Bill Text: NY A08111 | 2013-2014 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes the empire state baseball trails program.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-06-19 - substituted by s847 [A08111 Detail]
Download: New_York-2013-A08111-Introduced.html
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K ________________________________________________________________________ 8111 2013-2014 Regular Sessions I N A S S E M B L Y June 20, 2013 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. PEOPLES-STOKES -- read once and referred to the Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development AN ACT to amend the economic development law, in relation to creating the Empire State baseball trails program THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM- BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: 1 Section 1. The economic development law is amended by adding a new 2 article 5-F to read as follows: 3 ARTICLE 5-F 4 EMPIRE STATE BASEBALL TRAILS PROGRAM 5 SECTION 181-F. LEGISLATIVE INTENT. 6 181-G. DEFINITIONS. 7 181-H. GENERAL FUNCTIONS, POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE COMMISSIONER. 8 S 181-F. LEGISLATIVE INTENT. THE LEGISLATURE RECOGNIZES THAT PROFES- 9 SIONAL BASEBALL HAS HISTORICALLY PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE ECONOM- 10 IC AND CULTURAL LIFE OF THE STATE. THE PUBLIC IS GENERALLY FAMILIAR WITH 11 THE TWO MAJOR LEAGUE TEAMS IN NEW YORK CITY, AS WELL AS WITH THE BASE- 12 BALL HALL OF FAME IN COOPERSTOWN. THERE IS MUCH LESS PUBLIC AWARENESS 13 THAT NEW YORK STATE IS ALSO THE HOME OF THIRTEEN PROFESSIONAL MINOR 14 LEAGUE AND INDEPENDENT LEAGUE TEAMS SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE STATE. GREAT- 15 ER PUBLIC AWARENESS OF THESE TEAMS AND THEIR GAME SCHEDULES HAS THE 16 POTENTIAL TO SIGNIFICANTLY ADD TO THE STATE'S TOURISM TRADE. THE MINOR 17 LEAGUE AND INDEPENDENT LEAGUE TEAMS ARE SMALL BUSINESSES THEMSELVES, AND 18 COULD HELP TO DRAW IN-STATE AND OUT-OF-STATE TOURISTS TO THEIR RESPEC- 19 TIVE AREAS OF NEW YORK, THEREBY INCREASING HOTEL, RESTAURANT AND OTHER 20 TOURIST RELATED SMALL BUSINESSES. IT IS, THEREFORE, THE INTENT OF THIS 21 LEGISLATURE TO HAVE CREATED A PROGRAM WHICH WILL SYSTEMATICALLY PROMOTE 22 NEW YORK MINOR LEAGUE AND INDEPENDENT LEAGUE BASEBALL AS A TOURIST 23 ATTRACTION, BY ESTABLISHING A BASEBALL TRAIL PROGRAM. IT IS THE FURTHER 24 INTENT OF THE LEGISLATURE THAT THESE TRAILS BE LINKED THEMATICALLY, AND 25 BE CONSTRUED SO AS TO BE EASILY TRAVELED BY TOURISTS AND BASEBALL FANS. EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD02840-01-3 A. 8111 2 1 THE LEGISLATURE SEEKS THE CREATION OF ITINERARIES TO AID TRAVELERS ALONG 2 BASEBALL TRAILS, WHICH ALSO LINK TOGETHER OTHER ATTRACTIONS AND VENUES 3 ALONG SAID TRAILS IN ORDER TO ATTRACT VISITORS WITH A SIMPLE AND EFFI- 4 CIENT TRAVEL PLAN. FURTHER IT IS THE INTENT OF THIS LEGISLATURE TO SEE 5 THAT THESE TRAILS ARE ADEQUATELY SIGNED SO THAT TRAVELERS MAY INDEPEND- 6 ENTLY FOLLOW THE TRAIL WITH EASE. 7 S 181-G. DEFINITIONS. AS USED IN THIS ARTICLE THE FOLLOWING DEFI- 8 NITIONS SHALL APPLY: 9 1. "BASEBALL TRAIL" SHALL MEAN A SERIES OF PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL 10 VENUES IDENTIFIED BY THE COMMISSIONER, WHICH MAY BE LINKED BY GEOGRAPHIC 11 PROXIMITY AND ALIGNMENT, AND GAME SCHEDULES. 12 2. "BASEBALL PASSPORT" SHALL MEAN A BOOKLET OR OTHER PUBLICATION, 13 WHICH IS SPECIFIC TO THE PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL VENUES AND GAMES OR 14 SURROUNDING ATTRACTIONS ON A BASEBALL TRAIL, AND MAY INCLUDE DISCOUNTS 15 AND OTHER INCENTIVES RELATED TO ATTENDING BASEBALL GAMES AND VISITING 16 THE BASEBALL VENUES AND ATTRACTIONS ON THE BASEBALL TRAIL. 17 S 181-H. GENERAL FUNCTIONS, POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE COMMISSIONER. 1. 18 THE COMMISSIONER SHALL DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT AN "I LOVE NY BASEBALL" 19 PROMOTION PROGRAM. THE COMMISSIONER, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE COMMISSION- 20 ER OF PARKS, RECREATION AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND ANY LOCAL GOVERN- 21 MENT OFFICIAL OR ENTITY, SHALL IDENTIFY A SERIES OF BASEBALL VENUES AND 22 GAMES TO BE PART OF A BASEBALL TRAIL. NO FEWER THAN TWO BASEBALL TRAILS 23 SHOULD BE IDENTIFIED FOR THE PURPOSES OF THE PROGRAM. IN IDENTIFYING 24 SPECIFIC VENUES AND GAMES TO BE INCLUDED ON A BASEBALL TRAIL, SPECIAL 25 CONSIDERATION SHALL BE GIVEN TO THOSE TRAILS WHICH PROMOTE MINOR LEAGUE 26 AND INDEPENDENT LEAGUE BASEBALL. SPECIAL CONSIDERATION SHALL ALSO BE 27 GIVEN TO TRAILS WHICH CAN BE LINKED TO SURROUNDING ARTS, CULTURAL, 28 HISTORICAL, ENTERTAINMENT OR OTHER TOURISM DESTINATIONS OR EXHIBITS OF 29 INTEREST TO TRAVELERS. 30 2. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL CAUSE TO BE DEVELOPED BASEBALL VACATION 31 ITINERARIES BASED ON SPECIFIC BASEBALL TRAILS, WHICH SHALL IDENTIFY FOR 32 VISITORS BASEBALL GAMES AND SURROUNDING ATTRACTIONS, RESTAURANTS, LODG- 33 ING AND OTHER EXHIBITS OR PLACES OF ENTERTAINMENT AS MAY BE A PART OF 34 THE THEME LINKING THE BASEBALL VENUES ON THE BASEBALL TRAIL. 35 3. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL WORK TO DEVELOP DISCOUNT PACKAGES FOR SUCH 36 BASEBALL TRAILS, WHICH MAY INCLUDE THE DEVELOPMENT OF A BASEBALL PASS- 37 PORT. 38 4. NOTHING SHALL PRECLUDE THE COMMISSIONER FROM CONTRACTING WITH AN 39 INDEPENDENT VACATION OR TRAVEL PACKAGE COMPANY TO HELP DEVELOP BASEBALL 40 VACATION PACKAGES ALONG A BASEBALL TRAIL. 41 S 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall 42 have become a law.