N.Y. Executive Law § 480: Declaration of purpose

§ 480. Declaration of purpose. The legislature finds and determines

that:

1. The public perception of the state's rural regions has been

characterized by inaccurate awareness or understanding; therefore many

existing laws, regulations, policies and programs have not completely

addressed the real needs of people living within the state's rural

environs.

2. The state's rural territory is vast in size, exceptionally diverse,

possesses abundant natural and cultural resources, and, together with

its economic, human and community resources, contributes greatly to the

quality and maintenance of life of all people of the state, and hence to

a healthier, more prosperous state.

3. The state's rural areas are decentralized and unique; their

enhancement and protection require special attention in order to

effectively address distinct rural conditions, needs, and strengths.

4. Improvement in the well-being of individuals and families in the

state's rural areas has, in many instances, been unbalanced, and

characterized by a growing inequality or relative deprivation.

Additionally, such indispensable community needs as transportation;

housing; public facilities; business and industry; education and

culture; governmental and environmental management; health and human

services; require further study and state action if proper responses to

unique rural needs are to be developed.

5. The state has demonstrated sensitivity to the needs of rural

localities and has attempted to preserve the viability and quality of

life in rural areas. Such commitments to rural preservation and

development have to be continued and broadened to encompass a wide range

of rural endeavors.

6. Federal, state, and local resources and individual effort available

to address rural needs are often isolated and limited to individual

symptoms of blight and deterioration. Related programs are frequently

inaccessible to rural residents they are designed to serve. The

placement of such programs within the various organizational structures

is indistinct and many rural localities have inadequate numbers of

managerial, professional or technical personnel to pursue such

assistance. Additionally, many public and private agencies also lack

adequate staffing to adapt programs and services to the special needs

and requirements of rural citizens and their environs. This situation

has contributed to a growing confusion and disintegrating force that

discourages coordinated individual policy and program development and

delivery of services intended to address the needs of rural localities

and citizens. Consequently, the energies and resources of the many

individual federal, state, and local, and public and private initiatives

that could help answer rural needs and capitalize on the strengths of

rural areas, are often frustrated or diminished in their effect.

7. An important role and challenge for state government, therefore, is

to get diverse groups to work together for the betterment of rural New

York, and to combine their efforts in imaginative ways to the end that

all regions of the state may always offer the highest possible quality

of life, cultural and material standards of living, without sacrificing

individual freedom or responsibility. The legislature believes that such

individual efforts can be significantly enhanced, and support and

sustain each other in the public interest; and many useful and

innovative responses to rural needs will be possible, if a more focused

and coordinated interdisciplinary approach for addressing rural problems

and opportunities is made available through state government.

8. The development of proper responses to rural needs, including the

capability to anticipate and respond to individual needs on a broad

scale, would also be promoted if a more sharply defined rural affairs

avenue within state government was made available to policymakers.

Specifically, the legislature seeks to amplify the efforts of existing

agencies and individuals who are interested in such rural policy areas

as human services and community life; health care; education; business,

economic development, and employment; agriculture; environment, land

use, and natural resources; transportation; community facilities,

housing, and community revitalization; local government and management.

9. No permanent state agency has been specifically created, empowered

and funded to promote, harmonize or assist such efforts of existing

agencies and individuals that address the unique needs, conditions, and

strengths of rural areas of the state. It is, therefore, the intent of

the legislature to create a state office of rural affairs. The agency

shall serve as a one-stop contact point for rural governments, service

providers, state and federal agencies, and for individuals interested in

rural policies and programs of the state; and strive to promote

cooperative and integrated efforts among such agencies and programs that

are designed to address rural needs; and shall recommend to the governor

and the legislature the suitable use of policies, programs, long-range

plans, laws and regulatory mechanisms in order to meet such needs.