BILL NUMBER: S146

SPONSOR: THOMAS
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the general business law, in relation to including the
promotion and expansion of cricket in the state of New York to the
jurisdiction of the state athletic commission

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

To include cricket in the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC).

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

  Section 1 amends section 1004 of the general business law, as added by
the  Chapter  32 of the laws of 2016, to modify the purpose of NYSAC and
add cricket as a sport that NYSAC maintains jurisdiction over.

  Section 2 establishes the effective date.

              

 
JUSTIFICATION:

The game of cricket was first played in England in the 14th century, and
by the 18th century, cricket became a  national  phenomenon.  The  first
written  rules  of  the game were adopted in 1744. The first report of a
cricket match in North America was in 1751, when the  New  York  Gazette
reported  a  match between teams from London and New York City. In 1844,
the United States and Canada faced off in a cricket game  that  was  the
first international sporting event in the modem world.

Cricket  has  come a long way since the 19th century. Today, billions of
people that live across continents and regions ranging from the Caribbe-
an, to Europe, to Africa and South Asia play cricket. In  North  America
cricket  is  gaining popularity, thanks to the huge influx of immigrants
from these regions. In 2005,  New  York  City  mayor  Michael  Bloomberg
announced  a  plan  to  build a $1.5 million cricket pitch in St. Albans
Park, Queens.

New York State takes pride in its diversity, and New York  City  is  the
world's most cosmopolitan city -- both of which makes for an ideal place
for  a  game such as cricket to thrive. There is a great deal of support
and enthusiasm for the game amongst New Yorkers who seek to  expand  the
game,  which is hand in hand with the internationalism of the state. New
York serves as a cultural hub for many regions  of  the  world,  cricket
will be yet another addition to that multicultural New York.

 
PURPOSE OF AMENDMENT:

The  purpose  of  the amendment is to change section 1004 of the general
business law, the jurisdiction of the commission,  to  include  cricket.
The previous version of the bill was amending section 1003 of the gener-
al business law.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2020:  S.7764-A  (Thomas)-  Referred to Rules Committee/A.9823-A (Rozie)
Passed the Assembly.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.