Bill Text: NY A09695 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Relates to the provision of financial assistance to museums, zoos, botanical gardens, aquariums and other cultural institutions located in low-income urban, suburban or rural communities, or that provide educational services to students from such communities.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 9-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-02-12 - reported referred to ways and means [A09695 Detail]
Download: New_York-2019-A09695-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 9695 IN ASSEMBLY February 5, 2020 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. FAHY -- read once and referred to the Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development AN ACT to amend the arts and cultural affairs law, in relation to providing financial assistance to museums, zoos, botanical gardens, aquariums and other cultural institutions located in low-income urban, suburban or rural communities, or that provide educational services to students from such communities The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Statement of legislative findings and intent. The legisla- 2 ture finds and declares that the state of New York is home to vast 3 educational resources in museums, historical societies, zoos, botanical 4 gardens, aquaria and cultural arts institutions that offer a wealth of 5 ways to engage children and adults and instill in them a lasting love of 6 learning. 7 The legislature finds that over 1,500 museums, historical societies, 8 zoos, botanical gardens, aquaria and cultural arts institutions in this 9 state now provide instruction to over six million children, and that 10 children in grades pre-kindergarten through twelve and adults enrolled 11 in continuing education programs should have broad and equal access to 12 such services. 13 The legislature further finds that community cultural arts insti- 14 tutions, in collaboration with teachers and schools, must design new and 15 innovative programs to engage learners in such pressing issues as 16 science, anthropology, history and arts literacy. 17 It is the intent of the legislature that the state provide financial 18 assistance to cultural arts institutions serving under-resourced urban, 19 suburban or rural communities to expand educational services through 20 access to museum collections, scholarship and virtual learning and 21 extend their uniquely valuable educational resources to the children and 22 lifelong learners of the state. 23 § 2. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as the 24 "museum education act". EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD14020-03-9A. 9695 2 1 § 3. The arts and cultural affairs law is amended by adding a new 2 section 61.15 to read as follows: 3 § 61.15. Education grants for museums. 1. The commissioner of educa- 4 tion shall develop and implement, with consultation and input from 5 representatives from the museum and cultural institution community, a 6 museum and cultural organization education grant program, and shall 7 award, within the amounts appropriated from the general fund for such 8 purpose, competitive grants in accordance with this section for the 9 purpose of establishing or improving education programs in museums and 10 cultural organizations designed to improve student performance in public 11 and nonpublic elementary, middle and secondary schools. Such grants 12 shall be expended to support the production of curricula, acquisition of 13 specialized educational or interpretive skills, acquisition and imple- 14 mentation of technology, and preparation of specialized exhibition or 15 public programs that are tailored to elementary, middle and secondary 16 school students; the development and delivery of continuing education 17 programs; provision of student transportation; and other programs that 18 support the development and delivery of curriculum-based programs in 19 museums with collections. 20 2. As used in this section, "eligible institution" shall mean: (a) a 21 nonprofit institution chartered by the board of regents, or otherwise 22 incorporated as a museum, historical society, nature center, zoo, botan- 23 ical garden, arboretum, aquarium or other cultural education institu- 24 tion, or a privately or municipally operated institution that meets the 25 applicable registration standards established by the board of regents 26 for museums or historical societies with collections, and that is 27 located in a low-income urban, suburban or rural community or provides 28 educational services to students and adult learners from low-income 29 urban, suburban or rural communities; (b) a museum authorized by a 30 special charter from the legislature of this state and that is located 31 in a low-income urban, suburban or rural community or provides educa- 32 tional services to students and adult learners from low-income urban, 33 suburban or rural communities; or (c) a private not-for-profit community 34 based organization, including an incorporated institution the sole or 35 primary purpose of which is the support of museums, historic sites or 36 historical societies located in a low-income urban, suburban or rural 37 community or that provides educational services to students and adult 38 learners from low-income urban, suburban or rural communities; except 39 that institutions operated by state or federal government agencies shall 40 not be considered eligible under this section. 41 3. The governing body or officer of an eligible institution requesting 42 a grant pursuant to this section shall submit an application at such 43 time, and in such form and containing such information, as the commis- 44 sioner of education may require. Such commissioner shall establish the 45 criteria and standards by which applications for grants to be awarded 46 pursuant to this section will be evaluated and made to eligible insti- 47 tutions. The commissioner of education is authorized to promulgate regu- 48 lations for the development and submission of applications for cooper- 49 ative or collaborative grants, provided that a single institution serves 50 as the applicant for such a grant and for multi-year grants. 51 4. The commissioner of education shall award grants, subject to avail- 52 able appropriations, in an amount not to exceed the allowable costs of 53 the eligible institution as determined by such commissioner. Allowable 54 costs shall include, but need not be limited to, the reasonable cost of 55 salaries and fringe benefits, materials and equipment. The commissioner 56 of education shall allocate a minimum of twenty-five percent of theA. 9695 3 1 amount appropriated for such grants to award to institutions with an 2 operating budget of between ten thousand dollars and one hundred fifty 3 thousand dollars per year. The commissioner of education shall allocate 4 a minimum of twenty-five percent of the amount appropriated for such 5 grants to award to institutions with an operating budget of between one 6 hundred fifty thousand one dollars and five hundred thousand dollars per 7 year. The commissioner of education shall allocate a minimum of twen- 8 ty-five percent of the amount appropriated for such grants to award to 9 institutions with an operating budget of between five hundred thousand 10 one dollars and one million dollars per year. The commissioner of educa- 11 tion shall allocate a minimum of twenty-five percent of the amount 12 appropriated for such grants to award to institutions with an operating 13 budget in excess of one million dollars per year. 14 5. On or before March fifteenth, two thousand twenty-two and on or 15 before March first of each year thereafter, the commissioner of educa- 16 tion shall submit to the chairs of the senate finance and the assembly 17 ways and means committees, and the director of the budget, a report 18 detailing the implementation of the provisions of this section, the 19 extent of participation by eligible institutions, the relationship of 20 the programs provided to school curricula, and the geographic dispersion 21 of funds and participating institutions. 22 § 4. This act shall take effect on the three hundred sixty-fifth day 23 after it shall have become a law. Effective immediately the addition, 24 amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the 25 implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be 26 made and completed on or before such date.
