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Senate Bill S3578A

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Requires the department of agriculture and markets to facilitate and expand an initiative to promote opportunities for farm ownership to farmers who are black, indigenous and people of color

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Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Finance Committee

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Bill Amendments

2025-S3578 - Details

Current Committee:
Senate Finance
Law Section:
Agriculture and Markets Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §16, Ag & Mkts L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:
2021-2022: S8324
2023-2024: S3168

2025-S3578 - Summary

Requires the department of agriculture and markets to facilitate and expand an initiative to promote opportunities for farm ownership to farmers who are black, indigenous and people of color; requires the department to submit a triennial report to the governor and the legislature regarding such initiative.

2025-S3578 - Sponsor Memo

2025-S3578 - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   3578
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 28, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  CLEARE -- 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  requir-
   ing the department of agriculture and markets to facilitate and expand
   an  initiative  to promote opportunities for farm ownership to farmers
   who are black, indigenous and people of color
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Legislative intent and findings. The legislature finds that
 black, indigenous and people of color farmers make up approximately 2.1%
 of  all farmers in New York state. Using data from the 2017 census, that
 means that only 1,228 out of 57,865 farmers were black, indigenous,  and
 people  of  color.  It is the intent of the legislature to diversify the
 profession of farming within the state and to encourage  black,  indige-
 nous, and people of color to pursue farm ownership.
   §  2.  Section  16  of  the  agriculture and markets law is amended by
 adding a new subdivision 53 to read as follows:
   53. FACILITATE AND EXPAND, WITH FINANCIAL AND  TECHNICAL  SUPPORT,  AN
 INITIATIVE  TO  PROMOTE  OPPORTUNITIES FOR FARM OWNERSHIP TO FARMERS WHO
 ARE BLACK, INDIGENOUS AND PEOPLE OF COLOR. THE DEPARTMENT SHALL  PROMOTE
 A CONSISTENT DEMAND OF PRODUCTS AND SERVICES FROM FARMERS WHO ARE BLACK,
 INDIGENOUS,  AND PEOPLE OF COLOR AND RE-ESTABLISH OPPORTUNITIES FOR FARM
 OWNERSHIP FOR SUCH FARMERS. A REPORT SHALL BE PROVIDED ANNUALLY  TO  THE
 GOVERNOR  AND  THE  LEGISLATURE DETAILING INFORMATION INCLUDING, BUT NOT
 LIMITED TO, THE TYPE OF INITIATIVES UNDERTAKEN, THE FUNDING  DISTRIBUTED
 BY  REGION,  THE  PERCENTAGE  OF  FARMS  OWNED BY FARMERS WHO ARE BLACK,
 INDIGENOUS, AND PEOPLE OF COLOR BY  REGION,  AND  THE  VARIOUS  PRODUCTS
 DISTRIBUTED TO AND FROM EACH REGION.
   §  3.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
 have become a law.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD08105-01-5

2025-S3578A (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:
Senate Finance
Law Section:
Agriculture and Markets Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §16, Ag & Mkts L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:
2021-2022: S8324
2023-2024: S3168

2025-S3578A (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires the department of agriculture and markets to facilitate and expand an initiative to promote opportunities for farm ownership to farmers who are black, indigenous and people of color; requires the department to submit a triennial report to the governor and the legislature regarding such initiative.

2025-S3578A (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S3578A (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  3578--A
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 28, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  CLEARE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Agriculture  --  committee
   discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted
   to said committee
 
 AN  ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to requir-
   ing the department of agriculture and markets to facilitate and expand
   an initiative to promote opportunities for farm ownership  to  farmers
   who are black, indigenous and people of color
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Legislative intent and findings. The legislature finds that
 black, indigenous and people of color farmers make up approximately 2.1%
 of all farmers in New York state. Using data from the 2017 census,  that
 means  that only 1,228 out of 57,865 farmers were black, indigenous, and
 people of color. It is the intent of the legislature  to  diversify  the
 profession  of  farming within the state and to encourage black, indige-
 nous, and people of color to pursue farm ownership.
   § 2. Section 16 of the agriculture  and  markets  law  is  amended  by
 adding a new subdivision 53 to read as follows:
   53.  FACILITATE  AND  EXPAND, WITH FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT, AN
 INITIATIVE TO PROMOTE OPPORTUNITIES FOR FARM OWNERSHIP  TO  FARMERS  WHO
 ARE  BLACK, INDIGENOUS AND PEOPLE OF COLOR. THE DEPARTMENT SHALL PROMOTE
 PRODUCTS AND SERVICES FROM FARMERS WHO ARE BLACK, INDIGENOUS, AND PEOPLE
 OF COLOR AND ESTABLISH OPPORTUNITIES FOR FARM OWNERSHIP FOR  SUCH  FARM-
 ERS.  A  REPORT  SHALL  BE  PROVIDED TRIENNIALLY TO THE GOVERNOR AND THE
 LEGISLATURE DETAILING INFORMATION INCLUDING, BUT  NOT  LIMITED  TO,  THE
 TYPE  OF  INITIATIVES UNDERTAKEN, THE FUNDING DISTRIBUTED BY REGION, THE
 PERCENTAGE OF FARMS OWNED BY FARMERS  WHO  ARE  BLACK,  INDIGENOUS,  AND
 PEOPLE  OF  COLOR BY REGION, AND THE VARIOUS PRODUCTS DISTRIBUTED TO AND
 FROM EACH REGION.
   § 3. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
 have become a law.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

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