Legislature Approves Regulatory Review Process For Agriculture

Albany, N.Y.-- The New York State Legislature has approved legislation sponsored by State Senator George H. Winner, Jr. (R-C, Elmira) to create a permanent, comprehensive process to review state rules and regulations that could be detrimental to the state's agricultural industry.

The measure nows goes to Governor Pataki to be signed into law.

"This legislation seeks to ensure that New York's bureaucracy constantly monitors the impact state rules and regulations have on agriculture. Agriculture is the backbone of our rural economies, and wecan't risk having a state bureaucracy that unfairly and unreasonably hinders the industry’s growth," said Winner, who was recently appointed Senate chairman of the Legislative Commission on the Development of Rural Resources.

Winner said that state industries have consistently pointed to overregulation as a key obstacle to economic growth in New York State. This has been particularly true, he said, in the farming industry. Since 1995, when Governor George Pataki created the new state Office of Regulatory Reform, New York’s regulatory reform efforts have been nationally recognized. As a result of the Office's leadership, thousands of state regulations have been eliminated or substantially amended. It's estimated that these regulatory reform efforts have saved businesses and taxpayers over $1.7 billion since 1995.

The state Legislature spoke clearly of the need to regularly review and modify unnecessary rules and regulations affecting agriculture when it enacted the 1971 Agricultural Districts Law. However, Winner said no specific procedures have ever been established and regular reviews have not occurred.

The legislation Winner sponsors would allow the commissioner of the state Department of Agriculture and Markets (Ag and Markets) to undertake a comprehensive review of existing regulations and establish a permanent procedure to review future proposed regulations. The legislation also directs state agencies to recommend modifying regulations found to be detrimental to agriculture.

Agriculture is the state's largest industry with gross receipts in excess of $3 billion annually.

"Bureaucratic overregulation has consistently been an obstacle to sustained economic growth within the agricultural industry. This legislation would establish a permanent regulatory review process for agriculture. It will ensure that state government remains forever sensitive to how agriculture is impacted by government regulation," Winner said.