December 26 – New York Farm Bureau applauds 2024 legislative “successes.”
According to a December 26 NYFB press release, “After a busy year of tracking more than 1,300 bills and actively advocating for dozens of them, the New York Farm Bureau today announced its successes in a legislative report shared with its members was shared.”
“We work hard all year long to advocate for agriculture across New York, from the largest dairy farms to the smallest maple producers,” said Renee St. Jacques, NYFB Senior Associate Director of Public Policy. “We couldn’t do this without the grassroots support of our members, who trust us to be the voice of agriculture in the State Capitol. Gov. Kathy Hochul has taken an active interest in agricultural issues and we have developed an excellent working relationship. with her, her staff and with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.”
Hochul has signed the following bills, all supported by NYFB:
—S2852-A / A3132-A: Authorizes the direct intrastate and interstate shipment of alcoholic beverages. Known as the “Direct to Consumer Bill,” this provision provides distilleries, cideries and meaderies with the same shipping privileges as wineries and liquor stores. This issue has been a priority of NYFB for years.
—S9232/A10199: Amends state law to provide equity in determining crop losses for farm wineries and to provide equal treatment to all producers licensed to produce New York-labeled cider.
—S9249 / A10110: Clarifies the law requiring every livestock and equine rescue facility to be licensed by a pet health authority.
—S6320 / A6821: Allows the commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation to enter into contracts for maple tapping and sap production on state lands.
—S9248 / A7020-A: Establishment of the Beginning Farmers Advisory Council on Agriculture.
—S6810 / A6854: Establishes a program to purchase fresh produce from state farms for incarcerated individuals.
The following bills, also supported by NYFB, were signed into law with minor changes:
—S1218-B / A1080-B: Relates to the appointment of agricultural representatives to the State Fire Prevention and Building Code Council.
—S1752 / A1234: Adds the definition of cannabis to the agricultural and market legislation.
—S8690 / A9259: Expands the definition of surplus agricultural and processed products for the Nourish NY program to include New York – grown, produced, or harvested whole milk, 2% fat milk, and other farm-produced beverages.
—S9679-A / A10398-A: Authorizes the Cannabis Control Board to issue cannabis showcase event permits to certain licensees authorized to retail adult-use cannabis and cannabis products.
Hochul vetoed S6955-A/A.7264-A, which relates to the award of certain purchase contracts to a qualified bidder meeting certain value-based standards relating to the procurement of food, where such bid is not is more than 10% higher than the lowest responsible bid. bidder. NYFB opposed the provision because it would have allowed neighboring states to win such contracts, leaving New York farmers without the same uniformity and opportunities as other states, the release said.
Hochul also vetoed S9082/A9824, which clarifies that the farm overtime tax credit can be used by farms that use a farm-owned management company for payroll and human resources purposes. While NYFB supported the bill, Hochul has directed the Departments of Taxes and Finance and Agriculture and Markets to work with the Legislature to address this issue in the next state budget. “NYFB remains optimistic that this farm overtime tax credit issue will be resolved in the state budget,” the release said.
Next month, NYFB will announce its state legislative priorities for 2025, followed by national priorities, the release said.
