The New York State Senate

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

                                  7351

                            I N  S E N A T E

                            January 21, 2020
                               ___________

Introduced  by  Sen.  KAPLAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
  printed to be committed to the Committee on Education

AN ACT in relation to requiring the Empire State development corporation
  in consultation with the  state  university  of  New  York,  the  city
  university  of New York and the commission on independent colleges and
  universities to study the economic impact of optimizing kitchen  incu-
  bators in New York state

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

  Section 1. Legislative intent.  The legislature hereby finds  that  in
order  to improve the economic opportunities for its citizens and entre-
preneurs, it must use the established  capabilities  of  its  university
systems  to  offer  space  and  resources to the next generation of food
manufacturing businesses.
  It has been documented that the chief obstacle for start-up food manu-
facturing businesses is their inability to access affordable  commercial
kitchen space. Currently all over the state, there are only a few kitch-
en  incubators  facing  high  demand and unable to meet the needs of the
many potential start-up businesses.
  Kitchen incubators are valuable resources for New  York  state  as  it
moves   to  promote  more  job  development,  business  development  and
increased tax revenues.
  In New York City alone, there are more than 900 food firms, with  over
16,000  employees and another 2,500 who are self-employed. This has been
viewed as evidence of entrepreneurs' intent  on  developing  their  food
manufacturing  ideas  into  full scale production capabilities and fully
functional business entities.
  Minority and immigrant populations are growing significantly  through-
out  the  state  and so are their number in entrepreneurship activities,
including in the development of foods from their native place of  origin
and  this  creates  growing demand for such foods by increasing minority
and immigrant communities.

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD10213-01-9

S. 7351                             2

  Kitchen incubators housed at select college  campuses  throughout  New
York  state  and  New  York city will help develop new entrepreneurs and
increase the economic benefits of such activities for the entire state.
  However,  New York must do more to propel these business start-ups and
potential manufacturers into full scale operations and  should  move  to
allow  its university systems to expand their regional economic catalyst
activities to serve entrepreneurs looking to enter the food  manufactur-
ing sector.
  § 2. For purposes of this act, the term "kitchen incubator" shall mean
an  affordable  small space with shared ovens, ranges, industrial mixers
and other commercial kitchen equipment, to be rented by entrepreneurs to
assist them in the development and/or manufacturing of food products for
commercial purposes.
  § 3. a. The Empire State Development Corporation, in consultation with
the state university of New York, the city university of New  York,  and
the  Commission  on  Independent  Colleges  and  Universities and groups
selected by the Empire State Development Corporation,  shall  study  and
examine  the potential economic impact for optimizing kitchen incubators
in New York state including establishing and/or expanding such  opportu-
nities  in  the state university of New York, the city university of New
York, and the Commission on Independent Colleges.
  b. The study conducted pursuant to this  section  shall  evaluate  the
impact  of  such  optimization  on  entrepreneurship  efforts in growing
minority and immigrant populations.
  c. The Empire State Development  Corporation  shall  create  a  report
containing  recommendations  for the creation, funding and future expan-
sion of kitchen incubators throughout the state and on college campuses;
and increasing entrepreneurial success  in  the  culinary  industry,  by
providing comprehensive advisory and business development services along
with  access  to  facilities  and  equipment in a co-working environment
conducive to collaboration, networking and mentorship.
  d. The report compiled by the  Empire  State  Development  Corporation
pursuant to paragraph c of this section shall be submitted to the gover-
nor and the legislature not later than May 1, 2020.
  § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.