* § 226. Natural fiber textile development council. 1. There is hereby\nestablished within the department a natural fiber textile development\ncouncil. Such council shall consist of the commissioner, the\ncommissioner of economic development, or their designees, and ten other\npersons to be appointed by the governor, including two members on the\nrecommendation of the temporary president of the senate; two members on\nthe recommendation of the speaker of the assembly; one member on the\nrecommendation of the minority leader of the senate; and one member on\nthe recommendation of the minority leader of the assembly. Of the\nmembers so appointed, at least one member shall be a producer of\nanimal-based fibers, one shall be a producer of plant-based fibers, one\nshall be a representative of a statewide agricultural organization, one\nshall be a representative of a regional or statewide organization of\nanimal or plant fiber producers, two shall be representatives of fiber\nand textile manufacturers which is defined as a fiber processor or\nspinning mill, a knitting mill, a weaving studio, or wet finishing\n(dyeing, printing or fabric finishing), two shall be from\ndesigners/producers which is defined as including apparel, home textile\nproducts, industrial textiles and healthcare products, one shall be a\nrepresentative of an academic institution offering textile or design\neducation, and one shall be a representative of an academic institution\noffering fiber-producing livestock education. Members shall be appointed\nfor a term of three years and may serve until their successors are\nchosen, provided, however, that of the members first appointed, three\nshall serve for a term of one year, three shall serve for a term of two\nyears, and four shall serve for a term of three years. The governor\nshall select a member of the council to serve as chairperson. Council\nmembers shall not receive compensation for their services, but may be\npaid their actual and necessary expenses incurred in serving upon the\ncouncil.\n 2. The council shall work with natural fiber producers and textile\nmanufacturers to increase the economic contributions and employment\nopportunities related to animal and plant fiber agriculture and textile\nmanufacturing in New York state. The council shall give priority to\nincreasing private investment in, and utilization of, New York state\nproduced and processed natural fibers in all categories of textile\nmanufacturing including apparel, home textile products, industrial\ntextiles, and health care products. The council shall also prioritize\ncoordinating policy with state agencies, academia and the private\nsector; working to improve public understanding of and appreciation for\nnatural fiber textiles; and increasing export and market opportunities\nfor New York produced natural fiber textiles. The council shall deliver\nan annual report outlining its work and making recommendations with\nregard to economic development and marketing initiatives and research\nand development initiatives consistent with the purposes of the council.\nThe report shall be delivered to the governor, the speaker of the\nassembly, the temporary president of the senate, the minority leader of\nthe assembly and the minority leader of the senate.\n 3. The department shall provide necessary support services to the\ncouncil, including, within funds available, the appointment of an\nexecutive director to coordinate the work of the council.\n * NB Effective January 1, 2023\n
§ 226. Natural fiber textile development workgroup. 1. There is hereby\nestablished within the department a natural fiber textile development\nworkgroup. The commissioner, in conjunction with the commissioner of\neconomic development shall convene an annual workgroup of stakeholders\nwhich may include but not limited to a producer of animal-based fibers,\na producer of plant-based fibers, a representative of a statewide\nagricultural organization, a representative of a regional or statewide\norganization of animal or plant fiber producers, a representative of\nfiber and textile manufacturers which is defined as a fiber processor or\nspinning mill, a knitting mill, a weaving studio, or wet finishing\n(dyeing, printing or fabric finishing), a representative from\ndesigners/producers which is defined as including apparel, home textile\nproducts, industrial textiles and healthcare products, and a\nrepresentative of an academic institution offering textile or design\neducation, and a representative of an academic institution offering\nfiber-producing livestock education. This workgroup shall study and\nidentify methods to, including but not limited to:\n (a) increase the economic contributions and employment opportunities\nrelated to animal and plant fiber agriculture and textile manufacturing\nin New York state;\n (b) increase private investment in, and utilization of, New York state\nproduced and processed natural fibers in all categories of textile:\nmanufacturing including apparel, home textile products, industrial\ntextiles, and health care products;\n (c) improve public understanding of and appreciation for natural fiber\ntextiles; and\n (d) increase export and market opportunities for New York produced\nnatural fiber textiles.\n 2. The workgroup shall submit recommendations to the commissioner, the\ncommissioner of economic development, the speaker of the assembly, the\ntemporary president of the senate, the minority leader of the assembly\nand the minority leader of the senate within one year of the effective\ndate of this section and every two years thereafter.\n
