<STYLE><!--U {color: Green}S {color: RED} I {color: DARKBLUE; background-color:yellow} P.brk {page-break-before:always}--></STYLE> <BASEFONT SIZE=3> <PRE WIDTH="99"> <FONT SIZE=5><B> STATE OF NEW YORK</B></FONT> ________________________________________________________________________ 8265 2025-2026 Regular Sessions <FONT SIZE=5><B> IN ASSEMBLY</B></FONT> May 6, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. LUPARDO -- read once and referred to the Commit- tee on Agriculture AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to estab- lishing the New York state youth in agriculture and entrepreneurship summer employment program <B><U>The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-</U></B> <B><U>bly, do enact as follows:</U></B> 1 Section 1. The agriculture and markets law is amended by adding a new 2 article 29-A to read as follows: 3 <B><U>ARTICLE 29-A</U></B> 4 <B><U>NEW YORK STATE YOUTH IN AGRICULTURE AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP SUMMER</U></B> 5 <B><U>EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM</U></B> 6 <B><U>Section 525. Legislative intent and findings.</U></B> 7 <B><U>526. Definitions.</U></B> 8 <B><U>527. New York state youth in agriculture and entrepreneurship</U></B> 9 <B><U>summer employment program.</U></B> 10 <B><U>528. Commissioner's power and duties.</U></B> 11 <B><U>§ 525. Legislative intent and findings. The legislature hereby finds</U></B> 12 <B><U>that diversifying the agricultural industry addresses issues of food</U></B> 13 <B><U>insecurity and food access in the state. The legislature further finds</U></B> 14 <B><U>that there are certain culturally significant foods in the state and</U></B> 15 <B><U>seeks to encourage the continuance of production of such foods and to</U></B> 16 <B><U>generate an interest in the production of such foods by future gener-</U></B> 17 <B><U>ations of persons working in agriculture. The legislature hereby estab-</U></B> 18 <B><U>lishes the New York state youth in agriculture and entrepreneurship</U></B> 19 <B><U>summer employment program to allow students the opportunity to be</U></B> 20 <B><U>educated on the agricultural industry and alternative career paths and</U></B> 21 <B><U>to attain entrepreneurial experience. The legislature also establishes</U></B> 22 <B><U>this program to subsidize youth employment for farms and farmers'</U></B> 23 <B><U>markets that could otherwise participate in the program if the wages</U></B> 24 <B><U>were not a hardship. It is the intention of the legislation that the</U></B> EXPLANATION--Matter in <B><U>italics</U></B> (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [<B><S> </S></B>] is old law to be omitted. LBD01740-01-5 </PRE><P CLASS="brk"><PRE WIDTH="99"> A. 8265 2 1 <B><U>New York state youth in agriculture and entrepreneurship summer employ-</U></B> 2 <B><U>ment program serves as a stepping stone for such youth in careers in</U></B> 3 <B><U>agriculture and entrepreneurship, as well as to provide farmers means to</U></B> 4 <B><U>participate in the program.</U></B> 5 <B><U>§ 526. Definitions. As used in this section:</U></B> 6 <B><U>1. "Minority or socially disadvantaged" means a group whose members</U></B> 7 <B><U>have been subjected to racial, ethnic, or gender prejudice because of</U></B> 8 <B><U>their identity as members of a group without regard to their individual</U></B> 9 <B><U>qualities or citizenship status. These groups include, but are not</U></B> 10 <B><U>limited to, the following:</U></B> 11 <B><U>(a) African Americans;</U></B> 12 <B><U>(b) Native Indians;</U></B> 13 <B><U>(c) Alaskan Natives;</U></B> 14 <B><U>(d) Hispanics;</U></B> 15 <B><U>(e) Asian Americans; and,</U></B> 16 <B><U>(f) Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.</U></B> 17 <B><U>2. "Low income or economically disadvantaged" means having a family</U></B> 18 <B><U>income that does not exceed one hundred fifty percent of the federal</U></B> 19 <B><U>poverty level, including being a child of a working migratory family or</U></B> 20 <B><U>an agricultural worker who is employed by more than one agricultural</U></B> 21 <B><U>employer during the course of a year and whose income varies according</U></B> 22 <B><U>to weather conditions and market stability.</U></B> 23 <B><U>3. "Qualifying business" means a farmers market, mobile market, commu-</U></B> 24 <B><U>nity supported agriculture, cooperative, or any other type of business</U></B> 25 <B><U>structure that provides New York grown and raised foods directly to</U></B> 26 <B><U>consumers as approved by the commissioner.</U></B> 27 <B><U>4. "Qualifying farm" means a small to medium-sized farm or urban farm</U></B> 28 <B><U>participating in a qualifying business.</U></B> 29 <B><U>5. "Agricultural work" means work performed maintaining crops or tend-</U></B> 30 <B><U>ing livestock.</U></B> 31 <B><U>6. "Entrepreneurship work experience" means experience that aims to</U></B> 32 <B><U>develop skills deemed necessary to succeed in the design, launch and</U></B> 33 <B><U>running of a new business.