Bill Text: NY S08561 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Amended

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Bill Title: Establishes a New York food supply working group to provide advice, guidance, and recommendations on New York's food supply and related supply chain logistics in the wake of COVID-19.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)

Status: (Passed) 2020-12-02 - approval memo.26 [S08561 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S08561-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         8561--A

                    IN SENATE

                                      June 16, 2020
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sens.  METZGER,  HOYLMAN,  MAY -- read twice and ordered
          printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules --
          committee discharged and said bill committed to the Committee on Agri-
          culture -- 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 estab-
          lishing a New York food supply working group

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Section 16 of the agriculture and markets law is amended by
     2  adding a new subdivision 51 to read as follows:
     3    51.  (a)  Establish, in coordination with the commissioner of economic
     4  development, a New York food supply working  group  to  provide  advice,
     5  guidance, and recommendations on improving the resiliency and self-reli-
     6  ance  of  the  state's farm and food supply and the related supply chain
     7  logistics to address food shortages, food waste, and  the  inability  to
     8  get  New  York  farm  goods  to markets that occurred as a result of the
     9  Covid-19 pandemic, with the goal of creating permanent solutions  beyond
    10  the  state  of  emergency  to reflect the changing wholesale, retail and
    11  consumer marketplace.
    12    (b) The commissioners shall work with the food  supply  working  group
    13  which  shall  include, but not be limited to, representatives, including
    14  small and family-owned businesses, of:
    15    (i) farmers;
    16    (ii) food processors including, but not limited  to,  dairy,  produce,
    17  meat, and beverage processors;
    18    (iii)  retail  food  businesses  including, but not limited to, retail
    19  food stores and direct farm-to-consumer businesses;
    20    (iv) the food service industry including, but not limited to,  restau-
    21  rants and institutional foodservice;
    22    (v) food wholesalers and distributors;
    23    (vi)  food  transporters including, but not limited to, direct-to-con-
    24  sumer transporters serving retail food stores, foodservice, and farmers;
    25    (vii) labor organizations and workers from the farm and food industry;

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD16636-02-0
        S. 8561--A                          2

     1    (viii) emergency food providers including, but not limited  to,  food-
     2  banks;
     3    (ix)  academic  experts  in  food production, marketing, distribution,
     4  food safety, and consumers;
     5    (x) federal agencies with responsibility for food production, process-
     6  ing, marketing, and safety; and
     7    (xi) any other representatives  of  agriculture,  the  food  industry,
     8  economic  development,  or any other state agencies the commissioners of
     9  agriculture and markets and of economic development deem necessary.
    10    (c) The working group shall convene on or before May first, two  thou-
    11  sand  twenty-one,  for  the  purpose of roundtable meetings which may be
    12  held in different regions of the state. The agenda and meeting  informa-
    13  tion shall be made available to the public in advance and all such meet-
    14  ings  shall be open to, or accessible to, the public.  Such meetings may
    15  include, among other things,  consideration  of  the  following  issues,
    16  especially as they relate to state or federal emergencies:
    17    (i)  the  need  to  strengthen the resiliency and self-reliance of the
    18  state's farm and food supply and  related  supply  chain  logistics,  to
    19  prevent  food shortages and food waste, and to overcome hurdles involved
    20  in getting agricultural products to markets and consumers; and
    21    (ii) the need for changes to, and development of, new state and feder-
    22  al laws, rules, policies, and programs to address,  and  provide  incen-
    23  tives for, the goal of strengthening and improving the state food supply
    24  in  a  manner  that  benefits  New  York farms, businesses, workers, and
    25  consumers.
    26    (d) The working group shall provide a written report of  its  findings
    27  identifying  any  proposed recommendations and guidance to the governor,
    28  the speaker of the assembly, and the temporary president of  the  senate
    29  on  or before December first, two thousand twenty-one, and shall publish
    30  such report on the department's website.
    31    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.