Establishes the commission for agricultural education excellence to assist in developing a statewide plan for increasing agricultural literacy and supporting agricultural education; provides for the membership and powers and duties of such commission; requires the commission to file an annual report with the governor and the legislature.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
7637
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
April 24, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. HINCHEY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing the
commission for agricultural education excellence
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 141 to
2 read as follows:
3 § 141. Commission for agricultural education excellence. 1. There is
4 hereby established within the department the commission for agricultural
5 education excellence to assist in developing a statewide plan for
6 increasing agricultural literacy and supporting agricultural education.
7 The commissioner shall implement the requirements of the commission
8 within funds available to the department and in conjunction with the
9 department of agriculture and markets, and the department of labor as
10 provided for under this section.
11 2. (a) The commission shall consist of nineteen members to be
12 appointed as follows:
13 (i) the commissioner, or their designee;
14 (ii) the commissioner of agriculture and markets, or their designee;
15 (iii) the commissioner of labor, or their designee;
16 (iv) the dean of the college of agriculture and life sciences of
17 Cornell university, or their designee;
18 (v) the executive director of agriculture education and outreach at
19 Cornell university;
20 (vi) a member of the New York agriculture in the classroom advisory
21 committee appointed by the chair;
22 (vii) the president of New York FFA;
23 (viii) the director of the Cornell cooperative extension, or their
24 designee;
25 (ix) the president of New York State 4-H;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10115-02-5
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1 (x) ten members who shall be jointly appointed by the commissioner,
2 the commissioner of agriculture and markets, and the commissioner of
3 labor from lists submitted by the temporary president of the senate and
4 the speaker of the assembly, in consultation with the minority leader of
5 the senate and the majority leader and the minority leader of the assem-
6 bly as follows:
7 (1) two farmers;
8 (2) a representative of the agricultural processing and marketing
9 industries;
10 (3) two secondary teachers of agriculture, one from a board of cooper-
11 ative educational services career and technical center and one from a
12 school district appointed by the president of the New York Association
13 of Agricultural Educators;
14 (4) a representative of the state university of New York agricultural
15 and technical colleges that offer agriculture majors, who has a back-
16 ground in or knowledge of agricultural education;
17 (5) a secondary school administrator from a school that conducts an
18 agricultural education program;
19 (6) one member from any college or university that offers state-ap-
20 proved agricultural science teacher preparation programs or a public
21 community college in this state that provides an articulated agricul-
22 tural science teacher education course of study; and
23 (7) two members of the business community with knowledge of agricul-
24 tural education.
25 (b) Each member of the commission shall serve for a term of three
26 years, except that of the initial members so appointed: seven members
27 shall serve for a term of three years, six members shall serve for a
28 term of two years, and six members shall serve a term of one year. Such
29 initial terms shall be randomly determined among the members. Any vacan-
30 cy in the commission shall be filled for the unexpired term in the same
31 manner as the original appointment.
32 (c) The chair of the commission shall rotate on an annual basis
33 between the commissioner, the commissioner of agriculture and markets,
34 and the commissioner of labor, with the commissioner of agriculture and
35 markets chairing the first annual rotation.
36 (d) A majority of the members of the commission then in office shall
37 constitute a quorum for the transaction of any business or the exercise
38 of any power or function of the commission.
39 (e) Members of the commission shall not receive compensation for their
40 services as members, but shall be allowed their actual and necessary
41 expenses reasonably incurred in the performance of their duties. No
42 member shall be disqualified from holding any other public office or
43 employment by reason of such person's appointment or service as a member
44 notwithstanding the provisions of any other law to the contrary.
45 (f) The department, in conjunction with the department of agriculture
46 and markets and the department of labor, shall provide the commission
47 with such staff, equipment, facilities and such other resources as the
48 commission may need to carry out its powers and duties.
49 (g) The commission shall keep a record of all of its proceedings and
50 actions.
51 3. The commission shall:
52 (a) make recommendations on policy, programs, and initiatives aimed
53 at:
54 (i) deepening the public understanding of the agriculture, food, and
55 natural resources industry and the importance of locally sourced food
56 supplies;
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1 (ii) educating the public on the ability of the agricultural industry
2 to assist the state in achieving the goals set by the Climate Leadership
3 and Community Protection Act;
4 (iii) increasing the effectiveness and accountability of agricultural
5 education programs;
6 (iv) addressing industry workforce needs, including attracting and
7 preparing young people for agricultural careers;
8 (v) providing in-service training for agricultural workers in the
9 agricultural industry; and
10 (vi) promoting technology focused jobs and careers in the agricultural
11 industry;
12 (b) consult with secondary schools and boards of cooperative educa-
13 tional services to facilitate articulation agreements with postsecondary
14 institutions of higher education;
15 (c) provide support and technical assistance to supervised agricul-
16 tural experience, also known as work-based learning programs, based on
17 student and industry needs;
18 (d) provide support and technical assistance for K-12 programs using
19 food and agriculture as context for learning;
20 (e) offer support and coordination for statewide and local activities
21 related to FFA programs;
22 (f) offer support and coordination for statewide and local activities
23 related to 4-H programs;
24 (g) investigate, review, and issue an annual report on the status of
25 agricultural literacy and education in the state required pursuant to
26 subdivision four of this section that includes the location of all
27 resources provided by the commission;
28 (h) serve as a link between the agribusiness sector and the agricul-
29 tural literacy and education system to communicate mutual concerns,
30 needs, and projections;
31 (i) establish and maintain a system of increased awareness of agricul-
32 tural literacy education and its continued need to all residents of New
33 York; and
34 (j) study and make recommendations on model curriculum or instruction
35 on agricultural literacy and education in an appropriate place in the
36 curriculum of elementary, middle and high school students.
37 4. By May first, two thousand twenty-six, and by May first of each
38 year thereafter, the commission shall submit a report to the governor
39 and the legislature on the status of agricultural education in the state
40 of New York. The report shall:
41 (a) outline agricultural literacy and education programs and achieve-
42 ments;
43 (b) assess the trends and needs in secondary and both formal and
44 informal postsecondary agricultural education and training;
45 (c) investigate and assess workforce trends of the agriculture, food,
46 and natural resources industry;
47 (d) assess and make programming recommendations for meeting the train-
48 ing needs for individuals not pursuing formal postsecondary education;
49 (e) identify critical needs, challenges and opportunities in the agri-
50 culture, food, and natural resources industry in the state, its work-
51 force, and agricultural communities, and identify how to best strengthen
52 the industry for growth and profitability;
53 (f) consider the manner in which funds are acquired and used to
54 support agricultural education activities;
55 (g) highlight new initiatives and recommend future program needs;
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1 (h) make recommendations on model curriculum or instruction on agri-
2 cultural literacy and education in an appropriate place in the curric-
3 ulum of elementary, middle and high schools;
4 (i) make recommendations to the governor and the legislature regarding
5 legislative and regulatory changes to improve agricultural literacy and
6 education; and
7 (j) be shared annually to the legislative committees with jurisdiction
8 over agricultural, education and labor policy.
9 5. The implementation of this section shall be subject to funds appro-
10 priated to the department, the department of agriculture and markets,
11 and the department of labor for such purposes. The department may accept
12 grants and donations from public and private sources, including the
13 federal government, to pay for costs incurred for the implementation and
14 continuance of the provisions of this section.
15 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
