§ 480 — Declaration of purpose

§ 480. Declaration of purpose. The legislature finds and determines\nthat:\n 1. The public perception of the state's rural regions has been\ncharacterized by inaccurate awareness or understanding; therefore many\nexisting laws, regulations, policies and programs have not completely\naddressed the real needs of people living within the state's rural\nenvirons.\n 2. The state's rural territory is vast in size, exceptionally diverse,\npossesses abundant natural and cultural resources, and, together with\nits economic, human and community resources, contributes greatly to the\nquality and maintenance of life of all people of the state, and hence to\na healthier, more prosperous state.\n 3. The state's rural areas are decentralized and unique; their\nenhancement and protection require special attention in order to\neffectively address distinct rural conditions, needs, and strengths.\n 4. Improvement in the well-being of individuals and families in the\nstate's rural areas has, in many instances, been unbalanced, and\ncharacterized by a growing inequality or relative deprivation.\nAdditionally, such indispensable community needs as transportation;\nhousing; public facilities; business and industry; education and\nculture; governmental and environmental management; health and human\nservices; require further study and state action if proper responses to\nunique rural needs are to be developed.\n 5. The state has demonstrated sensitivity to the needs of rural\nlocalities and has attempted to preserve the viability and quality of\nlife in rural areas. Such commitments to rural preservation and\ndevelopment have to be continued and broadened to encompass a wide range\nof rural endeavors.\n 6. Federal, state, and local resources and individual effort available\nto address rural needs are often isolated and limited to individual\nsymptoms of blight and deterioration. Related programs are frequently\ninaccessible to rural residents they are designed to serve. The\nplacement of such programs within the various organizational structures\nis indistinct and many rural localities have inadequate numbers of\nmanagerial, professional or technical personnel to pursue such\nassistance. Additionally, many public and private agencies also lack\nadequate staffing to adapt programs and services to the special needs\nand requirements of rural citizens and their environs. This situation\nhas contributed to a growing confusion and disintegrating force that\ndiscourages coordinated individual policy and program development and\ndelivery of services intended to address the needs of rural localities\nand citizens. Consequently, the energies and resources of the many\nindividual federal, state, and local, and public and private initiatives\nthat could help answer rural needs and capitalize on the strengths of\nrural areas, are often frustrated or diminished in their effect.\n 7. An important role and challenge for state government, therefore, is\nto get diverse groups to work together for the betterment of rural New\nYork, and to combine their efforts in imaginative ways to the end that\nall regions of the state may always offer the highest possible quality\nof life, cultural and material standards of living, without sacrificing\nindividual freedom or responsibility. The legislature believes that such\nindividual efforts can be significantly enhanced, and support and\nsustain each other in the public interest; and many useful and\ninnovative responses to rural needs will be possible, if a more focused\nand coordinated interdisciplinary approach for addressing rural problems\nand opportunities is made available through state government.\n 8. The development of proper responses to rural needs, including the\ncapability to anticipate and respond to individual needs on a broad\nscale, would also be promoted if a more sharply defined rural affairs\navenue within state government was made available to policymakers.\nSpecifically, the legislature seeks to amplify the efforts of existing\nagencies and individuals who are interested in such rural policy areas\nas human services and community life; health care; education; business,\neconomic development, and employment; agriculture; environment, land\nuse, and natural resources; transportation; community facilities,\nhousing, and community revitalization; local government and management.\n 9. No permanent state agency has been specifically created, empowered\nand funded to promote, harmonize or assist such efforts of existing\nagencies and individuals that address the unique needs, conditions, and\nstrengths of rural areas of the state. It is, therefore, the intent of\nthe legislature to create a state office of rural affairs. The agency\nshall serve as a one-stop contact point for rural governments, service\nproviders, state and federal agencies, and for individuals interested in\nrural policies and programs of the state; and strive to promote\ncooperative and integrated efforts among such agencies and programs that\nare designed to address rural needs; and shall recommend to the governor\nand the legislature the suitable use of policies, programs, long-range\nplans, laws and regulatory mechanisms in order to meet such needs.\n