Retailers who accept SNAP benefits, also known as food stamps, are subject to random inspections by undercover United State Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) inspectors. The undercover inspectors check to see if retailers are selling unauthorized items or if the retailer is involved in trafficking, which is the exchange of money for food stamps. In the event that the undercover investigator …
How to Make a Freedom of Information Act Request- Part 2
This is Part 2 of a 6 Part Blog Series on “How to Make a Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) Request“. Please stay tuned for the other blogs for the full picture! Step 2: Choose The Government Agency or Agencies To Request Documents On either the federal or state level, there is not one central office that manages all …
How to Make a Freedom of Information Act Request – Part 1
This is Part 1 of a 6 Part Blog Series on “How to Make a Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) Request“. Please stay tuned for the other blogs for the full picture! Step 1: Decide If It Is Necessary To File a FOIA Request Not all agency records require a written FOIA request. In 1996, Congress passed the Electronic Freedom of Information …
Overview of FOIA for Food and Agriculture Businesses in New York
You may find a time when you want to see the documents available to the public about yourself or your food or agriculture operation. There are two main federal statutes that guide the process of obtaining information from the federal government: (i) Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) and (ii) Privacy Act (“PA”). In New York, requests can be made to …
Required Documentation for an Alternating Proprietor Winery
This presentation on wine and vineyard law was given to the National Business Institute (NBI) last fall. Below is an except from the presentation’s materials found here. The entire lecture from the day-long educational conference can be ordered from NBI here. Under federal law, each type of winery has its own set of documents that must be submitted to …
Podcast Appearance on Book Publishing with Legal Marketing Studio
Super pumped for Michael Meyer, corporate photographer extraordinaire,for his new podcast called the “Legal Marketing Studio“, available via SoundCloud and iTunes. The podcast was just released and I’m in Episode 3 on book publishing. I talk about my New York food and agriculture book (my first child) and my recently published book on New York divorce and family law (both …
Alleged Violation of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)? Seeking a Civil Monetary Penalty in Lieu of Permanent Disqualification
Accepting SNAP benefits allows a retailer to provide staple foods to members of the community who would be otherwise unable to afford basics. Being licensed to accept SNAP benefits also comes with the responsibility of ensuring that all SNAP regulations are followed. This includes ensuring that employees do not allow customers to use SNAP benefits for unauthorized items, such as …
The What, Where, and How of Collecting Personal Information in Your Website’s Privacy Policy
Ensuring that your website has an effective privacy policy includes providing users with detailed information regarding: (1) what information will be collected, (2) how the information will be collected, (3) where the collected information will be stored, and (4) how the information will be protected. What Information is Collected The type of information collected by a website will differ based …
Required Documentation for a Custom Crush Winery
This presentation on wine and vineyard law was given to the National Business Institute (NBI) last fall. Below is an except from the presentation’s materials found here. The entire lecture from the day-long educational conference can be ordered from NBI here. Under federal law, each type of winery has its own set of documents that must be submitted to the …
Lawline Lecture: Overview of New York Animal Welfare Law
I gave this Lawline lecture last December on New York farm animal welfare law. I first talk about animal welfare laws from the national perspective and then move into New York specifically. I think it helps to see the forest for the trees and better understand where New York fits in nationally with these issues. I discuss both misdemeanor and …
Alleged Violation of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)? Creating an Effective Training Policy for Retailers Accepting SNAP Benefits
One of the most important parts of becoming an authorized retailer that accepts SNAP benefits is to ensure that employees are properly trained in the policies of accepting food stamps. The United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) requires that all SNAP authorized firms be able to demonstrate that there is an established training policy in place as well as a …
Important Information to Include in Your Website’s Privacy Policy
A Privacy Policy is important to every website regardless of the purpose of the website. It creates transparency on the part of the website about the information they collect which in return provides trust on the part of the users of the website. In order to create a competent Privacy Policy, the website owners should be sure to include (1) …