Bill Text: NY A01456 | 2015-2016 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Provides for the establishment of regional conservation partnership trusts to raise and disburse funds to not-for-profit entities managing partnership parks, and other state and local conservation activity; provides matching state grants to such trusts.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-01-06 - referred to tourism, parks, arts and sports development [A01456 Detail]

Download: New_York-2015-A01456-Introduced.html

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                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         1456
                              2015-2016 Regular Sessions
                                 I N  A S S E M B L Y
                                   January 12, 2015
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  ENGLEBRIGHT -- read once and referred to the
         Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development
       AN ACT to provide for the creation of regional conservation  partnership
         trusts
         THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section 1. Legislative findings and  purpose.  The  legislature  finds
    2  that  the state's heritage areas, greenways, preserves, partnerships and
    3  other specially designated areas are unique and  special  areas  serving
    4  public  interests in conservation, education, recreation and sustainable
    5  development. Often these areas include all or portions of  many  cities,
    6  towns  and  villages, and their management depends on interrelationships
    7  between state and municipal entities and  private  entities.  They  have
    8  appropriately  been  called "partnership parks". While state funding has
    9  often been available for the acquisition of open space and  recreational
   10  and  historic preservation projects, support for management and steward-
   11  ship of partnership  parks  has  been  insufficient  and  threatens  the
   12  resources for which these areas have been designated.
   13    The  legislature  further finds that community philanthropic organiza-
   14  tions  and  nonprofit  conservation  organizations  have  provided  some
   15  support  for  partnership parks and if assisted by the state may be able
   16  to maximize public and private funding for management and stewardship.
   17    Therefore, the legislature hereby establishes a framework for areas of
   18  the state to create regional partnership trusts to raise and  distribute
   19  funds  for nonprofit conservation organizations providing management and
   20  stewardship services for partnership parks and  other  state  and  local
   21  conservation activity.
   22    S 2. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "New
   23  York state regional conservation partnership trust act".
   24    S  3.  Regional conservation partnership trusts. (a) Community founda-
   25  tions may apply to the commissioners of environmental  conservation  and
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD06133-01-5
       A. 1456                             2
    1  parks,  recreation and historic preservation to be certified as regional
    2  conservation partnership trust boards. Each such partnership trust board
    3  shall be a charitable subsidiary of a community foundation organized  to
    4  support  management  and  stewardship  activities  of  a  not-for-profit
    5  conservation organization within its region. Such  activities  shall  be
    6  provided to partnership parks with the trust board's region.
    7    (b)  The commissioners of environmental conservation and parks, recre-
    8  ation and historic preservation shall approve and  certify  as  regional
    9  conservation  partnership  trusts those not-for-profit corporations that
   10  are dedicated to raise funds from private donors  for  the  purposes  of
   11  grants  to non-profit organizations consistent with the purposes of this
   12  act. The members of a board of a partnership trust shall  serve  without
   13  compensation  for  their  work. Each partnership trust shall establish a
   14  fund to consist of donations and funds made available therefor from  the
   15  state.
   16    S  4. The state is hereby authorized, during any state fiscal year, to
   17  disburse not more than one  million  dollars  to  regional  conservation
   18  partnership  trusts  to  match  donations to such trust during the state
   19  fiscal year, and made available  for  grants  to  not-for-profit  corpo-
   20  rations for the purpose of this act.
   21    S 5. This act shall take effect immediately.