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S05716 Summary:

S05716 Actions:

S05716 Committee Votes:

S05716 Floor Votes:

S05716 Text:

 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                          5716
 
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                    IN SENATE
 
                                      May 13, 2019
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by  Sen. METZGER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Corporations,  Authorities
          and Commissions
 
        AN  ACT  to  amend the urban development corporation act, in relation to
          the beginning farmers NY fund
 
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section  1.  Subdivisions  2,  3 and 5 of section 16-w of section 1 of
     2  chapter 174 of the laws  of  1968  constituting  the  urban  development
     3  corporation  act,  subdivision  2  as  amended by section 1 of part W of
     4  chapter 58 of the laws of 2016 and subdivisions 3 and 5  as  amended  by
     5  section  1  of part FF of chapter 58 of the laws of 2015, are amended to
     6  read as follows:
     7    2. The corporation shall consult with the  department  of  agriculture
     8  and  markets  in order to establish such criteria governing the award of
     9  grants as authorized herein, as the corporation and such department deem
    10  necessary. Such criteria shall include, but not be limited  to,  farmers
    11  who  have  not  produced an "agricultural product" as defined by section
    12  three hundred twenty-eight of the agriculture and markets law, for  more
    13  than  ten  consecutive  years, and who will materially and substantially
    14  participate in the production of an agricultural product within a region
    15  of the state. Such criteria shall also consider  farm  income  and  farm
    16  investments as necessary to accommodate beginning farmers reporting less
    17  than ten thousand dollars of annual farm income.
    18    3. Appropriations to the beginning farmers NY fund may be used for the
    19  following purposes:
    20    (a)  to  assist farmers in demonstrating innovative agricultural tech-
    21  niques including, but not limited  to,  organic  farming  and  specialty
    22  crops.
    23    (b)  capital grants in accordance with a business plan to improve farm
    24  profitability. Upon completion of such business plan,  recipients  shall
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD11676-01-9
        S. 5716                             2
 
     1  be  eligible  for capital grants to enhance the profitability of farming
     2  operations, including on land under lease by the recipient. Such  grants
     3  may  be used for purposes including, but not limited to, the purchase of
     4  machinery  or  the  construction  or improvement of physical structures,
     5  including  semi-permanent  structures.     Recipients  of   awards   for
     6  construction  or  improvement of physical structures on land under lease
     7  by the award recipient, shall receive compensation for or retain  owner-
     8  ship  of such structures.  Any capital grant shall be issued with a one-
     9  to-one match between the state and recipient.
    10    5. The beginning farmers NY fund shall not invest  an  amount  in  any
    11  single  beneficiary  that  is  less  than  one  thousand dollars or that
    12  exceeds fifty thousand dollars, subject to any exceptions to  be  estab-
    13  lished  by  guidelines of the corporation.  The corporation shall estab-
    14  lish award tiers to accommodate awards of  less  than  fifteen  thousand
    15  dollars.  Awards  of five thousand dollars or less shall be awarded in a
    16  single payment prior to project completion.
    17    § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of April next  succeeding
    18  the date on which it shall have become a law.