NY State Senate Bill 2017-S8695

Archive: Last 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

Please enter your contact information

First Name

Last Name

Email Address

A valid email address is required.

Home address is used to determine the senate district in which you reside. Your support or opposition to this bill is then shared immediately with the senator who represents you.

Optional services from the NY State Senate:

Create an account. An account allows you to officially support or oppose key legislation, sign petitions with a single click, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.

Include a custom message for your Senator? (Optional)

Enter a message to your senator. Many New Yorkers use this to share the reasoning behind their support or opposition to the bill. Others might share a personal anecdote about how the bill would affect them or people they care about.

Actions

View Actions

Date of Action	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
May 10, 2018	referred to agriculture

2017-S8695 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Agriculture
Law Section:: Agriculture and Markets
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2019-2020: S2577
2021-2022: S3400
2023-2024: S1780
2025-2026: S4162

2017-S8695 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Expands the FreshConnect program, which provides rebates for the purchase of local produce to certain people, to include local produce sold in supermarkets and grocery stores.

2017-S8695 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S8695

SPONSOR: BAILEY
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to incentivize the purchase of local produce in supermarkets and
grocery stores through the FreshConnect program

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

To expand the reach of the FreshConnect program across the state and
increase access to affordable fruits and vegetables to New Yorkers in
need.

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section 1 establishes definitions for local produce and producer. As
well as requiring that the commissioner of agriculture and markets
expand the FreshConnect program to include local produce sold in super-
markets.

Section 2 is the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

According to the USDA's Choose My Plate recommendations, eating fruits
and vegetables provides health benefits - people who eat more vegetables
and fruits as part of an overall healthy diet are likely to have a
reduced risk of some chronic diseases. Fruits and vegetables provide
nutrients vital for health and maintenance of the body.

In 2011, Governor Cuomo introduced the FreshConnect program to create
new farmers' markets and support existing markets that provide outlets
for fresh food in high need neighborhoods, as well as providing a $2
incentive for every $5 of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
(SNAP) benefit used at participating markets thereby increasing the
purchasing power of SNAP consumers by 40 percent while supporting local
farmers. The program expanded to include Veterans', Servicemembers and
their immediate family members in 2014.

This program has been incredibly successful at increasing access to
fresh fruits and vegetables to the almost 1.5 million New Yorkers that
live in areas with limited supermarket access. This bill seeks to expand
the program to include supermarkets and grocery stores as well, this way
helping people bring home more healthy fruits and vegetables while still
supporting local farmers. The wins are three-fold: low-income consumers
eat more healthy food, local farmers gain new customers and make more
money, and more food dollars stay in the local economy.

Similar programs have been implemented in other states like the Double
Up Food Bucks program in Michigan, where farmers markets, supermarkets,
and grocery stores participate.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately.

2017-S8695 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8695
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               May 10, 2018
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  BAILEY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Agriculture
 
 AN ACT to incentivize the purchase of local produce in supermarkets  and
   grocery stores through the FreshConnect program
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section 1. (a) For the purposes of this act the following terms  shall
 have the following meanings:
   (i)  "local  produce" means produce grown by a producer with the pride
 of New York symbol of the business claiming the local produce tax credit
 within the state of New York, from  seed  or  conception  through  final
 product.
   (ii)  "producer"  means  an individual, whether acting individually or
 through a cooperative, corporation, partnership,  business  association,
 or  educational institution, who is a farmer, student farmer or manufac-
 turer of foods or goods in  New  York  state.  It  shall  not,  however,
 include a wholesaler or distributor.
   (iii) "supermarket" or "grocery store" means a retail store at a given
 location  devoted  to  the  sale of foods, food stuffs and groceries for
 human consumption regularly and customarily sold in a bona  fide  manner
 for  consumption off of the premises. The following shall not be consid-
 ered supermarkets or grocery  stores  for  the  purposes  of  this  act:
 hotels,  motels, restaurants, cafeterias, bakeries, caterers, hospitals,
 assisted  living  facilities,  independent  living  facilities,  nursing
 homes,  hospices,  group  homes,  drug stores, educational institutions,
 food courts in shopping malls,  food  retailers  at  airports  or  other
 transportation  facilities,  gas stations, sports arenas, movie theaters
 or any other similar establishments.
   (b) The commissioner of  agriculture  and  markets  shall  expand  the
 FreshConnect  program, which improves access to local produce by provid-
 ing certain people with two dollar rebates to be used for  the  purchase
 of  further  local  produce  for  every  five  dollars  of local produce
 purchased, to include local produce sold  in  supermarkets  and  grocery
 stores.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD15746-04-8

 S. 8695                             2
 
   § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
 it  shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend-
 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen-
 tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made on or
 before such date.

Comments

Open Legislation is a forum for New York State legislation. All comments are subject to review and community moderation is encouraged.

Comments deemed off-topic, commercial, campaign-related, self-promotional; or that contain profanity, hate or toxic speech; or that link to sites outside of the nysenate.gov domain are not permitted, and will not be published. Attempts to intimidate and silence contributors or deliberately deceive the public, including excessive or extraneous posting/posts, or coordinated activity, are prohibited and may result in the temporary or permanent banning of the user. Comment moderation is generally performed Monday through Friday. By contributing or voting you agree to the Terms of Participation and verify you are over 13.

Create an account. An account allows you to sign petitions with a single click, officially support or oppose key legislation, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.

Find your Senator and share your views on important issues.

Do you support this bill?

Senate Bill S8695

Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Agriculture Committee

Actions

2017-S8695 (ACTIVE) - Details

2017-S8695 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2017-S8695 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2017-S8695 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

Do you support this bill?

Get Status Alerts for 2017-S8695

Senate Bill S8695

Share this bill

Sponsored By

Jamaal T. Bailey

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Agriculture Committee

Actions

2017-S8695 (ACTIVE) - Details

2017-S8695 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2017-S8695 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2017-S8695 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments