Assembly Bill A7415A

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  7415--A
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                                May 7, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M. of A. CRUZ -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on Higher Education -- recommitted to the Committee on  Higher  Educa-
   tion  in  accordance  with  Assembly  Rule  3,  sec.  2  --  committee
   discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted
   to said committee

 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  and our public housing authorities 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.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD01961-09-2
 A. 7415--A                          2
              

 
   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.
   Kitchen  incubators  housed  at select college campuses and our public
 housing authorities 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,
 public housing authorities 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 opportunities on the state university of New  York
 campuses,  the  city  university of New York campuses, and at public and
 private institutions of higher learning.
   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 at  public  and  private
 institutions  for  higher  learning  and public housing authorities; and
 increasing entrepreneurial success in the culinary industry, by  provid-
 ing  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  subdivision  c  of  this section shall be submitted to the
 governor and the legislature not later than 270 days after the effective
 date of this act.
   § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.