NY State Senate Bill 2025-S1062

Senate Bill S1062

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Relates to developing criteria and guidelines for state designated arts and cultural districts

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks And Recreation Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 08, 2025	referred to cultural affairs, tourism, parks and recreation

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2025-S1062 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks And Recreation
Law Section:: Arts and Cultural Affairs Law
Laws Affected:: Add §3.17, Arts & Cul L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2015-2016: S6271
2017-2018: S3108
2019-2020: S1425
2021-2022: S1358
2023-2024: S253

2025-S1062 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Directs the council on the arts to establish criteria and guidelines for the establishment of state designated arts and cultural districts.

2025-S1062 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S1062

SPONSOR: SERRANO
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the arts and cultural affairs law and the economic
development law, in relation to creating the arts and cultural district

 
PURPOSE:

Relates to developing criteria and guidelines for state designated arts
and cultural districts

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Requires the Council of the Arts to develop guidelines for state-desig-
nated arts and cultural districts, which shall be designated as such
upon application and approval if such a proposed district meets one of
several criteria for economic development and positive community impact.
A district may be within one municipality, or cross municipal lines
based upon the nature of the district. Once certified as a state-desig-
nated arts and cultural district, such districts shall receive various

development opportunities, technical assistance, and marketing guidance.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

There are many areas within the state that have specific artistic or
cultural value and appeal, including geographic areas with a concen-
tration of art, artists, or general places of cultural significance.
These clusters provide significant economic and quality of life value to
the local community or have the potential to do so if additional
resources were available. This legislation would create a state-certi-
fied "arts and cultural district" designation, allowing municipalities
to apply for designation for areas of such clustering of art and
cultural institutions and to receive state assistance. For a designated
district, the Council of the Arts and the Empire State Development
Corporation would provide, among other things, technical assistance in
applying for grants, marketing expertise, guides for finding additional
state resources, increased tourism opportunities, and other state
resources and economic development opportunities. By certifying and
assisting these specialized districts, the state will help struggling
municipalities benefit from their artistic and cultural strengths.
Whether a concentration of museums, large number of artistic residences,
or historic sites with artistic or cultural value, many municipalities
have untapped potential, and the state should encourage the growth and
development of these special places.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2023-2024: S253A- Passed Senate. Passed Assembly. Delivered to Governor.
Vetoed Memo.125

2022: S1358-A - Passed Senate.

2021: S1358 - Cultural Affairs Committee.

2020: S1425 - Cultural Affairs Committee.

2019: S1425 - Advanced to Third Reading.
2017 - 2018: S3108 - Passed Senate.

2016: S6271A - Passed Senate.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

Minimal.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
120 days after becoming a law.

2025-S1062 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1062
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 8, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by Sens. SERRANO, BAILEY, CLEARE, COMRIE, HOYLMAN-SIGAL, MAY,
   PARKER, PERSAUD, RAMOS, ROLISON -- read twice and ordered printed, and
   when  printed  to  be  committed to the Committee on Cultural Affairs,
   Tourism, Parks and Recreation

