What's happening
This bill creates a legislative task force to promote outdoor environmental education and recreation for New York State residents, especially children.
Why it matters
Addresses the decline in outdoor play among children. , linking increased screen time and reduced time in nature to negative health outcomes such as childhood obesity, and highlighting the critical need for new policies to reverse these trends.
Focuses on equity by explicitly targeting underserved and urban children. , aiming to identify and support programs that provide safe access to open spaces and summer camps for youth who may have limited exposure to the outdoors.
Encourages schools and community organizations to prioritize environmental education and outdoor activities. , seeking to integrate these experiences into K-12 education and out-of-school programs to promote physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.
Calls for a comprehensive review of current laws and regulations. to ensure that existing policies do not hinder outdoor play or environmental education, potentially paving the way for broader systemic change to support healthier, more active lifestyles for New Yorkers.
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Who cares
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Create Outdoor Education Task Force
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to cultural affairs, tourism, parks and recreation
- Referred to cultural affairs, tourism, parks and recreation
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.
Create Outdoor Education Task Force
In Assembly Committee · Environmental Conservation · Sponsor Aileen Gunther
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
3826
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
February 15, 2019
Introduced by Sen. RANZENHOFER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation
AN ACT creating a legislative task force on outdoor environmental education and recreation that will benefit residents of New York state by stewardship and conservation of the environment, an appreciation of the importance of the wise use of natural resources as well as acknowledgment of the health benefits of time spent in nature
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Legislative findings. (a) The legislature hereby finds that in the last two decades, childhood has moved indoors. The average American boy or girl spends just four to seven minutes each day in unstructured outdoor play, and more than seven hours each day in front of an electronic screen. The decline in the appreciation and prevalence of outdoor recreation opportunities profoundly impacts the wellness of our state's youth. The correlation between increasing childhood obesity rates and the decline in outdoor recreation is undeniable.
(b) The legislature further finds that visual and physical access to basic types of open space is vital for everyone, and particularly valuable to children growing up in "urban hardscapes", or areas where access to nature is limited.
(c) The legislature further finds that the development of policies that foster stewardship of the environment, the importance of the wise use of natural resources and recognition of the health benefits of time spent in nature are essential to the residents of New York state. The legislature concludes that this can best be accomplished by the creation of a task force on outdoor environmental education and recreation.
§ 2. Objectives. A legislative task force on outdoor environmental education and recreation is hereby established to:
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01162-01-9
S. 3826 2
(a) Promote the development of a framework that will ensure that New York state has an aggressive outdoor environmental education and recreation plan for children that focuses on creating, developing and retaining opportunities for outdoor play and learning;
(b) Identify and support programs which offer safe access to open spaces and summer camp to children from urban areas;
(c) Promote the development of policy recommendations to ensure that New York's public and private sectors focus on creating opportunities for underserved and at-risk children to participate in outdoor play and educational experiences;
(d) Promote the development of strategies to ensure that K-12 educational institutions develop policies and programs that promote environmental education to encourage outdoor play thereby improving public health and take advantage of the physical, mental and spiritual benefits of moving outdoors in nature;
(e) Promote the development of strategies to assist community based, nonprofit organizations in furthering programs that provide for summer camp and out of school time opportunities for outdoor recreation or education;
(f) Evaluate laws, rules, and procedures to ensure that they facilitate, or at least do not hinder, the growth of outdoor play or environmental education.
§ 3. Composition. The task force shall consist of twelve members. The task force members will have experience and expertise in outdoor recreation and environmental education. The task force shall consist of: the commissioner of education or his or her designee, the commissioner of health or his or her designee, the commissioner of environmental conservation or his or her designee, the commissioner of the office of parks, recreation and historic preservation or his or her designee. One member shall be a representative from a nonprofit health and wellness organization. One member shall be a representative from a nonprofit environmental conservation organization. Two members shall be appointed by the governor; one member to be appointed by the temporary president of the senate; one member to be appointed by the minority leader of the senate; one member to be appointed by the speaker of the assembly; and one member to be appointed by the minority leader of the assembly. The task force shall be appointed for a term of two years.
§ 4. Report. The task force shall report its findings, conclusions and recommendations to the governor, majority leader of the senate and the speaker of the assembly by January 1, 2022. The task force may develop and publish other documents throughout the year as it deems necessary and/or appropriate.
§ 5. 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 creating a legislative task force on outdoor environmental education and recreation that will benefit residents of New York state by stewardship and conservation of the environment, an appreciation of the importance of the wise use of natural resources as well as acknowledgment of the health benefits of time spent in nature
Purpose
This bill creates a task force on outdoor environmental education and recreation. This bill would assemble representatives from various organ- izations and state agencies to promote development of a framework that will ensure that New York State has an aggressive outdoor environmental education and recreation plan that focuses on creating, developing and retaining opportunities for outdoor learning.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 - provides the legislative findings.
Section 2 - provides the objectives of the Legislative Task Force on outdoor environmental education and recreation.
Section 3 - provides the composition of the Legislative Task orce, which shall consist of twelve members. The task force members will have exper- tise in outdoor recreation and environmental education.
Section 4 - authorizes the task force to report its findings, conclusion and recommendations by January 1, 2022.
Section 5 - of this bill provides for an immediate effective date.
Justification
The average American boy or girl spends just four to seven minutes each day in unstructured outdoor play, and more than seven hours each day in front of an electronic screen. Visual and physical access to basic types of open space is vital for everyone, and particularly valuable to chil- dren growing up in "urban hardscapes" or areas where access to nature is limited.
Outdoor play has been shown to increase fitness levels, raise levels of Vitamin D, improve distance vision and lower nearsightedness, decrease symptoms of ADHD, improve test scores and increase academic performance.
The development of policies that foster stewardship of the environment, an appreciation of the importance of the wise use of natural resources and recognition of the health benefits of time spent in nature are essential to the residents of New York State.
This legislation would assemble representatives from various organiza- tions and state agencies to promote the development of a framework that will ensure that New York State has an aggressive outdoor environmental education and recreation plan which focuses on creating, developing and retaining opportunities for outdoor learning.
Legislative history
2017 - S.4626/A.865 - P.S./En Con 2018 - S.4626/A.865 - RULES/EnCon 2015-16: A.792 -- Ways & Means 2013-14: S.3920-A/A.1171A - TOURISM/En Con 2011-12: S.5205-A/A.7819-A - TOURISM/En Con
Fiscal implications
None to State.
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.