</U></B> 34 <B><U>7. "Subsidized employment" means any employment through the New York</U></B> 35 <B><U>state youth in agriculture and entrepreneurship summer employment</U></B> 36 <B><U>program for which any costs associated with participation in the</U></B> 37 <B><U>program, including wages and transportation, are paid by the state or by</U></B> 38 <B><U>the federal government.</U></B> 39 <B><U>§ 527. New York state youth in agriculture and entrepreneurship summer</U></B> 40 <B><U>employment program. 1. There is hereby established in the department the</U></B> 41 <B><U>New York state youth in agriculture and entrepreneurship summer employ-</U></B> 42 <B><U>ment program to provide students with the opportunity to be educated on</U></B> 43 <B><U>the agricultural industry and alternative career paths and to provide</U></B> 44 <B><U>agricultural work experience and entrepreneurship work experience.</U></B> 45 <B><U>2. The commissioner shall establish application criteria that require</U></B> 46 <B><U>qualifying businesses and qualifying farms to provide unsubsidized or</U></B> 47 <B><U>subsidized employment as follows:</U></B> 48 <B><U>(a) Unsubsidized employment:</U></B> 49 <B><U>(i) demonstrate that such business or farm can provide students with</U></B> 50 <B><U>both agricultural work experience and entrepreneurship work experience;</U></B> 51 <B><U>(ii) pay wages to eligible students in an amount that is above minimum</U></B> 52 <B><U>wage;</U></B> 53 <B><U>(iii) provide transportation to and from the qualifying business or</U></B> 54 <B><U>qualifying farm or to provide transportation compensation to the eligi-</U></B> 55 <B><U>ble student; and</U></B> </PRE><P CLASS="brk"><PRE WIDTH="99"> A. 8265 3 1 <B><U>(iv) provide eligible students with a minimum of sixteen hours and a</U></B> 2 <B><U>maximum of no more than forty hours of work per week.</U></B> 3 <B><U>(b) Subsidized employment:</U></B> 4 <B><U>(i) demonstrate that such business or farm can provide students with</U></B> 5 <B><U>both agricultural work experience and entrepreneurship work experience;</U></B> 6 <B><U>(ii) establish a hardship to pay wages to eligible students in an</U></B> 7 <B><U>amount that is above minimum wage;</U></B> 8 <B><U>(iii) demonstrate a hardship to provide transportation to and from</U></B> 9 <B><U>the qualifying business or qualifying farm or a hardship to provide</U></B> 10 <B><U>transportation compensation to the eligible student; and</U></B> 11 <B><U>(iv) provide eligible students with a minimum of sixteen hours and a</U></B> 12 <B><U>maximum of no more than forty hours of work per week.</U></B> 13 <B><U>§ 528. Commissioner's powers and duties. The commissioner shall have</U></B> 14 <B><U>the following powers and duties with regards to the New York state youth</U></B> 15 <B><U>in agriculture and entrepreneurship summer employment program:</U></B> 16 <B><U>1. to promulgate grants as necessary to achieve the legislative intent</U></B> 17 <B><U>of this program as set forth in this article.</U></B> 18 <B><U>2. to apply for federal grants to help fund the program.</U></B> 19 <B><U>3. in consultation and cooperation with the commissioner of social</U></B> 20 <B><U>services, the commissioner of education, and the president of the higher</U></B> 21 <B><U>education services corporation, to perform outreach to ensure the</U></B> 22 <B><U>program is known and available to students who are socially disadvan-</U></B> 23 <B><U>taged or economically disadvantaged.</U></B> 24 <B><U>4. to establish a website for the program which includes a portal</U></B> 25 <B><U>where students may apply for jobs and where qualifying businesses and</U></B> 26 <B><U>qualifying farms may connect and which provides promotional materials</U></B> 27 <B><U>about the program in a pdf format that is easily accessible and print-</U></B> 28 <B><U>able by organizations and the general public.</U></B> 29 <B><U>5. to include annual outreach campaigns that start at least three</U></B> 30 <B><U>months prior to the date when applications for the summer program are</U></B> 31 <B><U>first able to be submitted. Such campaigns shall include outreach to</U></B> 32 <B><U>schools, non-profit organizations, qualifying businesses and qualifying</U></B> 33 <B><U>farms. Such outreach shall be performed in a variety of methods, includ-</U></B> 34 <B><U>ing a social media campaign.</U></B> 35 <B><U>6. to create an informational packet for students on agricultural</U></B> 36 <B><U>opportunities in higher education including, but not limited to, infor-</U></B> 37 <B><U>mation on the availability of scholarships, student loan forgiveness,</U></B> 38 <B><U>and government assistance to create and establish farms.</U></B> 39 <B><U>7. to establish a subsidized employment program for qualifying farms</U></B> 40 <B><U>and qualifying businesses that could otherwise participate in the</U></B> 41 <B><U>program if paying wages were not a hardship.</U></B> 42 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after 43 it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend- 44 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen- 45 tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and 46 completed on or before such effective date.