What's happening
This bill creates a grant program to help small farms (under $100,000 annual sales) recover from natural disasters by funding crop replanting.
Why it matters
Targets the most economically vulnerable farms. by limiting eligibility to those with annual sales of $100,000 or less, ensuring that relief funds go to small-scale producers who may lack other financial safety nets.
Focuses exclusively on crop recovery. grant funds can only be used for purchasing and replanting crops destroyed by natural disasters, helping farms quickly restore their primary source of income and maintain local food supply chains.
Caps total grant awards at $10,000 per applicant. , which encourages broad distribution of aid and prevents a few recipients from exhausting limited resources, potentially allowing more farms to benefit.
Makes funding contingent on annual appropriations and available state funds. , meaning the program’s impact will vary from year to year and could be limited or expanded depending on budgetary priorities and disaster frequency.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Aid Small Farms After Disasters
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Assembly Member · Assembly District 111
8 Co-sponsors
3 Multi-sponsors
History
- Referred to agriculture
- Referred to agriculture
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.
Aid for Small Farm Disasters
In Assembly Committee · Agriculture · Sponsor Pamela Helming
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
191
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled)
January 4, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. SANTABARBARA, ORTIZ, MONTESANO, CROUCH, SKOUFIS, BLANKENBUSH, COOK, HOOPER, PALMESANO -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. BARCLAY, BLAKE, GLICK, LOPEZ, LUPINACCI, McLAUGHLIN -- read once and referred to the Committee on Agriculture
AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to establishing a small farm disaster recovery grant program
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The agriculture and markets law is amended by adding a new section 325-b to read as follows:
§ 325-b. Small farm disaster recovery grant program. 1. There is hereby established a small farm disaster recovery grant program to be administered by the department, in conjunction with the empire state development corporation.
2. The purpose of the program is to provide financial relief to small farms that have been affected by natural disasters.
3. For purposes of this section, small farm shall only include farms that sell produce and have annual sales of one hundred thousand dollars or less.
4. The owner of any small farm may submit an application for a grant pursuant to this section to the department. Grants awarded pursuant to this section shall be used solely for the purpose of purchasing and replanting crops that have been destroyed by a natural disaster.
5. The commissioner, upon review of an owner's application, shall determine if the owner is eligible for a grant pursuant to this section. The commissioner shall make the determination as to the amount of grant the small farm owner needs to rebuild his or her crop, provided that such amount shall in no event exceed ten thousand dollars.
6. This program shall be funded through annual appropriations of the legislature or any other funds received by the state for the purposes of
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05178-01-7
A. 191 2
this section. Grants shall only be awarded based upon the availability of funds.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the first of April next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law; provided, however, that effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date is authorized and directed to be made on or before such effective date.
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.