 AN ACT to amend the arts and  cultural  affairs  law  and  the  economic
   development  law,  in  relation  to  creating  the  arts  and cultural
   district
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  The  arts and cultural affairs law is amended by adding a
 new section 3.17 to read as follows:
   § 3.17. ARTS AND CULTURAL DISTRICTS. 1.   FOR  THE  PURPOSES  OF  THIS
 SECTION, "ARTS AND CULTURAL DISTRICTS" MEANS GEOGRAPHIC AREAS OF A CITY,
 TOWN  OR  VILLAGE  WITH  A  CONCENTRATION OF ARTS OR CULTURAL FACILITIES
 LOCATED WITHIN ITS BOUNDARIES. TWO OR MORE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS MAY JOINTLY
 APPLY FOR A DESIGNATED DISTRICT WHERE THE PROPOSED  GEOGRAPHIC  AREA  OF
 SUCH  DISTRICT  SHALL EXTEND ACROSS COMMONLY HELD JURISDICTIONAL BOUNDA-
 RIES.
   2. THE COUNCIL, IN COOPERATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC  DEVEL-
 OPMENT  AND  ANY  OTHER STATE DEPARTMENT, OFFICE, DIVISION OR AGENCY THE
 COUNCIL DEEMS NECESSARY, SHALL DEVELOP CRITERIA AND GUIDELINES FOR STATE
 DESIGNATED ARTS AND CULTURAL DISTRICTS.  CRITERIA DEVELOPED BY THE COUN-
 CIL, IN COOPERATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND  ANY
 OTHER  STATE  DEPARTMENT,  OFFICE,  DIVISION OR AGENCY THE COUNCIL DEEMS
 NECESSARY, TO DESIGNATE A DISTRICT SHALL,  TO  THE  EXTENT  PRACTICABLE,
 INCLUDE,  BUT  NOT BE LIMITED TO, DETERMINATIONS THAT SUCH DISTRICT: (A)
 ATTRACTS ARTISTS, ARTS EDUCATORS, OR CULTURAL ENTERPRISES TO THE  COMMU-
 NITY,  (B)  ENCOURAGES ENTERPRISE AND JOB DEVELOPMENT DUE TO THE CONCEN-
 TRATION OF ARTISTIC OR CULTURAL  ACTIVITY,  A  MAJOR  ARTS  OR  CULTURAL
 INSTITUTION OR FACILITY, ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESSES, AN AREA WITH
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                            LBD01663-01-5
 S. 1062                             2
 
 ARTS  AND  CULTURAL  ACTIVITIES, ARTS EDUCATION, OR ARTISTIC OR CULTURAL
 PRODUCTION, (C) ATTRACTS A SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF  TOURISM,  (D)  ENHANCES
 LOCAL  PROPERTY  VALUES  AND  FOSTERS  LOCAL  CULTURAL  DEVELOPMENT, (E)
 ENGAGES IN THE PROMOTIONAL, PRESERVATION, AND EDUCATIONAL ASPECTS OF THE
 ARTS  AND  CULTURE OF THE COMMUNITY AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE PUBLIC THROUGH
 INTERPRETIVE, EDUCATIONAL, OR RECREATIONAL USES; OR (F) SATISFIES  ADDI-
 TIONAL  CRITERIA  AS  DETERMINED  BY  THE  COUNCIL THAT WILL FURTHER THE
 PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION.  THE COUNCIL, IN COOPERATION WITH THE  DEPART-
 MENT  OF  ECONOMIC  DEVELOPMENT  AND ANY OTHER STATE DEPARTMENT, OFFICE,
 DIVISION OR AGENCY THE  COUNCIL  DEEMS  NECESSARY,  SHALL  ALSO  DEVELOP
 GUIDELINES  THAT  PROVIDE  ASSISTANCE  TO  A  CITY, TOWN, OR VILLAGE, OR
 MULTIPLE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS APPLYING JOINTLY IN DEVELOPING AN APPLICATION
 FOR DISTRICT CERTIFICATION.  FOR ANY STATE DESIGNATED ARTS AND  CULTURAL
 DISTRICT,   THE  DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, IN COOPERATION WITH
 THE COUNCIL AND ANY OTHER STATE DEPARTMENT, OFFICE, DIVISION  OR  AGENCY
 THE DEPARTMENT DEEMS NECESSARY, SHALL PROVIDE STATE SUPPORTED ASSISTANCE
 TO  THE DISTRICT IN ITS ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING BUT NOT  LIMITED TO  TECH-
 NICAL  ASSISTANCE IN APPLYING FOR FEDERAL AND NON-PROFIT GRANTS, MARKET-
 ING EXPERTISE, IDENTIFICATION OF OTHER STATE    RESOURCES    THAT    MAY
 ASSIST   A  DISTRICT'S ACTIVITIES  OR  PROGRAMS THAT COULD BE CREATED OR
 EXPANDED WITHIN STATE AGENCIES TO ASSIST DISTRICTS.
   § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
 it shall have become a law.

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