NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A6309
SPONSOR: Carroll R TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the arts and cultural affairs law, in relation to the
establishment of regional arts, cultural affairs, and parks sustainabil-
ity grants
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:;
To establish 10 regional councils that will administer competitive
sustainability grants for regional arts, cultural institutions and
parks.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends the arts and cultural affairs law by adding a new arti-
cle 6.
6.01 - Defines Regions, Regional Councils, and Sustainability Programs.
6.03 - Establishes the 10 Regions in New York State.
6,05 - The Governor establishes a regional council in each region made
up of local experts and stakeholders from arts, cultural and parks
organizations within region. The Governor shall appoint S members and
the Assembly and Senate shall appoint one member in each region. One
member of each regional council shall be an expert in sustainability.
6.05 (2) The Regional Councils with approval of Governor issue compet-
itive sustainability grants to arts, cultural and parks organizations ,-
within their region for capital projects
6.05 (2)(a) In the City Of New York region an equal amount of grant
money is issued to organizations with operating budgets of ten million
dollars or more as is issued to organizations with operating budgets of
less than ten million dollars.
6.05 (2)(b) In all other regions an equal amount of grant money is
issued to organizations with operating budgets of five million dollars
or more as is issued to organizations with operating budgets of less
than five million dollars.
6.05 (3) Regional Councils will determine which organizations receive A
competitive sustainability grant based on Governor's criteria
6.05 (4) Organizations may only receive a sustainability grant under
this article once every three years.
6.05 (5) No regional council shall issue sustainability grants totaling
more than fifty percent of such council's grant money issued in a calen-
dar year to parks organizations.
Section 2 sets the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
The arts are an integral driver of the state's economy and serve as
critical assets to communities. Data released in 2018 by the NEA and BEA
shows that the arts and cultural sector generate over $114 billion to
the New York State Economy and employ over 450,000 people across the
state. Additionally, the total number of onsite visits to NYSCA grantee
state. Additionally, the total number of onsite visits to NYSCA grahtee
organizations in 2018 stood at over 171 million of which are museum
guests.
Many of these cultural institutions rely on old large infrastructure,
badly in need of environmental retrofitting to improve heating efficien-
cy, lighting, overall carbon footprint, etc. The capital costs associ-
ated with these improvements are often beyond the means of these insti-
tutions. Given the large number of people employed and served by our
cultural and arts institutions, the return on investment in regards to
sustainability will have a meaningfill impact on New York State's over-
all energy footprint.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
A.501 of 2021-22; A.504 of 2023-24
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
TBD
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
6309
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
March 3, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. R. CARROLL -- 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 the
establishment of regional arts, cultural affairs, and parks sustaina-
bility grants
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 article 6 to read as follows:
3 ARTICLE 6
4 REGIONAL ARTS, CULTURAL AFFAIRS, AND PARKS SUSTAINABILITY GRANTS
5 Section 6.01. Definitions.
6 6.03. Establishment of arts, cultural affairs, and parks
7 regions.
8 6.05. Regional arts, cultural affairs, and parks competitive
9 sustainability grants.
10 § 6.01. Definitions. For the purposes of this article, the following
11 terms shall have the following meanings:
12 1. "Regions" shall mean the arts, cultural affairs, and parks regions
13 established in section 6.03 of this article.
14 2. "Regional councils" shall mean the councils which issue grants
15 under section 6.05 of this article.
16 3. "Sustainability programs" shall mean programs which: (a) promote
17 smart growth and smart site planning; (b) reduce greenhouse gas emis-
18 sions; (c) achieve energy efficiency and reduce energy consumptions; (d)
19 facilitate the incorporation and environmentally responsible products;
20 (e) promote the efficient use of natural resources; (f) promote the
21 conservation of materials and resources; and (g) reduce waste.
22 § 6.03. Establishment of arts, cultural affairs, and parks regions.
23 Ten arts, cultural affairs, and parks regions shall be established with-
24 in the state, one for each of the following regions:
25 1. Long Island (which consists of Suffolk and Nassau counties);
26 2. the city of New York (which consists of Bronx, New York, Queens,
27 Kings, and Richmond counties);
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD08878-01-5
A. 6309 2
1 3. the Mid-Hudson region (which consists of Sullivan, Ulster, Dutch-
2 ess, Orange, Putnam, Westchester, and Rockland counties);
3 4. the Southern tier (which consists of Steuben, Schuyler, Tompkins,
4 Chemung, Tioga, Chenango, Broome, and Delaware counties);
5 5. the Capital region (which consists of Warren, Washington, Saratoga,
6 Schenectady, Rensselaer, Albany, Columbia, and Greene counties);
7 6. the Mohawk valley (which consists of Oneida, Herkimer, Fulton,
8 Montgomery, Otsego, and Schoharie counties);
9 7. the North country (which consists of Clinton, Franklin, St.
10 Lawrence, Jefferson, Lewis, Hamilton, and Essex counties);
11 8. the Central region (which consists of Oswego, Cayuga, Onondaga,
12 Madison, and Cortland counties);
13 9. the Finger Lakes region (which consists of Orleans, Monroe, Wayne,
14 Genesee, Wyoming, Livingston, Ontario, Seneca, and Yates counties); and
15 10. the Western region (which consists of Niagara, Erie, Chautauqua,
16 Cattaraugus, and Allegany counties).
17 § 6.05. Regional arts, cultural affairs, and parks competitive
18 sustainability grants. 1. The governor shall, in each region, establish
19 a council which shall issue competitive sustainability grants within the
20 region. Six members of each regional council shall be local experts and
21 stakeholders from arts and cultural affairs organizations and parks
22 organizations within the region. One member of each regional council
23 shall be an expert in sustainability. Each regional council shall have
24 seven total members appointed to such council. Five members of each
25 regional council shall be appointed by the governor and shall serve at
26 the pleasure of the governor, one member of each regional council shall
27 be appointed by the speaker of the assembly and serve at the pleasure of
28 the assembly, and one member of each regional council shall be appointed
29 by the temporary president of the senate and serve at the pleasure of
30 the senate. All members of the regional councils shall be subject to the
31 provisions of section seventy-three-a of the public officers law.
32 2. The regional councils shall, with approval from the governor, issue
33 competitive sustainability grants to arts and cultural affairs organiza-
34 tions and parks organizations within their region for capital projects
35 such that:
36 (a) in the city of New York region, an equal amount of grant money is
37 issued to organizations with operating budgets of ten million dollars or
38 more as is issued to organizations with operating budgets of less than
39 ten million dollars; and
40 (b) in all other regions, an equal amount of grant money is issued to
41 organizations with operating budgets of five million dollars or more as
42 is issued to organizations with operating budgets of less than five
43 million dollars.
44 3. The regional councils shall issue competitive sustainability grants
45 for implementing sustainability programs at the organization. Such
46 grants shall be issued based on criteria established by the governor for
47 such purpose.
48 4. No regional council shall issue a competitive sustainability grant
49 to an organization which has received a competitive sustainability grant
50 under this article within the prior three years.
51 5. No regional council shall issue competitive sustainability grants
52 totaling more than fifty percent of such council's competitive sustaina-
53 bility grant money issued in a calendar year to parks organizations.
54 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
