Bill Text: NY S05664 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Authorizes the commissioner of education, in cooperation with the commissioner of agriculture and markets, to establish voluntary guidelines to provide for the donation of excess, unused, edible food from school, university or other educational institutions' meal programs to voluntary food assistance programs.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 13-5)

Status: (Passed) 2017-09-13 - SIGNED CHAP.316 [S05664 Detail]

Download: New_York-2017-S05664-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                         5664--A
            Cal. No. 778
                               2017-2018 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                     April 24, 2017
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  Sens.  KLEIN, ADDABBO, AVELLA, BOYLE, CARLUCCI, HOYLMAN,
          KENNEDY, LATIMER,  MARCHIONE,  MONTGOMERY,  PARKER,  RITCHIE,  SAVINO,
          SERRANO  --  read  twice  and  ordered printed, and when printed to be
          committed to the Committee on Agriculture -- reported  favorably  from
          said committee, ordered to first and second report, ordered to a third
          reading,  amended  and  ordered  reprinted, retaining its place in the
          order of third reading
        AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law and the  education  law,
          in relation to authorizing school districts and institutions of higher
          education  to  donate  excess  food to local voluntary food assistance
          programs
          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 5-c to read as follows:
     3    5-c.  Cooperate with the commissioner of education, pursuant to subdi-
     4  vision thirty-two of section three hundred five of the education law, to
     5  develop guidelines for the voluntary implementation by school  districts
     6  and institutions of higher education, as defined in subdivision eight of
     7  section  two  of  the  education  law,  of  programs which encourage the
     8  donation of excess, unused, edible food from meals served at such educa-
     9  tional facilities to local voluntary food assistance programs.
    10    § 2. Section 305 of the education law  is  amended  by  adding  a  new
    11  subdivision 32 to read as follows:
    12    32. The commissioner, in consultation and cooperation with the commis-
    13  sioner  of  agriculture and markets, may develop voluntary guidelines to
    14  encourage and facilitate the ability  of  school  districts  and  insti-
    15  tutions  of  higher education to donate excess, unused, edible food from
    16  meals served at such educational  facilities  to  local  voluntary  food
    17  assistance  programs  including,  but  not  limited  to,  community food
    18  pantries, soup kitchens, and other community and  not-for-profit  organ-
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD07734-02-7
        S. 5664--A                          2
     1  izations that distribute food to the poor and disadvantaged. Such guide-
     2  lines  developed  concerning  donated  food shall comply with all public
     3  health laws, rules and regulations that govern food safety.
     4    Such guidelines may include, but need not be limited to:
     5    a.  a  methodology  to provide information to educational institutions
     6  and local voluntary food assistance programs of the provisions  of  such
     7  guidelines;
     8    b.  a  means  by  which educational institutions are provided with the
     9  names and addresses  of  all  nearby  local  voluntary  food  assistance
    10  programs;
    11    c.  a  means  by  which  local  voluntary food assistance programs are
    12  provided with the names and addresses of nearby educational institutions
    13  which serve meals upon their premises;
    14    d. notification to educational institutions of their ability to  elect
    15  to donate excess, unused, edible food to local voluntary food assistance
    16  programs; and
    17    e. the provision of information and technical assistance on the manner
    18  of how to best donate excess food in a safe and sanitary manner.
    19    The  commissioner  shall  coordinate the implementation of such guide-
    20  lines with the farm-to-school program and the New York Harvest  For  New
    21  York  Kids  Week  program  established pursuant to subdivision five-b of
    22  section sixteen of the agriculture and markets law.
    23    § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
    24  it shall have become a law.