S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8636
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 23, 2024
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  COONEY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Investigations and Govern-
   ment Operations
 
 AN ACT to amend the cannabis law, in relation to  the  cannabis  control
   board and the cannabis advisory board
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section 1.  Subdivisions 1 and 2 of section 7 of the cannabis law  are
 amended to read as follows:
   1. The cannabis control board is hereby created and shall consist of a
 chairperson nominated by the governor and with the advice and consent of
 the  senate, with one vote, and [four] SIX other voting board members as
 provided for in subdivision two of this section.
   2. Appointments. In addition to the chairperson,  the  governor  shall
 have  [two]  FOUR  direct  appointments  to the board, and the temporary
 president of the senate and the speaker of the assembly shall each  have
 one direct appointment to the board. Appointments shall be for a term of
 three  years  each and should, to the extent possible, be geographically
 and demographically representative of the state and communities  histor-
 ically affected by the war on drugs. Board members shall be citizens and
 permanent  residents  of  this  state. The chairperson and the remaining
 members of such board shall continue to serve as chairperson and members
 of the board until the expiration of the respective terms for which they
 were appointed. Upon the expiration of such respective terms the succes-
 sors of such chairperson and members shall be appointed to serve  for  a
 term  of three years each and until their successors have been appointed
 and qualified. The members,  except  for  the  chairperson,  shall  when
 performing  the  work  of  the  board,  be  compensated at a rate of two
 hundred sixty dollars per day, and together with an allowance for actual
 and necessary expenses incurred in the discharge of  their  duties.  The
 chairperson  shall  receive  an  annual  salary  not to exceed an amount
 appropriated therefor by the legislature, and  their  expenses  actually
 and  necessarily  incurred  in the performance of their official duties,
 unless otherwise provided by the  legislature.  No  member  or  member's
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD14658-01-4
 S. 8636                             2
 
 spouse  or minor child shall have any interest in an entity regulated by
 the board.
   §  2.  Subdivisions  2  and  3  of  section 14 of the cannabis law are
 amended to read as follows:
   2. The state cannabis advisory board shall consist of [thirteen] NINE-
 TEEN voting appointed members, along  with  a  representative  from  the
 department  of environmental conservation, the department of agriculture
 and markets, the office of children and family services, the  department
 of labor, the department of health, the division of housing and communi-
 ty  renewal,  the  office  of  addiction  services and supports, and the
 department of education, serving as non-voting ex-officio  members.  The
 governor shall have [seven] ELEVEN appointments, the temporary president
 of  the  senate  and the speaker of the assembly shall each have [three]
 FOUR appointments to the board.  The members shall be appointed to  each
 serve  three year terms and in the event of a vacancy, the vacancy shall
 be filled in the manner of the original appointment for the remainder of
 the term. The appointed members and  representatives  shall  receive  no
 compensation  for  their  services but shall be allowed their actual and
 necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as  board
 members.
   3.  Advisory  board  members shall have statewide geographic represen-
 tation that is  balanced  and  diverse  in  its  composition.  Appointed
 members  shall  have  an  expertise  in  public  and  behavioral health,
 substance use disorder treatment, effective rehabilitative treatment for
 adults and juveniles, homelessness and  housing,  economic  development,
 environmental   conservation,   job  training  and  placement,  criminal
 justice, and drug policy. Further,  the  advisory  board  shall  include
 residents  from  communities  most impacted by cannabis prohibition, ONE
 RETAIL LICENSEE, ONE PROCESSOR LICENSEE, ONE REPRESENTATIVE OF ORGANIZED
 LABOR, ONE MICROBUSINESS LICENSEE, ONE DISTRIBUTOR LICENSEE, ONE SERVICE
 DISABLED VETERAN  LICENSEE,  ONE  CULTIVATOR  LICENSEE,  ONE  REGISTERED
 ORGANIZATION  LICENSEE, people with prior drug convictions, the formerly
 incarcerated, and representatives from the  farming  industry,  cannabis
 industry, and organizations serving communities impacted by past federal
 and state drug policies.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.