Bill Text: NY A08258 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Relates to establishing the climate and agriculture working group to advise on recommended policies and programs to improve climate-related impacts of agriculture.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - referred to agriculture [A08258 Detail]
Download: New_York-2019-A08258-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 8258 2019-2020 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY June 11, 2019 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. LUPARDO -- read once and referred to the Commit- tee on Agriculture AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to estab- lishing the climate and agriculture working group The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The agriculture and markets law is amended by adding a new 2 section 309-b to read as follows: 3 § 309-b. Climate and agriculture working group. 1. There shall be 4 established within the department the climate and agriculture working 5 group, to advise and make recommendations to the state agencies and the 6 legislature on state government plans, policies, and programs relating 7 to climate and agriculture, as outlined by this section. The department 8 shall provide necessary secretariat and support services to the working 9 group. 10 2. The climate and agriculture working group shall consist of twenty- 11 five members, twenty-two to be appointed by the governor, with the 12 advice and consent of the senate, selected for their experience and 13 expertise related to areas of working group responsibility. The working 14 group shall be comprised of a diverse group of stakeholders as follows: 15 (a) Of the twenty-five members appointed to the working group: 16 (1) one shall be the commissioner of the department of agriculture and 17 markets, or his or her designee; 18 (2) one shall be the commissioner of the department of environmental 19 conservation, or his or her designee; 20 (3) one shall be the president of the New York state energy research 21 and development authority, or his or her designee; 22 (4) one shall be from the New York Farm Bureau; 23 (5) one shall be from the American Farmland Trust; 24 (6) one shall be from the National Young Farmers Coalition; 25 (7) one shall be from the Northeast Organic Farming Association; EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD13245-01-9A. 8258 2 1 (8) one shall be from a regional land trust; 2 (9) one shall be from Cornell university; 3 (10) two shall be from a soil and water conservation district; 4 (11) four shall be from organizations with diverse expertise related 5 to the duties and responsibilities of the working group; 6 (12) three shall be farmers who are under the age of forty-five years 7 old at the beginning of their term, and who derive at least fifty 8 percent of their personal income from farming or agricultural activ- 9 ities; 10 (13) five shall be farmers who derive at least fifty percent of their 11 personal income from farming or agricultural activities, and of such 12 farmers and to the extent practicable, at least one shall be a dairy 13 producer; and 14 (14) two shall be non-operating landowners who lease land to a farmer. 15 (b) Each member shall be appointed for a term of three years and may 16 serve until their successors are chosen; provided, however, that of the 17 members first appointed, eight shall serve for a term of one year, eight 18 shall serve for a term of two years and nine shall serve for a term of 19 three years. 20 (c) Members shall serve without salary but shall be entitled to 21 reimbursement of their ordinary and necessary travel expenses. 22 3. The duties and responsibilities of the climate and agriculture 23 working group shall include, but not be limited to: 24 (a) annually electing from its members a chairperson, a vice chair- 25 person, and a secretary of the working group at the group's first meet- 26 ing of the calendar year; 27 (b) meeting no less than biannually and allowing for virtual partic- 28 ipation; 29 (c) establishing sub-groups as necessary; and 30 (d) developing recommendations on policies and programs on the follow- 31 ing five areas: 32 (1) increasing adoption of practices on New York farms that sequester 33 carbon and other greenhouse gases and build soil health; 34 (2) reducing greenhouse gas emissions from New York farms in ways that 35 promote and protect farm viability; 36 (3) increasing renewable energy generation on farmlands in ways that 37 promote farm viability and protect productive farmland for commercial 38 agricultural use; 39 (4) permanently protecting farmlands to promote smart growth and 40 reduce transportation emissions; and 41 (5) other areas of climate and agriculture policy as recommended by 42 the working group. 43 4. The working group shall provide an annual report to the governor, 44 the speaker of the assembly, and the majority leader of the senate on 45 the policies that the working group recommends be adopted, and programs 46 that the working group recommends be created to support the areas listed 47 in paragraph (d) of subdivision three of this section. 48 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
