New York Senate Bill S04425 Latest Draft

   
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 4425 2023-2024 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE February 8, 2023 ___________ Introduced by Sen. FERNANDEZ -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Procurement and Contracts AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to greenhouse gas emis- sions in foods The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 204 to 2 read as follows: 3 § 204. Greenhouse gas emissions in foods. 1. To track the greenhouse 4 gas emissions associated with food purchases made by state agencies, the 5 office of general services shall: 6 (a) on or before January first, two thousand twenty-five, in consulta- 7 tion with the department of environmental conservation, establish a 8 methodology for state agencies to estimate, to the extent practicable, 9 the greenhouse gas emissions that occur through the life cycle of all 10 food and beverages purchased by the state agency, including third-party 11 vendors that provide food on behalf of the state agency, that: 12 (i) will enable a state agency to reliably track changes in its food- 13 related greenhouse gas emissions over time and demonstrate reductions in 14 greenhouse gas emissions associated with food and beverages purchased by 15 the state agency; 16 (ii) may allow a state agency to exclude from the tracking method food 17 and beverage procurements that do not exceed fifteen thousand dollars; 18 and 19 (iii) considers the costs and feasibility of implementing the tracking 20 method; 21 (b) on or before January first, two thousand twenty-six, establish a 22 baseline measurement of the overall annual greenhouse gas emissions 23 associated with the state's food and beverage purchases; and 24 (c) in consultation with the department of environmental conservation, 25 establish best practices for state agencies to reduce the greenhouse gas EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD08747-01-3 
 S. 4425 2 1 emissions associated with food and beverages purchased by the state 2 agency with the goal of reducing overall greenhouse gas emissions as 3 established under paragraph (b) of this subdivision, including recommen- 4 dations for reducing food waste and decreasing the total amount of 5 animal-based products purchased. 6 2. Each state agency shall give consideration and preference to foods, 7 beverages, and procurement practices that achieve the goal of reducing 8 the greenhouse gas emissions associated with food and beverages 9 purchased by the state agency. 10 3. It is the goal of the office of general services to reduce the 11 overall greenhouse gas emissions associated with food and beverages 12 purchased by state procurement according to the following reduction 13 schedule as measured in relation to the baseline measurement established 14 under paragraph (b) of subdivision one of this section: 15 (a) for fiscal year two thousand twenty-seven, a ten percent 16 reduction; 17 (b) for fiscal year two thousand thirty, an eighteen percent 18 reduction; and 19 (c) for fiscal year two thousand thirty-three, a twenty-five percent 20 reduction. 21 4. On or before August first, two thousand twenty-seven, and each 22 August first thereafter, each state agency shall report to the office of 23 general services on such state agency's progress in reducing the green- 24 house gas emissions associated with food and beverages procured by the 25 state agency during the immediately preceding fiscal year in a format 26 set by the office of general services, in consultation with the depart- 27 ment of environmental conservation, and consistent with the methodology 28 established under paragraph (a) of subdivision one of this section. 29 5. Beginning with the annual report submitted in two thousand twenty- 30 seven as required under subdivision four of this section, the office of 31 general services shall include in its annual report: 32 (a) an update on the overall progress of the state in reducing green- 33 house gas emissions associated with food and beverages procured by the 34 state; and 35 (b) recommendations for policy changes to further reduce greenhouse 36 gas emissions from food or to achieve more quickly the reduction goals 37 established under this section. 38 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after 39 it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend- 40 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen- 41 tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and 42 completed on or before such effective date.