STATE OF NEW YORK
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4945
2015-2016 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
April 24, 2015
___________
Introduced by Sen. COMRIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Agriculture
AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to annual
reporting requirements for farmers markets
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 263 of the agriculture and markets
2 law, as amended by chapter 524 of the laws of 2005, is amended to read
3 as follows:
4 1. The commissioner shall quinquennially report to the governor and
5 the legislature on or before January first, two thousand seven and on or
6 before January first of each fifth year thereafter on the status of the
7 state farmers' markets program, as provided under this article. Such
8 report shall include:
9 (a) the number, nature and geographic locations of farmers markets in
10 the state of New York;
11 [(a)] (b) the number and nature of proposals made to the department
12 for state assistance;
13 [(b)] (c) the number, nature and geographic location of approved farm-
14 ers' markets development or improvement projects, and the amounts of
15 each award made thereto;
16 [(c)] (d) an assessment of the effectiveness of existing farmers'
17 markets to facilitate New York producers to direct market their farm and
18 food products to retail and wholesale consumers; [and]
19 (e) the number, nature and geographic location of food deserts in the
20 state of New York; such assessment shall provide detailed demographic
21 information, the number and descriptions of the food sources in food
22 deserts, and any other information the commissioner deems appropriate
23 for an assessment of food deserts;
24 (f) an assessment of the successes, failures and barriers in estab-
25 lishing farmers markets in food deserts and recommendations for overcom-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10620-02-5
S. 4945 2
1 ing the failures and barriers in establishing farmers markets in food
2 deserts;
3 (g) a list of the funding sources available for expanding farmers
4 markets into food deserts; and
5 [(d)](h) any recommendations for [program] improvement of the farmers'
6 markets program.
7 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
