NY S00302

Amends state finance law to prohibit state and governmental agencies from purchasing tropical hardwoods or tropical hardwood products, and requires maximization of environmentally preferable building materials purchases by practical means.

Defines "sustained managed forest" as forests certified by independent third-party forest certifiers that conduct comprehensive assessments of management practices and environmental performance.

Defines "environmentally preferable building materials" to include reclaimed wood products, biobased materials, and recycled plastic and other recycled materials.

Requires the Governor to designate a department or agency to create a list of eligible forest certifiers and chain of custody certifiers, with eligibility requirements including on-the-ground audits using interdisciplinary expert teams and separate chain of custody certification.

Permits local governments to adopt local laws, ordinances, rules or regulations governing commodity purchases that are more restrictive than the state's tropical hardwood purchasing restrictions.