Senate Bill S4417

                            
                    S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                  4417

                       2009-2010 Regular Sessions

                            I N  S E N A T E

                             April 23, 2009
                               ___________

Introduced  by  Sen.  O. JOHNSON  -- read twice and ordered printed, and
  when printed to be committed to the Committee  on  Commerce,  Economic
  Development and Small Business

AN  ACT  to  amend the economic development law, in relation to creating
  the Empire State baseball trails program

  THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section  1.  The  economic  development law is amended by adding a new
article 5-F to read as follows:
                               ARTICLE 5-F
                  EMPIRE STATE BASEBALL TRAILS PROGRAM
SECTION 181-F. LEGISLATIVE INTENT.
        181-G. DEFINITIONS.
        181-H. GENERAL FUNCTIONS, POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE COMMISSIONER.
  S 181-F. LEGISLATIVE INTENT. THE LEGISLATURE RECOGNIZES  THAT  PROFES-
SIONAL BASEBALL HAS HISTORICALLY PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE ECONOM-
IC AND CULTURAL LIFE OF THE STATE. THE PUBLIC IS GENERALLY FAMILIAR WITH
THE  TWO  MAJOR LEAGUE TEAMS IN NEW YORK CITY, AS WELL AS WITH THE BASE-
BALL HALL OF FAME IN COOPERSTOWN. THERE IS MUCH  LESS  PUBLIC  AWARENESS
THAT  NEW  YORK  STATE  IS  ALSO THE HOME OF THIRTEEN PROFESSIONAL MINOR
LEAGUE AND INDEPENDENT LEAGUE TEAMS SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE STATE.  GREAT-
ER PUBLIC AWARENESS OF THESE TEAMS AND  THEIR  GAME  SCHEDULES  HAS  THE
POTENTIAL  TO  SIGNIFICANTLY ADD TO THE STATE'S TOURISM TRADE. THE MINOR
LEAGUE AND INDEPENDENT LEAGUE TEAMS ARE SMALL BUSINESSES THEMSELVES, AND
COULD HELP TO DRAW IN-STATE AND OUT-OF-STATE TOURISTS TO  THEIR  RESPEC-
TIVE  AREAS  OF NEW YORK, THEREBY INCREASING HOTEL, RESTAURANT AND OTHER
TOURIST RELATED SMALL BUSINESSES. IT IS, THEREFORE, THE INTENT  OF  THIS
LEGISLATURE  TO HAVE CREATED A PROGRAM WHICH WILL SYSTEMATICALLY PROMOTE
NEW YORK MINOR LEAGUE AND  INDEPENDENT  LEAGUE  BASEBALL  AS  A  TOURIST
ATTRACTION,  BY ESTABLISHING A BASEBALL TRAIL PROGRAM. IT IS THE FURTHER
INTENT OF THE LEGISLATURE THAT THESE TRAILS BE LINKED THEMATICALLY,  AND

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD10972-01-9
              

S. 4417                             2

BE  CONSTRUED SO AS TO BE EASILY TRAVELED BY TOURISTS AND BASEBALL FANS.
THE LEGISLATURE SEEKS THE CREATION OF ITINERARIES TO AID TRAVELERS ALONG
BASEBALL TRAILS, WHICH ALSO LINK TOGETHER OTHER ATTRACTIONS  AND  VENUES
ALONG  SAID  TRAILS IN ORDER TO ATTRACT VISITORS WITH A SIMPLE AND EFFI-
CIENT TRAVEL PLAN. FURTHER IT IS THE INTENT OF THIS LEGISLATURE  TO  SEE
THAT  THESE TRAILS ARE ADEQUATELY SIGNED SO THAT TRAVELERS MAY INDEPEND-
ENTLY FOLLOW THE TRAIL WITH EASE.
  S 181-G. DEFINITIONS. AS USED IN  THIS  ARTICLE  THE  FOLLOWING  DEFI-
NITIONS SHALL APPLY:
  1.  "BASEBALL  TRAIL"  SHALL  MEAN  A  SERIES OF PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL
VENUES IDENTIFIED BY THE COMMISSIONER, WHICH MAY BE LINKED BY GEOGRAPHIC
PROXIMITY AND ALIGNMENT, AND GAME SCHEDULES.
  2. "BASEBALL PASSPORT" SHALL MEAN  A  BOOKLET  OR  OTHER  PUBLICATION,
WHICH  IS  SPECIFIC  TO  THE  PROFESSIONAL  BASEBALL VENUES AND GAMES OR
SURROUNDING ATTRACTIONS ON A BASEBALL TRAIL, AND MAY  INCLUDE  DISCOUNTS
AND  OTHER  INCENTIVES  RELATED TO ATTENDING BASEBALL GAMES AND VISITING
THE BASEBALL VENUES AND ATTRACTIONS ON THE BASEBALL TRAIL.
  S 181-H. GENERAL FUNCTIONS, POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE COMMISSIONER.  1.
THE  COMMISSIONER  SHALL  DEVELOP  AND IMPLEMENT AN "I LOVE NY BASEBALL"
PROMOTION PROGRAM. THE COMMISSIONER, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE COMMISSION-
ER OF PARKS, RECREATION AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND ANY LOCAL  GOVERN-
MENT  OFFICIAL OR ENTITY, SHALL IDENTIFY A SERIES OF BASEBALL VENUES AND
GAMES TO BE PART OF A BASEBALL TRAIL. NO FEWER THAN TWO BASEBALL  TRAILS
SHOULD  BE  IDENTIFIED  FOR  THE PURPOSES OF THE PROGRAM. IN IDENTIFYING
SPECIFIC VENUES AND GAMES TO BE INCLUDED ON A  BASEBALL  TRAIL,  SPECIAL
CONSIDERATION  SHALL BE GIVEN TO THOSE TRAILS WHICH PROMOTE MINOR LEAGUE
AND INDEPENDENT LEAGUE BASEBALL. SPECIAL  CONSIDERATION  SHALL  ALSO  BE
GIVEN  TO  TRAILS  WHICH  CAN  BE  LINKED TO SURROUNDING ARTS, CULTURAL,
HISTORICAL, ENTERTAINMENT OR OTHER TOURISM DESTINATIONS OR  EXHIBITS  OF
INTEREST TO TRAVELERS.
  2.  THE  COMMISSIONER  SHALL  CAUSE  TO BE DEVELOPED BASEBALL VACATION
ITINERARIES BASED ON SPECIFIC BASEBALL TRAILS, WHICH SHALL IDENTIFY  FOR
VISITORS  BASEBALL GAMES AND SURROUNDING ATTRACTIONS, RESTAURANTS, LODG-
ING AND OTHER EXHIBITS OR PLACES OF ENTERTAINMENT AS MAY BE  A  PART  OF
THE THEME LINKING THE BASEBALL VENUES ON THE BASEBALL TRAIL.
  3.  THE  COMMISSIONER SHALL WORK TO DEVELOP DISCOUNT PACKAGES FOR SUCH
BASEBALL TRAILS, WHICH MAY INCLUDE THE DEVELOPMENT OF A  BASEBALL  PASS-
PORT.
  4.  NOTHING  SHALL  PRECLUDE THE COMMISSIONER FROM CONTRACTING WITH AN
INDEPENDENT VACATION OR TRAVEL PACKAGE COMPANY TO HELP DEVELOP  BASEBALL
VACATION PACKAGES ALONG A BASEBALL TRAIL.
  S  2.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
have become a law.