Senate Bill S337

                             
                     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.