What's happening
This bill creates the New York farm to school and school garden fund, allowing tax return donations to support school gardens and educational materials promoting local food.
Why it matters
Directs new funding toward hands-on education. By supporting school gardens and local food educational materials, the bill could enhance nutrition knowledge and science learning in schools, giving students more direct experience with food systems and agriculture.
Encourages community involvement and philanthropy. The creation of a dedicated fund, with the option for tax return donations and acceptance of gifts or grants, invites community members and organizations to directly invest in the health and education of local children.
Promotes local agriculture and healthy eating. By focusing resources on promoting students’ consumption of local products, the bill strengthens connections between schools and local farms, potentially increasing market opportunities for New York farmers and exposing students to fresher, healthier foods.
Empowers the Department of Agriculture and Markets. The bill gives this department authority to set criteria and limits for funding distribution, ensuring resources are allocated in a way that aligns with broader agricultural and educational goals.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Fund School Gardens Statewide
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
18 Co-sponsors
2 Multi-sponsors
History
- Referred to education
- Referred to education
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Fund School Gardens and Food
In Senate Committee · Finance · Sponsor Patty Ritchie
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1081
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 10, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. HUNTER -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend the state finance law and the tax law, in relation to establishing the New York farm to school and school garden fund
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 97-ff to read as follows:
§ 97-ff. New York farm to school and school garden fund. 1. There is hereby established in the joint custody of the state comptroller and the commissioner of taxation and finance a fund to be known as the "New York farm to school and school garden fund".
2. Such fund shall consist of all revenues received by the department of taxation and finance, pursuant to the provisions of section six hundred twenty-five-a of the tax law, and all other moneys appropriated, credited, or transferred thereto from any other fund or source pursuant to law. Nothing in this section shall prevent the state from soliciting and receiving grants, gifts or bequests for the purposes of the fund as defined in this section and depositing them into the fund according to law.
3. Moneys of the fund shall be expended for the purposes of establishing school gardens and purchasing equipment and educational materials to promote students' consumption of local products conducted in cooperation with the department of agriculture and markets. Such department shall be authorized to create further criteria and limits on such funding if necessary. Moneys shall be paid out of the fund on the audit and warrant of the state comptroller on vouchers approved by the commissioner of agriculture and markets. Any interest received by the comptroller on moneys on deposit in the New York farm to school and school garden fund shall be retained in and become part of such fund.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02614-01-7
A. 1081 2
§ 2. The tax law is amended by adding a new section 625-a to read as follows:
§ 625-a. Gift for the New York farm to school and school garden fund. An individual in any taxable year may elect to contribute to the New York farm to school and school garden fund to help establish school gardens and purchase equipment and educational materials to promote students' consumption of local products. The contribution shall be in any whole dollar amount and shall not reduce the amount of state tax owed by such individual. The commissioner shall include space on the personal income tax return to enable a taxpayer to make such contribution. Notwithstanding any other provision of law all revenues collected pursuant to this section shall be credited to the New York farm to school and school garden fund and used only for those purposes enumerated in section ninety-seven-ff of the state finance law.
§ 3. This act shall take effect ninety days after it shall have become a law.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.