What's happening
This bill creates a fund to support school gardens and farm-to-school programs, allowing individuals to donate through their state tax return.
Why it matters
Empowers community support. By allowing voluntary donations via tax returns, the bill gives individuals a direct way to support local food education and healthy eating for children, fostering a sense of community investment in schools.
Promotes local agriculture. Funding school gardens and farm-to-school programs creates new, consistent demand for local farm products, potentially strengthening local economies and supporting New York farmers.
Educational and health benefits. The resources from the fund are earmarked for equipment and materials that promote hands-on learning about nutrition, agriculture, and sustainability, which research links to healthier eating habits and improved student engagement.
Flexible and scalable funding. The fund can accept not just tax return donations, but also grants, gifts, and bequests, allowing for broader and potentially significant financial support to expand the reach and longevity of these programs.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Fund School Gardens and Food
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Referred to finance
- Referred to finance
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 Statewide
In Assembly Committee · Education · Sponsor Pamela J. Hunter
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
2768
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 17, 2017
Introduced by Sen. RITCHIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance
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
S. 2768 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.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
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
Purpose
To create the New York Farm to School and School Garden Fund
Summary of provisions
Section 1 amends the state finance law by adding a new section creating the "New York Farm to School and School Garden Fund," for the purpose of establishing school gardens and purchasing equipment and educational materials to promote students' consumption of local products.
Section 2 amends the tax law by adding a new section creating the "Gift for the New York farm to school and school garden fund," enabling an individual, in any taxable year, to contribute to the New York Farm to School and School Garden fund to help establish school gardens and purchase equipment and educational material to promote students' consumption of local products.
Section 3 is the effective date.
Existing law
Article 6 of the State Finance Law provides the funds of the state. Currently no fund exists for the purpose of establishing school gardens and purchasing equipment and educational materials to promote students' consumption of local products. This bill adds a new section to this article to create such a fund.
Article 22 of the Tax Law provides the sections of law pertaining to personal income tax. Currently no donation is authorized to support a fund for the purpose of establishing school gardens and purchasing equipment and educational materials to promote students' consumption of local products. This bill adds a new section to this article to create such a donation opportunity.
Justification
From improving nutrition to supporting our state's agriculture industry, the benefits of eating locally grown foods are many. As such, it's important to instill in New York's young people the importance of eating healthy fruits and vegetables, as well as the significance of supporting the hard work done by farmers.
Through the establishment of the "New York Farm to School and School Garden Fund"-which would be funded through voluntary contributions made via personal income tax returns-schools across the state would be provided with the resources necessary to build school gardens, purchase gardening equipment and educational materials to promote students' consumption of local products.
By giving students hands on experience in growing their own healthy fruits and vegetables, we're not only improving their nutrition, we're also helping them to learn more about farming and helping them to become interested in the possibility of one day pursuing a career in agriculture.
Legislative history
S.7706 Referred to Finance/A.10479 Referred to Education. FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :
Minimal.
Effective date
This act shall take effect ninety days after it shall have become a law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.