What's happening
This bill expands the Wood Products Development Council’s scope and allows certain timber contracts under $50,000 without comptroller approval.
Why it matters
Expanding the Council's focus to explicitly include the timber industry. may help align New York's wood products policy with current industry needs, potentially boosting support and advocacy for timber businesses.
Prioritizing increased private investment and improved market access for wood products. could foster rural economic growth and help sustain family-owned forest lands, which are often under economic pressure to convert to other uses.
Allowing small timber contracts (under $50,000) to bypass state comptroller approval. streamlines operations for the Department of Environmental Conservation, reducing administrative delays and enabling quicker responses to local forestry management and economic opportunities.
Annual reporting requirements for the Council. ensure continued oversight and provide a mechanism for evaluating the effectiveness of economic development and research initiatives in New York’s wood products sector.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Support New York Wood Industry
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Senator · Senate District 45
History
- Referred to agriculture
- Recommitted to rules
- Ordered to third reading cal.439
- Committee discharged and committed to rules
- Reported and committed to finance
- 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.
Support Local Wood Industry
In Assembly Committee · Agriculture · Sponsor William Magee
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
368
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE (Prefiled)
January 4, 2017
Introduced by Sens. LITTLE, AKSHAR, MARCHIONE, SEWARD, VALESKY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Agriculture
AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to the wood products development council; and to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to contracts for timber or other forest products
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 225 of the agriculture and markets law, as added by chapter 325 of the laws of 2009, is amended to read as follows:
2. The council shall work with wood-using manufacturers to increase the economic contributions and employment opportunities related to the practice of forestry and manufacture of wood products in New York state. The council shall give priority to increasing private investment in working forests; maintaining access to working and family forests; coordinating policy and permitting issues with state agencies, academia and the private sector; working to improve public understanding of and appreciation for forestry, the timber industry and forest products; and increasing export and market opportunities for New York forest products. The council shall deliver an annual report outlining its work and making recommendations with regard to economic development and marketing initiatives and research and development initiatives consistent with the purposes of the council. The report shall be delivered to the governor, the speaker of the assembly, the temporary president of the senate, the minority leader of the assembly and the minority leader of the senate.
§ 2. Section 9-0505 of the environmental conservation law is amended by adding a new subdivision 5 to read as follows:
5. Notwithstanding subdivision three of section one hundred twelve of the state finance law, if the value or estimated value of the trees,
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00288-01-7
S. 368 2
timber or other forest products does not exceed fifty thousand dollars, the contract may be executed by the department and shall be valid and enforceable without first being approved by the state comptroller and filed in his or her office.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to the wood products development council; and to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to contracts for timber or other forest products
Purpose
This bill would ease burdensome contracting requirements currently required in order to gain permission from the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to harvest timber on state lands.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 - Amends subdivision 2 of section 225 of the agriculture and markets law is amended to clarify that the New York State Wood Products Council should work to enhance the timber industry in New York State
Section 2 - Amends section 9-0505 of the environmental conservation law to allow the DEC to have sole contract authority over forestry projects on non-protected state lands that have a timber value under $50,000.
Justification
Currently, any contract of more than $10,000 to harvest timber on non-protected state lands must be approved by DEC and the State Comptroller's office. This dual review procedure can be overly time consuming and many times pushes the date for project initiation back by months as the contract wends its way through the bureaucracy of two state agencies. This frustration is compounded by the fact that the current contract threshold is very low and requires extremely small forestry projects to be held up without need.
This new legislation would provide breathing room for the forestry industry and DEC by increasing the threshold for dual oversight over forestry projects from $10,000 to $50,000. As a result, any project with a contract of under $50,000 would be needed to be approved by only DEC.
This proposal essentially mirrors language put forth by DEC in the Governor's 2010/2011 Executive Budget proposal.
Legislative history
2015-16: S.1211 Passed Senate; A.7381 Referred to Agriculture 2014: S. 1361 Referred to Agriculture; A. 923 Referred to Agriculture 2013: S. 1361 Passed Senate; A. 923 Referred to Agriculture 2011-12: S. 2485 Passed Senate; A. 444 Referred to Agriculture
Fiscal implications
None.
Local fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.