Bill Text: NY S01676 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Amended
Bill Title: Directs the commissioner of education to establish and implement a museum education grant program to provide state aid to museums, historical societies, nature centers, zoos, botanical gardens, arboretums, aquariums and cultural organizations to establish education programs for elementary and secondary school students, and for those participating in continuing education in low-income urban, suburban or rural communities.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Republican 10-2)
Status: (Vetoed) 2018-12-21 - VETOED MEMO.307 [S01676 Detail]
Download: New_York-2017-S01676-Amended.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1676--A 2017-2018 Regular Sessions IN SENATE January 10, 2017 ___________ Introduced by Sens. LITTLE, AKSHAR, DeFRANCISCO, FUNKE, MURPHY, ORTT, RANZENHOFER, ROBACH, SERRANO, SEWARD -- read twice and ordered print- ed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation -- recommitted to the Committee on Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee AN ACT to amend the arts and cultural affairs law, in relation to providing educational services aid to eligible museums, historical societies and other cultural institutions chartered by the board of regents for the provision of curriculum-based educational programs for students and teachers in grades pre-kindergarten through twelve and adults enrolled in continuing education programs in low-income urban, suburban and rural 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 has the greatest 3 museums, historical societies, zoos, botanical gardens, aquariums and 4 cultural arts institutions in the United States, and that these organ- 5 izations are major tourism and economic drivers with a wealth of ways to 6 engage children and adults and instill in them a lasting love of learn- 7 ing. 8 The legislature finds and declares that museums, historical societies, 9 zoos, botanical gardens, aquariums and cultural arts institutions 10 attract millions of visitors each year and provide vitally important 11 instructional services to the schoolchildren of this state, and that 12 children, in grades pre-kindergarten through twelve and adults enrolled 13 in continuing education programs should have broad and equal access to 14 such services. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD00484-02-8S. 1676--A 2 1 The legislature finds that over 1,500 museums, historical societies, 2 zoos, botanical gardens, aquariums and cultural arts institutions in 3 this state now provide instruction to over six million children, and 4 that these institutions now receive no direct state support to initiate, 5 expand and enhance these educational services through access to museum 6 collections, scholarship and virtual learning. 7 The legislature finds that students living in low-income communities 8 in urban, suburban, or rural settings benefit from having access to the 9 type of learning provided by museums, historical societies, zoos, botan- 10 ical gardens, aquariums and cultural arts institutions and that fair and 11 equal access to these types of institutions will provide enhanced learn- 12 ing opportunities to these students. 13 The legislature finds that museums, historical societies, zoos, botan- 14 ical gardens, aquariums and cultural arts institutions, in collaboration 15 with teachers and schools, must design new and innovative museum 16 programs to address such pressing issues as science, anthropology, 17 history and arts literacy, and under-resourced schools. 18 It is the intent of the legislature that the state provide financial 19 assistance to museums, zoos, botanical gardens, aquariums and other 20 cultural institutions located in low-income urban, suburban or rural 21 communities, so that these major tourist attractions can extend their 22 uniquely valuable educational resources to the children and lifelong 23 learners of the state, especially those in low-income urban, suburban or 24 rural communities, or that provide educational services to students from 25 such communities. 26 § 2. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as the 27 "museum education act". 28 § 3. The arts and cultural affairs law is amended by adding a new 29 section 61.15 to read as follows: 30 § 61.15. Education grants for museums. 1. The commissioner of educa- 31 tion shall develop and implement, with consultation and input from 32 representatives from the museum and cultural institution community, a 33 museum and cultural organization education grant program, and shall 34 award, within the amounts appropriated from the general fund for such 35 purpose, competitive grants in accordance with this section for the 36 purposes of establishing or improving education programs in museums and 37 cultural organizations designed to improve student performance in public 38 and nonpublic elementary, middle and secondary schools. Such grants 39 shall be expended to support the production of curricula, acquisition of 40 specialized educational or interpretive skills, acquisition and imple- 41 mentation of technology, and preparation of specialized exhibition or 42 public programs that are tailored to elementary, middle and secondary 43 school students; the development and delivery of continuing education 44 programs; provision of student transportation; and other programs that 45 support the development and delivery of curriculum-based programs in 46 museums with collections. 47 2. As used in this section, "eligible institution" shall mean: (a) a 48 nonprofit institution chartered by the board of regents, or otherwise 49 incorporated as a museum, historical society, nature center, zoo, botan- 50 ical garden, arboretum, aquarium or other cultural education institu- 51 tion, or a privately or municipally operated institution that meets the 52 applicable registration standards established by the board of regents 53 for museums or historical societies with collections, and that is 54 located in a low-income urban, suburban or rural community or provides 55 educational services to students and adult learners from low-income 56 urban, suburban or rural communities; orS. 1676--A 3 1 (b) a private not-for-profit community based organization, including 2 an incorporated institution the sole or primary purpose of which is the 3 support of museums, historic sites or historical societies located in a 4 low-income urban, suburban or rural community or that provides educa- 5 tional services to students and adult learners from low-income urban, 6 suburban or rural communities; except that institutions operated by 7 state or federal government agencies shall not be considered eligible 8 under this section. 9 3. The governing body or officer of an eligible institution requesting 10 a grant pursuant to this section shall submit an application at such 11 time, in such form and containing such information, as the commissioner 12 of education may require. Such commissioner shall establish the criteria 13 and standards by which applications for grants to be awarded pursuant to 14 this section will be evaluated and grants made to eligible institutions. 15 The commissioner of education is authorized to promulgate regulations 16 for the development and submission of applications for cooperative or 17 collaborative grants, provided that a single institution serves as the 18 applicant for such a grant and for multi-year grants. 19 4. The commissioner of education shall award grants, subject to avail- 20 able appropriations, in an amount not to exceed the allowable costs of 21 the eligible institution as determined by such commissioner, provided 22 that the allowable costs for museum education grants shall not exceed 23 five hundred thousand dollars per year for a maximum of three years. 24 Allowable costs shall include, but need not be limited to, the reason- 25 able cost of salaries and fringe benefits, materials and equipment. The 26 commissioner of education shall allocate a minimum of twenty-five 27 percent of the amount appropriated for such grants to award to insti- 28 tutions with an operating budget of between ten thousand dollars and one 29 hundred fifty thousand dollars per year. The commissioner of education 30 shall allocate a minimum of twenty-five percent of the amount appropri- 31 ated for such grants to award to institutions with an operating budget 32 of between one hundred fifty thousand one dollars and five hundred thou- 33 sand dollars per year. The commissioner of education will allocate a 34 minimum of twenty-five percent of the amount appropriated for such 35 grants to award to institutions with an operating budget of between five 36 hundred thousand one dollars and one million dollars per year. The 37 commissioner of education shall allocate a minimum of twenty-five 38 percent of the amount appropriated for such grants to award to insti- 39 tutions with an operating budget in excess of one million dollars per 40 year. 41 5. On or before March fifteenth, two thousand twenty and on or before 42 March first of each year thereafter, the commissioner of education shall 43 submit to the chairs of the senate finance and the assembly ways and 44 means committees, and the director of the budget, a report detailing the 45 implementation of the provisions of this section, the extent of partic- 46 ipation by eligible institutions, the relationship of the programs 47 provided to school curricula, and the geographic dispersion of funds and 48 participating institutions. 49 § 4. This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a 50 law.
