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The Farm Bill Law Enterprise (FBLE) recently published five reports that seek to infuse new ideas and amplify calls to action ahead of negotiations for the next farm bill. The reports focus on five areas of action for the forthcoming bill: Climate & Conservation, Equity in Agricultural Production & Governance, Farm Viability, Farmworkers, and Food Access & Nutrition.

FBLE is a national partnership of law school programs working toward a farm bill that reflects the long-term needs of our society, including economic opportunity and stability; public health and nutrition; climate change mitigation and adaptation; public resources stewardship; and racial and socioeconomic justice. New farm bills only happen every five years, and the current farm bill, passed in 2018, expires in September 2023. While legislative hearings on some farm bill programs have already begun, further hearings as well as the drafting and negotiation of the bill are anticipated to begin in the new year for the legislation to pass in 2023.

“As we focus national attention on strategies to address hunger, nutrition, and health through the White House Strategy released last week, the farm bill will a key pathway for reforming our food system,” says Emily Broad Leib, FLPC’s Director and an author on FBLE’s reports. “We’ve come together as legal scholars, practitioners, and students to think critically about the role farm bill policy can play in creating a food system that is equitable and sustainable.”

Each new report by FBLE outlines goals and recommendations, with specific legislative actions that should be taken to achieve those objectives. The recommendations are designed to build on recent momentum to make equity a core value in USDA programming, uplift the voice of workers in the farming system, ensure access to nutritious food for all Americans, support the viability of small and mid-sized farms and local food systems, and make the U.S. agricultural system part of the climate change solution. The reports can be found at Farm Bill Law.org.

“The Farm Bill is such critical legislation, shaping the experiences of food consumers, food producers, and food system workers alike,” says Margot Pollans, Professor of Law at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law and Faculty Director of the Pace Food Law Center. “But for such a long time it did not get the attention that it deserved from the legal academic community. I’m honored that so many Pace students and faculty are contributing to this important effort to correct this blindspot and to offer ideas for a more sustainable and equitable food future.”

FBLE’s recommendations aim to provide a starting point to generate further discussion about the best solutions for achieving common goals. Many stakeholders, communities, and organizations will have thoughts, constructive critique, and perspectives to offer that should ultimately shape the policies enacted in the farm bill. FBLE is eager to collaborate with other stakeholders to further develop and refine these ideas and set priorities for the coming farm bill cycle.

In addition to these Reports, FBLE maintains educational materials and an active blog on its website. FBLE will be tracking the bill’s development and progress on the website through its passage.

FBLE members include law school programs with expertise in food, agriculture, public health, and environmental law, including: Drake University Law School, Agricultural Law Center; Duke Law School, Environmental Law and Policy Clinic; Harvard Law School, Emmett Environmental Law and Policy Clinic; Harvard Law School, Food Law and Policy Clinic; Harvard Law School, Health Law and Policy Clinic; Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, Food Law Center; UCLA School of Law, Resnick Center for Food Law and Policy; University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, Environmental Law Program; and Vermont Law and Graduate School, Center for Agriculture and Food Systems. The Harvard Law School, Food Law and Policy Clinic coordinates and leads the initiative.

The Pace Food Law Center at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law supports legal services and advocacy, academic scholarship, and student learning. The Center’s legal services and advocacy projects support the transition to a just and sustainable food system by providing direct legal services to small farm and food businesses and related nonprofits through the Food and Farm Business Law Clinic, offering focused legal training, and advocating for systemic policy changes at the local, state, regional, and federal levels. The Center supports the development of food law scholarship, seeking to advance understanding of the role of law in shaping the food system. And in all its programming the Center offers opportunities for students to engage in food law, including through coursework, clinical work, externship placements, career counseling, and research opportunities.

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The Elisabeth Haub School of Law’s Advocacy Team advanced to the semi-finals at the prestigious National Moot Court Regional Competition held November 17, co-sponsored by the New York City Bar Association and the American College of Trial Lawyers. Haub Law students Francine Michel (3L) and Kathryn Facelle (3L) represented Haub Law in the regional competition held at the New York City Bar Association, advancing to the semi-finals and placing among the top 4 teams. Notably, the team’s brief was ranked fifth out of the entire competition as well. The Haub Law team was coached by Adjunct Professor Jennifer Arlin.

“We were honored to participate in this intense competition,” said Haub Law Trial Advocacy Team Member, Kathryn Facelle. “I am proud of what we accomplished and we could not have advanced as far as we did without the support of the entire Haub Law Trial Advocacy team and our coach.”

The National Moot Court Competition is an annual inter-law school event designed to promote the art of appellate advocacy. “The success of our team is a tribute to their hard wok, exceptional skill and committed coaching,” said Director of Advocacy Programs at Haub Law, Louis V. Fasulo. “Professor Arlin’s leadership has helped us to elevate the skills of all the students in our moot program. We are competing with the best and I am so proud of how our Program continues to evolve.”

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The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University has partnered with Legal Hand, Inc., a New York State not-for-profit corporation, to launch the Legal Hand Call-In Center serving Westchester County. The virtual center will be staffed and operated by the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University and is planned to open for Visitors in the new year.

The Legal Hand Call-In Center will be an all-virtual resource center for community members, with office space on the third floor of Aloysia Hall at the Law School. Haub Law students, along with college students and community Volunteers, will be trained to assist those who live, work and send children to school in Westchester by phone and online and provide legal information, assistance and referrals. While the Center will not provide legal advice or representation, it will serve as a valuable resource for community members seeking guidance in areas such as employment, housing, family, immigration, domestic violence and public benefits.

