Bill Text: NY S04626 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Creates a legislative task force on outdoor environmental education and recreation that will benefit residents of New York state by fostering stewardship and conservation of the environment, and an appreciation of the importance of the wise use of natural resources as well as acknowledgment of the health benefits of time spent in nature.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2018-06-20 - COMMITTED TO RULES [S04626 Detail]

Download: New_York-2017-S04626-Introduced.html


                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          4626
                               2017-2018 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                    February 23, 2017
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  Sen.  RANZENHOFER -- read twice and ordered printed, and
          when printed to be committed to the  Committee  on  Cultural  Affairs,
          Tourism, Parks and Recreation
        AN ACT creating a legislative task force on outdoor environmental educa-
          tion  and  recreation that will benefit residents of New York state by
          stewardship and conservation of the environment,  an  appreciation  of
          the  importance  of  the  wise  use  of  natural  resources as well as
          acknowledgment of the health benefits of time spent in nature
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. Legislative findings. (a) The legislature hereby finds that
     2  in the last two decades, childhood has moved indoors. The average Ameri-
     3  can  boy  or girl spends just four to seven minutes each day in unstruc-
     4  tured outdoor play, and more than seven hours each day in  front  of  an
     5  electronic  screen.  The  decline  in the appreciation and prevalence of
     6  outdoor recreation opportunities profoundly impacts the wellness of  our
     7  state's  youth.  The  correlation  between  increasing childhood obesity
     8  rates and the decline in outdoor recreation is undeniable.
     9    (b) The legislature further finds that visual and physical  access  to
    10  basic  types of open space is vital for everyone, and particularly valu-
    11  able to children growing up in "urban hardscapes", or areas where access
    12  to nature is limited.
    13    (c) The legislature further finds that  the  development  of  policies
    14  that  foster  stewardship of the environment, the importance of the wise
    15  use of natural resources and recognition of the health benefits of  time
    16  spent  in  nature  are essential to the residents of New York state. The
    17  legislature concludes that this can best be accomplished by the creation
    18  of a task force on outdoor environmental education and recreation.
    19    § 2. Objectives. A legislative task  force  on  outdoor  environmental
    20  education and recreation is hereby established to:
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02567-01-7

        S. 4626                             2
     1    (a)  Promote  the development of a framework that will ensure that New
     2  York state has an aggressive outdoor environmental education and  recre-
     3  ation plan for children that focuses on creating, developing and retain-
     4  ing opportunities for outdoor play and learning;
     5    (b)  Identify  and  support  programs  which offer safe access to open
     6  spaces and summer camp to children from urban areas;
     7    (c) Promote the development of policy recommendations to  ensure  that
     8  New  York's  public  and private sectors focus on creating opportunities
     9  for underserved and at-risk children to participate in outdoor play  and
    10  educational experiences;
    11    (d)  Promote  the development of strategies to ensure that K-12 educa-
    12  tional institutions develop policies and programs that promote  environ-
    13  mental  education  to  encourage  outdoor  play thereby improving public
    14  health and take advantage of the physical, mental and spiritual benefits
    15  of moving outdoors in nature;
    16    (e) Promote the development of strategies to assist  community  based,
    17  nonprofit  organizations  in furthering programs that provide for summer
    18  camp and out of school time  opportunities  for  outdoor  recreation  or
    19  education;
    20    (f)  Evaluate  laws, rules, and procedures to ensure that they facili-
    21  tate, or at least do not hinder, the growth of outdoor play or  environ-
    22  mental education.
    23    §  3. Composition. The task force shall consist of twelve members. The
    24  task force members will have experience and expertise in outdoor  recre-
    25  ation and environmental education. The task force shall consist of:  the
    26  commissioner  of  education  or his or her designee, the commissioner of
    27  health or his or her designee, the commissioner of environmental conser-
    28  vation or his or her designee, the commissioner of the office of  parks,
    29  recreation  and historic preservation or his or her designee. One member
    30  shall be a representative from a nonprofit health and wellness organiza-
    31  tion. One member shall be a representative  from  a  nonprofit  environ-
    32  mental conservation organization.  Two members shall be appointed by the
    33  governor;  one  member to be appointed by the temporary president of the
    34  senate; one member to be appointed by the minority leader of the senate;
    35  one member to be appointed by the  speaker  of  the  assembly;  and  one
    36  member  to be appointed by the minority leader of the assembly. The task
    37  force shall be appointed for a term of two years.
    38    § 4. Report. The task force shall report its findings, conclusions and
    39  recommendations to the governor, majority leader of the senate  and  the
    40  speaker  of  the assembly by January 1, 2020. The task force may develop
    41  and publish other documents throughout the year as  it  deems  necessary
    42  and/or appropriate.
    43    § 5. This act shall take effect immediately.
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