A 254: Provides that all persons have the right to grow, raise, harvest, produce and consume the food of their own choosing for their own nourishment, sustenance, bodily health and well-being, and the right to be free from hunger, malnutrition, starvation and the endangerment of life from the scarcity of or lack of access to nourishing food.
The proposed constitutional amendment aims to establish two fundamental rights for all individuals in the state: the right to food and the right to be free from hunger, malnutrition, starvation, and the endangerment of life due to food scarcity. This amendment would ensure that individuals have the right to grow, raise, harvest, produce, and consume food of their own choosing, as long as they do not commit certain abuses of private property rights. The amendment would also protect individuals from hunger and malnutrition, and provide a fundamental right to access nourishing food. The proposed changes would be referred to the first regular legislative session after the next general election, and would be published three months prior to the election.
| Jan. 30, 2026 | opinion referred to judiciary |
| Jan. 08, 2026 | to attorney-general for opinion |
| Jan. 07, 2026 | referred to judiciary |
| Jan. 08, 2025 | referred to judiciary |
| Jan. 08, 2025 | to attorney-general for opinion |
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 254 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled) January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. SOLAGES -- read once and referred to the Commit- tee on Judiciary CONCURRENT RESOLUTION OF THE SENATE AND ASSEMBLY proposing an amendment to article 1 of the constitution, in relation to the right to food and the right to be free from hunger, malnutrition, starvation and the endangerment of life from the scarcity of or lack of access to food 1 Section 1. Resolved (if the Senate concur), That article 1 of the 2 constitution be amended by adding a new section 20 to read as follows: 3 § 20. All individuals have a natural, inherent and unalienable right 4 to food, including the right to save and exchange seeds and the right to 5 grow, raise, harvest, produce and consume the food of their own choosing 6 for their own nourishment, sustenance, bodily health and well-being, as 7 long as an individual does not commit trespassing, theft, poaching or 8 other abuses of private property rights, public lands or natural 9 resources in the harvesting, production or acquisition of food; further- 10 more, all individuals have a fundamental right to be free from hunger, 11 malnutrition, starvation and the endangerment of life from the scarcity 12 of or lack of access to nourishing food. 13 § 2. Resolved (if the Senate concur), That the foregoing amendments 14 be referred to the first regular legislative session convening after the 15 next succeeding general election of members of the assembly, and, in 16 conformity with section 1 of article 19 of the constitution, be 17 published 3 months previous to the time of such election. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD89027-01-5