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.
LBD00484-02-8
S. 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; or
S. 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.