Bill Text: NY A07381 | 2015-2016 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Directs the wood products development council to work to improve public understanding of the timber industry and authorizes the department of environmental conservation to execute contracts for timber or other forest products valued at under $50,000 without approval from the state comptroller.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-01-06 - referred to agriculture [A07381 Detail]

Download: New_York-2015-A07381-Introduced.html

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                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         7381
                              2015-2016 Regular Sessions
                                 I N  A S S E M B L Y
                                      May 6, 2015
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by M. of A. MAGEE -- read once and referred to the Committee
         on Agriculture
       AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to the wood
         products development council; and to amend the environmental conserva-
         tion law, in relation to contracts for timber or other forest products
         THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 225 of the agriculture and markets
    2  law,  as added by chapter 325 of the laws of 2009, is amended to read as
    3  follows:
    4    2. The council shall work with wood-using  manufacturers  to  increase
    5  the  economic  contributions and employment opportunities related to the
    6  practice of forestry and manufacture of wood products in New York state.
    7  The council shall give priority  to  increasing  private  investment  in
    8  working forests; maintaining access to working and family forests; coor-
    9  dinating  policy and permitting issues with state agencies, academia and
   10  the private sector; working  to  improve  public  understanding  of  and
   11  appreciation  for forestry, THE TIMBER INDUSTRY and forest products; and
   12  increasing export and market opportunities for New York forest products.
   13  The council shall deliver an annual report outlining its work and making
   14  recommendations with regard to economic development and marketing initi-
   15  atives and research and  development  initiatives  consistent  with  the
   16  purposes  of the council. The report shall be delivered to the governor,
   17  the speaker of the assembly, the temporary president of the senate,  the
   18  minority leader of the assembly and the minority leader of the senate.
   19    S  2.  Section 9-0505 of the environmental conservation law is amended
   20  by adding a new subdivision 5 to read as follows:
   21    5. NOTWITHSTANDING SUBDIVISION THREE OF SECTION ONE HUNDRED TWELVE  OF
   22  THE  STATE  FINANCE  LAW,  IF THE VALUE OR ESTIMATED VALUE OF THE TREES,
   23  TIMBER OR OTHER FOREST PRODUCTS DOES NOT EXCEED FIFTY THOUSAND  DOLLARS,
   24  THE  CONTRACT  MAY  BE EXECUTED BY THE DEPARTMENT AND SHALL BE VALID AND
   25  ENFORCEABLE WITHOUT FIRST BEING APPROVED BY THE  STATE  COMPTROLLER  AND
   26  FILED IN HIS OR HER OFFICE.
   27    S 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD06260-01-5