What's happening
This bill allows certain small towns in New York to impose a one-year moratorium on annexing large agricultural land for industrial use.
Why it matters
Protects Large-Scale Farming. By temporarily halting the annexation of agricultural land over 200 acres, the bill helps preserve large farms from being converted to industrial use, supporting local food production and the agricultural economy.
Empowers Local Decision-Making. Only towns that have proactively developed farmland protection plans can use this moratorium, reinforcing the importance of local planning and giving these communities more control over land use changes.
Allows Time for Updated Planning. The one-year pause is specifically intended to let towns update their agricultural and farmland protection plans, ensuring that decisions about land annexation are based on current community needs and priorities.
Targets Small, Rural Communities. The bill is limited to towns in counties with populations under 55,000, focusing its impact on rural areas that may be particularly vulnerable to rapid industrial expansion and loss of farmland.
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Who cares
Eligible town governments
Towns in counties with 55,000 or fewer residents that completed a qualifying farmland protection plan before the bill takes effect could impose a moratorium of up to one year while updating that plan.
Agricultural landowners
Annexations involving more than 200 acres of agricultural land for industrial use could be paused by an eligible town.
Industrial developers
Projects relying on annexation of more than 200 acres of agricultural land in eligible towns could face a delay of up to one year.
Farmland protection advocates
The bill would give eligible towns time to update agricultural and farmland protection plans before covered annexations proceed.
Headline styles
Pause Farmland for Industry
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Senator · Senate District 39
2 Co-sponsors
History
- Committed to rules
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.506
- Referred to agriculture
- Print number 6295a
- Amend (t) and recommit to rules
- Referred to rules
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.
Pause Industrial Use of Farmland
In Assembly Committee · Ways And Means · Sponsor Angelo Santabarbara
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
6295--A
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
June 3, 2019
Introduced by Sen. SKOUFIS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to create a moratorium on the annexation of agricultural land by certain localities for an industrial use
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Any town within a county with a population of fifty-five thousand or less that has completed an agricultural and farmland protection plan pursuant to section 324 of the agriculture and markets law prior to the effective date of this act, may impose a moratorium, not to exceed one year, on the annexation of agricultural land greater than two hundred acres for an industrial use, to allow for the development of an updated agricultural and farmland protection plan.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11303-05-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to create a moratorium on the annexation of agricultural land by certain localities for an industrial use
Purpose or general idea of bill
To stop municipalities from annexing farm land and then using it for an industrial purpose
Summary of provisions
Section 1: Any town that is within a county with a population of 55,000 or less that has completed an agricultural and farmland protection plan pursuant to section 324 of the Agriculture and Markets Law prior to the effective date of this act, may impose a moratorium, not to exceed one year, on the annexation of agricultural land greater than two hundred acres for an industrial use, to allow for the development of an updated agricultural and farmland protection plan.
Section 2: Effective date
Difference between original and amended version (if applicable)
N/A
Justification
Industrial park projects that include annexation of productive farmland from our rural communities continue to rob our state of a prime resource. Many entities oppose this type of annexation of farmland and for good reason.
There are significant concerns about the future impact of proposals such as this that expose surrounding residents to significant health hazards by putting neighboring wells supplying water to nearby homes at risk. Local residents and neighboring towns are concerned that their property values and quality of life will decline if the-land is annexed aid used for industrial purposes.
Action must be taken to allow time for further consideration of proposals like this in the rural areas of our state that are robbing communities of some of the richest farmland in the Eastern United States. Taking productive farmland and forest and converting it to industrial land gives decision makers a false reason for bad decision- making.
Prior legislative history
None
Fiscal implications for state and local governments
None.
Effective date
Immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.