER  OR  HIS OR HER DESIGNEE SHALL SERVE AS CHAIRPERSON OF
 THE TASK FORCE.  MEMBERS OF THE TASK FORCE SHALL BE APPOINTED  NO  LATER
 THAN ONE HUNDRED TWENTY DAYS AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS PARAGRAPH.
 VACANCIES SHALL BE FILLED WITHIN THIRTY DAYS IN THE SAME MANNER PROVIDED
 FOR  ORIGINAL  APPOINTMENTS.  NO  LATER  THAN ONE YEAR AFTER ALL INITIAL
 APPOINTMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE THE TASK FORCE SHALL MAKE A  REPORT  TO  THE
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD02245-01-3

 S. 337                              2
 
 GOVERNOR, THE LEGISLATURE AND THE COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION OF ITS FIND-
 INGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.
   §  2.  Subdivision 31 of section 305 of the education law, as added by
 chapter 2 of the laws of 2001, is amended to read as follows:
   31. The commissioner shall cooperate with the commissioner of agricul-
 ture and markets in establishing a farm-to-school program and coordinat-
 ing New York Harvest For New York Kids Week as described in  subdivision
 five-b  of  section  sixteen  of  the  agriculture  and markets law. The
 commissioner's responsibilities shall include, but not  be  limited  to,
 DEVELOPING A PROGRAM BASED ON THE FINDINGS OF THE TASK FORCE ESTABLISHED
 PURSUANT  TO  PARAGRAPH  (D) OF SUBDIVISION FIVE-B OF SECTION SIXTEEN OF
 THE AGRICULTURE AND MARKETS LAW, TO REQUIRE ALL SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN  THE
 STATE  TO  PROVIDE FRESH FOODS TO STUDENTS IN A MANNER THAT SUPPORTS NEW
 YORK LOCAL AGRICULTURE WHILE INCREASING MARKET OPPORTUNITIES FOR FARMERS
 FROM  UNDER-REPRESENTED  COMMUNITIES,  compiling  information  for   the
 department  of  agriculture  and markets from school districts and other
 educational institutions under the department's jurisdiction  interested
 in  purchasing  New  York  farm  products  and  disseminating  to  those
 districts and institutions information from the department  of  agricul-
 ture  and  markets about the availability of New York farm products, and
 contact information for farmers  and  other  businesses  marketing  such
 products.  The  commissioner  shall  report to the legislature about the
 need for changes in law to facilitate the purchase of such  products  by
 schools and other institutions.
   §  3. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeed-
 ing the date on which it shall have become a law.

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Senate Bill S337

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Sponsored By

Robert Jackson