The Legal Hand Call-In Center serving Westchester County will function as part of the law school’s broader Access to Justice Project, which incorporates curricular, experiential, research, and policy advocacy components, all designed to increase student, faculty and staff engagement in pro bono and community work, and to support the local community in addressing justice gaps.

“Through our partnership with Legal Hand, the Elisabeth Haub School of Law will serve an important role as a resource for the community, while providing our students with an invaluable opportunity to understand and address access to justice issues,” said Horace E. Anderson, Dean of the Elisabeth Haub School of Law. “The Center’s goals are to empower both Volunteers and Visitors to understand and navigate issues and self-help resources, and to help Visitors resolve issues before they turn into legal action.”

Law student Volunteers will be able to participate by handling shifts during the Center hours as trained Volunteers or through a guided externship for credit, and members of the broader community will be trained as Volunteers and asked to commit to serving a minimum of 3 hours per week for 6 months.

“The Legal Hand Call-In Center partnership is an exciting addition to our Access to Justice Project, which is all about finding innovative ways for our law students to build skills through actual community engagement in identifying and addressing gaps in access to legal information and resources,” said Adjunct Professor Elyse Diamond, Director of the Public Interest Law Center and Access to Justice Project. Professor Diamond is spearheading the Call-In Center partnership and launch, and will serve as the faculty advisor for Haub Law students participating in the program.

With the addition of the forthcoming Legal Hand Call-In Center, Haub Law recently appointed Stephanie Costa, Esq. as the Legal Hand Call-In Center Attorney. In this new role, reporting to Professor Diamond, she will train and supervise the law student and community Volunteers in the Legal Hand Call-In Center operated by Pace as they assist virtual Visitors. Prior to joining Haub Law, Stephanie litigated cases on tenants’ rights and fair housing issues on behalf of individual New Yorkers and tenant associations at Legal Services-NYC. She received her JD at Fordham University School of Law and undergraduate degree at the University of Pennsylvania. Diego Gomez, a 2022 graduate of the law school, has also been hired as the Center Manager and will assist in the Center’s training and administration.

Haub Law is currently recruiting students and other interested members of the community as Volunteers. Qualifying Volunteers will participate in an intense training program prior to the planned launch of the Center in January 2023.

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Pace University has been recognized by the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge (ALL IN) as a 2022 ALL IN Most Engaged Campuses for College Student Voting.

The ALL IN Most Engaged Campuses for College Student Voting recognizes colleges and universities for making intentional efforts to increase student voter participation. Pace joins a group of 394 colleges and universities recognized by ALL IN for completing these four actions:

• Participate in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge
• Shared 2020 NSLVE Reports with campus voting data with ALL IN
• Developed and submitted a 2022 democratic engagement action plan with ALL IN
• Have a current signatory to ALL IN’s Higher Education Presidents’ Commitment to Full Student Voter Participation.

“College student voter turnout has increased since 2016, and this increase has been driven by students,” said Jennifer Domagal-Goldman, executive director of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. ”The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge is excited to expand our ALL IN Student Voting Honor Roll to recognize these student voting champions across the country. These students registered voters, served on their campus voting coalitions, spearheaded voter education efforts, advocated for campus polling locations and organized other voter engagement efforts to ensure their peers were confident and informed voters.”

At Pace, voter education is overseen by the Center for Community Action and Research (CCAR) which has been mobilizing Pace student voters for over a decade. Through campus and community partnerships, CCAR student leaders register and empower student voters and advocate for institutional changes necessary to eliminate barriers to student voter participation.

“This year, like every year, our Vote Everywhere Ambassadors and Pace Votes Leaders worked tirelessly to get out the student vote,” said Erin Mysogland, assistant director of the Center for Community Action and Research. “They registered peers through class presentations, supported students navigating absentee voting, and walked peers to the polls on Election Day. Pace students care about a myriad of social justice issues and as a result they consistently vote in high numbers.”

In 2020, 66.2% of eligible Pace students voted, according to data from the National Student of Learning, Voting, and Engagement. CCAR staff and student leaders are dedicated to working towards full student voter participation while also providing non-eligible students ways to engage with the political process.

“I was excited but not surprised to see the great voter turnout for the 2022 midterm election at Pace,” said Lauren Shelton ’26, Vote Everywhere Ambassador at CCAR. “As a first-time voter, seeing so many of my peers voting was great!”

About Pace University

Pace University has a proud history of preparing its diverse student body for a lifetime of professional success because of its unique programs that combine immersive academics and real-world experiences. Pace is ranked the #1 private, four-year college in the nation for upward economic mobility by Harvard University’s Opportunity Insights, evidence of the transformative education the University provides.

About CCAR at Pace University

The Center for Community Action and Research (CCAR) supports the University’s commitment to educating for active community participation and social responsibility.

About ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge (ALL IN)

The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge (ALL IN) is a national nonpartisan initiative of Civic Nation, a 501(c)(3) organization. The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge strives to change civic culture and institutionalize democratic engagement activities and programs on college campuses, making voter participation a defining feature of campus life. ALL IN, in collaboration with over 960 higher education institutions, seeks to make participation in local, state, and federal elections a social norm; substantially increase the number of college students who are democratically engaged on an ongoing basis, during and between elections, and not just at the polls, and; make educating for democratic engagement on college campuses an accepted and expected part of the culture and curriculum so that students graduate with the knowledge, skills, behaviors, and values needed to be an informed and active citizen.