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Senate Bill S8779

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Establishes a New York native plants designation; repealer

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Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Rules Committee

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2025-S8779 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:
A9478
Current Committee:
Senate Rules
Law Section:
Agriculture and Markets Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §2, Chap of 2025 (as proposed in S.7359-A & A.7964-A); rpld §16 sub 2-h, amd §166, Ag & Mkts L

2025-S8779 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Directs the department of agriculture and markets, in cooperation with the department of environmental conservation, to establish standards for designation of native plants, to develop a list of native plants that indicates and differentiates between native plants that are indigenous to New York state and those that are native plants found elsewhere in the United States that are likely to shift or expand their range into NY, to establish a New York native plant designation, and to offer seals or logos identifying native plants as grown in New York state; defines "native plants".

2025-S8779 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S8779 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8779
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              January 8, 2026
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  MAY  --  read  twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
 
 AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation  to  estab-
   lishing  a  New  York  native  plants  designation;  to repeal certain
   provisions of such law relating thereto; and to amend a chapter of the
   laws of 2025 amending the agriculture  and  markets  law  relating  to
   establishing  a  New  York  native  plants designation, as proposed in
   legislative bills numbers S. 7359-A and A.  7964-A, in relation to the
   effectiveness thereof
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Subdivision  2-h  of  section  16  of the agriculture and
 markets law is REPEALED.
   § 2. Section 166 of the agriculture and  markets  law  is  amended  by
 adding two new subdivisions 5 and 6 to read as follows:
   5.  IN  COOPERATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION,
 THE DEPARTMENT SHALL:
   A. ESTABLISH STANDARDS FOR DESIGNATION OF NATIVE PLANTS IN NEW YORK IN
 CONSULTATION WITH  RECOGNIZED  CERTIFICATION  ORGANIZATIONS,  ACADEMICS,
 NURSERY GROWERS, AND NURSERY DEALERS;
   B.  DEVELOP  A LIST OF NATIVE PLANTS THAT SHALL INDICATE AND DIFFEREN-
 TIATE NATIVE PLANTS THAT ARE:  (I)  NON-INVASIVE  HERBACEOUS  AND  WOODY
 PLANT  SPECIES  THAT  ARE INDIGENOUS TO NEW YORK STATE AND ARE LIKELY TO
 MAINTAIN THEIR RANGE OR SUCCESSFULLY ADAPT TO ANTICIPATED CLIMATE CHANG-
 ES IN NEW YORK STATE  AND  THE  NORTHEASTERN  UNITED  STATES;  AND  (II)
 NATIVE,  NON-INVASIVE  PLANTS  FOUND ELSEWHERE IN THE UNITED STATES THAT
 ARE LIKELY TO SHIFT OR EXPAND THEIR RANGE INTO NEW YORK  STATE  AND  THE
 NORTHEASTERN UNITED STATES IN RESPONSE TO ANTICIPATED CLIMATE CHANGE;
   C. OFFER SEALS OR LOGOS IDENTIFYING NATIVE PLANTS AS GROWN IN NEW YORK
 STATE  AND  MARKETED  BY  NURSERY GROWERS AND NURSERY DEALERS REGISTERED
 PURSUANT TO THIS ARTICLE; AND
   D. PROVIDE EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS PROMOTING AWARENESS AND UNDERSTANDING
 OF THE BENEFITS OF NATIVE PLANTS UNDER THE NEW YORK NATIVE PLANT  DESIG-
 NATION  TO  HORTICULTURAL  PRODUCERS,  GARDEN CENTERS, CONSUMERS, EDUCA-
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

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