NY State Senate Bill S8038

Archive: Last Bill Status Via A8562 - Signed by Governor

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

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Actions

view actions (11)

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jul 21, 2022	signed chap.401
Jul 11, 2022	delivered to governor
May 24, 2022	returned to assembly passed senate 3rd reading cal.1263 substituted for s8038
May 24, 2022	substituted by a8562
May 16, 2022	advanced to third reading
May 11, 2022	2nd report cal.
May 10, 2022	1st report cal.1263
Jan 21, 2022	referred to cultural affairs, tourism, parks and recreation

Votes

view votes

May 24, 2022 - floor Vote

A8562

floor

Aye

Nay

Absent

Excused

Abstained

May 10, 2022 - Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation committee Vote

S8038

committee

Aye

Nay

Aye with Reservations

Absent

Excused

Abstained

show Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation committee vote details

Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation Committee Vote: May 10, 2022

aye (6)

aye wr (1)

Serino

S8038 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A8562
Law Section:: Parks
Laws Affected:: Amd §3, rpld §2, Chap 465 of 1994

S8038 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Relates to fees for the New York Botanical Garden.

S8038 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

 
BILL NUMBER: S8038

SPONSOR: BIAGGI
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend chapter 465 of the laws of 1994, amending chapter 285 of
the laws of 1891 relating to charging a fee for admission to the New
York Botanical Garden, in relation to extending certain provisions
authorizing the imposition of a required fee; and to repeal section 2 of
such chapter

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

The purpose of this bill is to continue to allow the New York Botanical
Garden authorization to charge or not charge an admission fee.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section one amends section 3 of chapter 465 of the laws of 1994 to elim-
inate the expiration date authorizing the New York Botanical Garden to
charge a fee for admission by the general public to help sustain the
organization's operations and botanical exhibits.

Section two sets forth an immediate effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) is an iconic living museum, a major
educational institution, and a renowned plant research and conservation
organization. Founded in 1891 and now a National Historic Landmark, NYBG
is one of the greatest botanical gardens in the world and the largest in
any city in the United States, distinguished by the beauty of its
diverse landscape and extensive collections and gardens, as well as by
the scope and excellence of its multidisciplinary exhibitions and
programs.

In 1994, the State authorized NYBG to charge nominal and varying fees
for admission to certain exhibits of this organization, provided that
the policy continued free access for primary and secondary school class-
es and conformed to the requirements of any grant of public funds. After
28 years of responsible stewardship, the ability to create earned reven-
ue through an admission fee has been a resounding success, allowing NYBG
to have significant positive impacts on the Bronx such as:

*Full-time NYBG employment has more than doubled since 1993, from 260
employees to 560 employees. More than half are Bronx residents, and
nearly a third are DC37 union employees.
*Earned income now funds more that one-third of NYBG's annual budget and
covers the salaries of 200 plus seasonal and part-time workforce, who
are primarily Bronx residents.
*Total NYBG visitation - including school groups - has almost tripled
from 1993 from 470,000 visitors to 1,300,000.
*NYBG's annual budget has more than tripled from $25,000,000 to
$94,000,000.
*As a result of earned income, NYBG has been transformed from a thread-
bare park to a world class urban oasis known around the world for their
science education and conservation programs, innovative exhibitions, and
commitment to the Bronx.

Earned income from admissions pays for world-class art to be brought
into the Bronx. This process can take five years or more for world-re-
nowned artists like Frida Kahlo, Dale Chihuly, and Yayoi Kusama. Exhibi-
tions at NYBG are made possible only by selling tickets and generating
the earned / contributed income that pays for the full and part-time
staff mentioned previously. Said differently, ticket sales and associ-
ated revenue pay for the long-lead and high costs of displaying world
class art in the Bronx. Should NYBG not be able to charge admissions and
the Garden's exhibition program be eliminated, the impact would be
catastrophic to jobs, regional economic impact, and the Garden's ability
to serve its neighbors and bring tourists from around the world to the
Bronx.

Free grounds admission to the Garden continues to primary and secondary
schools and will remain unchanged. In 2019, about 28,000 school children
registered and visited NYBG grounds free of charge.  An additional
54,000 school children came at no cost to their families through curri-
culum-based programs with their schools. In total, 82,812 primary and
secondary school children visiting free of charge in calendar 2019. Also
in 2019, an additional 258,000 people paid little or nothing to visit
the Garden through one of these offerings:
*Free grounds all day on Wednesdays; free grounds any day for any Bronx
resident;
*Free access for Cool Culture Card holders;
*Free summer access for veterans through the Blue Star Museums program;
*Free passes through NYPL Culture Pass program, NYBG's Community Access
Program, Family Passes, and other free community programming;
*A wide array of reciprocal and special discounts such as American
Public Garden Association, American Horticultural Society, etc.

The free admission NYBG offers many of our constituents comes at a
significant cost to the Garden and NYBG's exhibition program and earned
income pays for this cost. As outlined, current free admission opportu-
nities and programs are robust, and more than fulfill the intent of the
original legislative act.

The Garden must be authorized to continue to charge admission in order
to remain open to the public and a financially viable organization that
can continue to host new living exhibits. This legislation will provide
NYBG the ability to do long-range financial planning and provide NYBG
with parity among other anchor cultural institutions that are not
required to pass legislation to charge admission.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

This law has been extended periodically since 1994.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately.

S8038 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8038
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 21, 2022
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  BIAGGI -- 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 chapter 465 of the laws of 1994, amending chapter 285 of
   the laws of 1891 relating to charging a fee for admission to  the  New
   York  Botanical  Garden,  in  relation to extending certain provisions
   authorizing the imposition of a required fee; and to repeal section  2
   of such chapter
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 3 of chapter 465 of  the  laws  of  1994,  amending
 chapter 285 of the laws of 1891 relating to charging a fee for admission
 to  the  New York Botanical Garden, as amended by section 1 of item L of
 subpart B of part XXX of chapter 58 of the laws of 2020, is  amended  to
 read as follows:
   §  3.  This  act  shall take effect immediately and shall be deemed to
 have been in full force  and  effect  on  and  after  April  30,  1994[;
 provided that:
   (a)  the amendment made by section one of this act shall expire and be
 deemed repealed on May 1, 2025; and
   (b) section two of this act shall take effect on May 1, 2025].
   § 2. Section 2 of chapter 465 of the laws of  1994,  amending  chapter
 285  of the laws of 1891 relating to charging a fee for admission to the
 New York Botanical Garden, is REPEALED.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
 
 
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD13773-01-1

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The New York State Senate

senate Bill S8038

Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status Via A8562 - Signed by Governor

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Votes

May 24, 2022 - floor Vote

Floor Vote: May 24, 2022

May 10, 2022 - Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation committee Vote

Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation Committee Vote: May 10, 2022

S8038 (ACTIVE) - Details

S8038 (ACTIVE) - Summary

S8038 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

S8038 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

senate Bill S8038

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Sponsored By

Alessandra Biaggi

Archive: Last Bill Status Via A8562 - Signed by Governor

Your Voice

Actions

Votes

May 24, 2022 - floor Vote

Floor Vote: May 24, 2022

May 10, 2022 - Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation committee Vote

Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation Committee Vote: May 10, 2022

S8038 (ACTIVE) - Details

S8038 (ACTIVE) - Summary

S8038 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

S8038 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments