Manktelow, Gallahan, Hawley, Brabenec, DeStefano, Brown E, Miller, Gunther, Lemondes, Mikulin
MLTSPNSR
Add §29, Ag & Mkts L
Establishes a veterans in agriculture assistance and outreach program to help integrate veterans into the field of agriculture, and support veterans currently working in agriculture; designs an associated logotype for the promotion of products produced by a veteran or qualified veteran business entity.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A4210
SPONSOR: Tague TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to estab-
lishing a veterans in agriculture assistance and outreach program
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
This bill will help integrate veterans into the field of agriculture,
and support veterans currently working in agriculture.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section one amends the agriculture and markets law by adding a new
section 29 that establishes the veterans in agriculture assistance and
outreach program within the Department of Agriculture and Markets. Such
program will recruit and train veterans to facilitate entry into the
field of agriculture by:
* identifying eligible veterans and encouraging their participation
* facilitating educational opportunities
* establishing mentorships
* connecting veterans with applicable resources
* building a website related to veteran farming
* developing specialized mental health services for veterans in agricul-
ture
* linking veterans and their products with local retailers
* helping veterans who want to farm find land to do so As of 1/31/2023
at 2:25 PMIn Reference to LBD 05806-01-3
* assisting veterans in applying for available grant funding
* creating a veteran agriculture logotype that identifies a product as
being produced by a veteran or veteran business entity
Section two provides the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
In New York State, the amount of acreage under tillage is in decline -
since 2012, acreage under cultivation has dropped by nearly 320,000
acres. This is an alarming decrease as we work towards improving access
to healthy and nutritious foods and if it continues, could have drastic
impacts on food security for future generations. With that said, New
York ranks fifth in the Nation in total veteran population with nearly
800,000 former service members residing in State. These heroic individ-
uals already possess many of the skills and characteristics needed to
thrive in agriculture - they are driven, self-disciplined, and focused
on carrying out their mission. Beyond that, the VA has concluded that
nature-based forms of therapy, including farming, can be as effective at
reducing PTSD symptoms as more traditional, clinical treatments.
Our courageous veterans cannot be forgotten once they return to civilian
life and deserve our enduring support as they find their place in socie-
ty. Engaging veterans in agriculture will not only provide former
service members with purpose, give them opportunity, and benefit their
health and wellness but does so while bolstering the State's agricul-
tural sector.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2022:A.10341 referred to Agriculture
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
This legislation does not include any new appropriations.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it
shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment
and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation
of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and
completed on or before such effective date. As of 1/31/2023 at 2:25
PMIn Reference to LBD 05806-01-3
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
4210
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 13, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. TAGUE, MANKTELOW, GALLAHAN, HAWLEY, BRABENEC,
DeSTEFANO, E. BROWN, MILLER, GUNTHER, LEMONDES, MIKULIN -- read once
and referred to the Committee on Agriculture
AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to estab-
lishing a veterans in agriculture assistance and outreach program
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The agriculture and markets law is amended by adding a new
2 section 29 to read as follows:
3 § 29. Veterans in agriculture assistance and outreach program. 1. As
4 used in this section, the following terms shall have the following mean-
5 ings:
6 (a) "Veteran" means a person who served on active duty in the
7 uniformed services of the United States, or in the army national guard,
8 air national guard, or service as a commissioned officer in the public
9 health service, commissioned officer of the national oceanic and atmo-
10 spheric administration or environmental sciences services adminis-
11 tration, cadet at a United States armed forces service academy, and who
12 has been released from such service under other than dishonorable condi-
13 tions.
14 (b) "Qualified veteran business entity" means a business enterprise,
15 including a sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company
16 or corporation that is:
17 (i) at least fifty-one percent owned by one or more veterans;
18 (ii) an enterprise in which such veteran ownership is real, substan-
19 tial, and continuing;
20 (iii) an enterprise in which such veteran ownership has and exercises
21 the authority to control independently the day-to-day business decisions
22 of the enterprise; and
23 (iv) an enterprise authorized to do business in this state and is
24 independently-owned and operated.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05806-01-3
A. 4210 2
1 2. The department, shall establish a program to help integrate veter-
2 ans into the field of agriculture, and support veterans currently work-
3 ing in agriculture.
4 3. Such program shall include, but not be limited to:
5 (a) Recruiting and providing training for veterans to facilitate entry
6 into the field of agriculture, in consultation with the department of
7 veterans' services, the division of military and naval affairs and the
8 United States department of agriculture.
9 (b) Identifying and making assistance available to formerly incarcer-
10 ated veterans to facilitate entry into the field of agriculture, in
11 consultation with the department of corrections and community super-
12 vision.
13 (c) Providing assistance to veterans in rural and urban communities by
14 providing employment, mentorship, and outreach opportunities.
15 (d) Facilitating educational opportunities through Cornell University
16 and the state university of New York.
17 (e) Connecting between veterans and applicable local, state and feder-
18 al resources.
19 (f) Creating a website relating to provide veterans information on and
20 easy access to program resources.
21 (g) Promoting participation by veterans and qualified business enti-
22 ties, including but not limited to the conduct of outreach and education
23 efforts to encourage and facilitate participation.
24 (h) Coordinating with military, government, or private sector market-
25 ing efforts that already identify, emphasize, and encourage the
26 production and marketing of New York produced agricultural commodities
27 by veterans and qualified business entities.
28 (i) Partnering with the office of mental health, the department of
29 health and NY FarmNet to develop a specialized mental health and suicide
30 prevention program for veterans in agriculture.
31 (j) Training and support opportunities as well as resources to connect
32 veterans and their products with local retailers.
33 (k) Establishing mentorships for veterans with farming endeavors.
34 (l) Providing assistance to veterans to apply for available grant
35 funding.
36 (m) Within funding made available for such purposes, conducting an
37 assessment of properties and making such property available for an
38 affordable lease program for veterans.
39 (n) Working with veterans and property owners to ensure veterans who
40 want to farm have a place to do so.
41 (o) Identifying current New York Grown and Certified program partic-
42 ipants who qualify to use the logotype developed pursuant to the
43 provisions of subdivision four of this section and encourage application
44 for the use of such logotype.
45 (p) Establishing a special veterans' category in New York Grown and
46 Certified database of products.
47 (q) Reporting on the feasibility of developing rehabilitation sites to
48 assist wounded and disabled veterans to readjust and heal to address
49 post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury issues through
50 agriculture therapy programs.
51 (r) Creating and building a brand for farmer-veterans' products.
52 (s) Development of a veteran agriculture logotype pursuant to the
53 provisions of subdivision four of this section.
54 4. (a) The department, in consultation with the empire state develop-
55 ment corporation, shall design a logotype that clearly identifies a
56 product as both meeting existing New York State Grown and Certified
A. 4210 3
1 standards pursuant to 1 NYCRR 161.3 and being produced by a veteran or
2 qualified veteran business entity. The department shall incorporate the
3 New York State Grown and Certified Seal, and may partner with organiza-
4 tions, including but not limited to, the Farmer Veteran Coalition Homeg-
5 rown by Heroes program and similar programs intended to encourage veter-
6 ans to farm or to otherwise benefit farmers who are veterans, if the
7 department elects to adopt such organizations' separate and unique
8 eligibility criteria.
9 (b) Such logotype shall be made available to veterans or qualified
10 veteran business entities for descriptive labels, packaging or adver-
11 tisement information at no cost.
12 (c) The department shall promulgate rules and regulations to provide
13 for civil penalties and injunctive relief for improper use of the logo-
14 type designed pursuant to this subdivision.
15 5. The department shall make the program developed pursuant to this
16 section available to:
17 (a) veterans;
18 (b) persons who served on active duty in the uniformed services of the
19 United States, or in the army national guard, air national guard, or
20 service as a commissioned officer in the public health service, commis-
21 sioned officer of the national oceanic and atmospheric administration or
22 environmental sciences services administration, cadet at a United States
23 armed forces service academy, and who has been released from such
24 service under other a condition other than honorable on a case-by-case
25 basis following review and approval by the department;
26 (c) immediate family members of a veteran killed while serving on
27 active duty, a prisoner of war, or died from a service-related injury or
28 exposure, where such immediate family member is licensed under the New
29 York State Grown and Certified standards pursuant to 1 NYCRR 161.3; and
30 (d) qualified veteran business entities.
31 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
32 it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend-
33 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen-
34 tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and
35 completed on or before such effective date.
