Bill Text: NY A02563 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

---

Bill Title: Directs the council on the arts to establish criteria and guidelines for the establishment of state designated arts and cultural districts.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-1)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-05-30 - substituted by s253a [A02563 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A02563-Introduced.html

---

                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          2563

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    January 26, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced by M. of A. GUNTHER, BUTTENSCHON -- read once and referred to
          the Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development

        AN  ACT  to  amend  the  arts  and cultural affairs law and the economic
          development law,  in  relation  to  creating  the  arts  and  cultural
          district

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. The arts and cultural affairs law is amended  by  adding  a
     2  new section 3.17 to read as follows:
     3    §  3.17.  Arts  and  cultural districts. 1.   For the purposes of this
     4  section, "arts and cultural districts" means geographic areas of a city,
     5  town or village with a concentration  of  arts  or  cultural  facilities
     6  located within its boundaries. Two or more local governments may jointly
     7  apply for a designated district where the proposed  geographic  area  of
     8  such  district  shall extend across commonly held jurisdictional bounda-
     9  ries.
    10    2.  The council, in cooperation with the department of economic devel-
    11  opment and any other state department, office, division  or  agency  the
    12  council deems necessary, shall develop criteria and guidelines for state
    13  designated arts and cultural districts.  Criteria developed by the coun-
    14  cil,  in cooperation with the department of economic development and any
    15  other state department, office, division or  agency  the  council  deems
    16  necessary,  to  designate  a  district shall, to the extent practicable,
    17  include, but not be limited to, determinations that such  district:  (a)
    18  attracts  artists  or cultural enterprises to the community, (b) encour-
    19  ages enterprise and job development due to the concentration of artistic
    20  or cultural activity, a major arts or cultural institution or  facility,
    21  arts and entertainment businesses, an area with arts and cultural activ-
    22  ities,  or  artistic  or  cultural production, (c) attracts a sufficient
    23  amount of tourism, (d) enhances local property values and fosters  local
    24  cultural  development, (e) engages in the promotional, preservation, and

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD01481-01-3
        A. 2563                             2

     1  educational aspects of  the  arts  and  culture  of  the  community  and
     2  contribute  to  the  public through interpretive, educational, or recre-
     3  ational uses; or (f) satisfies additional criteria as determined by  the
     4  council that will further the purposes of this section.  The council, in
     5  cooperation  with  the  department of economic development and any other
     6  state department, office, division or agency the  council  deems  neces-
     7  sary,  shall  also develop guidelines that provide assistance to a city,
     8  town, or village, or multiple  local  governments  applying  jointly  in
     9  developing  an  application  for district certification.   For any state
    10  designated arts and cultural   district,   the   department of  economic
    11  development, in cooperation with the council and any other state depart-
    12  ment,  office,  division or agency the department deems necessary, shall
    13  provide state supported assistance to the district  in  its  activities,
    14  including  but  not   limited to   technical  assistance in applying for
    15  federal and non-profit grants, marketing  expertise,  identification  of
    16  other  state   resources  that  may assist  a  district's activities  or
    17  programs that could be created or  expanded  within  state  agencies  to
    18  assist districts.
    19    § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
    20  it shall have become a law.