Assembly Bill A3059B

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   3059
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             February 2, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M. of A. FALL -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development
 
 AN ACT to direct the department of economic  development  to  conduct  a
   study regarding increasing public access to museums in New York state
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Study. The department of economic development, in  conjunc-
 tion  with  the  empire state development corporation, the department of
 education, the office of parks, recreation  and  historic  preservation,
 the  department  of environmental conservation, the department of state,
 the New York city department of cultural  affairs,  the  New  York  city
 parks  department, and the New York state council on the arts, is hereby
 directed to conduct a comprehensive study on increasing public access to
 museums in New York state. The museums that shall be identified in  such
 study  shall  include,  but  not  be  limited  to the American Museum of
 Natural History, Brooklyn Botanic Garden,  Brooklyn  Academy  of  Music,
 Brooklyn  Children's  Museum, Brooklyn Museum, Museum of the City of New
 York, New York Botanical Garden, New York Hall of Science, Staten Island
 Museum, Staten Island Zoo, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Wave Hill,  Bronx
 Zoo,  Central Park Zoo, New York Aquarium, Prospect Park Zoo, and Queens
 Florham Park Zoo. Such study shall include, but not be limited to:
   1. Taking a census of such museums as at the end of  the  fiscal  year
 2018,  including  information  on the size, including but not limited to
 total land area, square footage and number of buildings,  rent  actually
 paid  or  the  value  of  the rent forgiven, hours of operation, visitor
 statistics,  including  attendance  figures  calculated  using   tickets
 presented  to  cashiers  and  reported  as  complimentary,  full fare or
 discounted, and individuals exempted from paying fees such as  students,
 professors  and teachers, military or persons with disabilities, and zip
 codes of visitors.

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD05458-01-3
 A. 3059                             2
              

 
   2. Identifying  the  2018  dollar  benefits,  directly  from  taxpayer
 dollars  and  city  and state agencies' budgets, and indirectly from the
 value of any form of free rent, including but not  limited  to  unstated
 amounts  and  amounts above $1 paid per annum as provided for in laws or
 agreements, real estate or other tax forgiveness.
   3.  Identifying  the market value of each museum's 2018 investment and
 restricted and unrestricted endowment portfolios.
   4. Providing information, including but not limited to, the provisions
 of controlling laws and contracts pertaining to such museums' initial or
 amended incorporating purpose and obligation to provide  free  admission
 and/or  instruction,  laws  appropriating  public funds for operating or
 capital costs, as well as offering opinions to inform the legislature as
 to whether such museums' policies and practices are in  compliance  with
 controlling laws and contracts and how to increase public access to such
 museums  and  the  continued  accessibility  and availability to all New
 Yorkers in consideration for their financial support  of  such  museums,
 and  to  craft  a reporting system that ensures effective and answerable
 oversight of such museums' compliance with  statutes,  codes,  laws  and
 complying agreements.
   §  2. Report. A report of the findings of such study, opinions, recom-
 mendations, and any proposed legislation  necessary  to  implement  such
 recommendations  shall  be filed with the governor, the temporary presi-
 dent of the senate, and the speaker of the assembly no  later  than  one
 year after the effective date of this act.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  3059--A
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             February 2, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M. of A. FALL, ANDERSON -- read once and referred to the
   Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development --  recommit-
   ted to the Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development in
   accordance  with Assembly Rule 3, sec. 2 -- committee discharged, bill
   amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said  commit-
   tee
 
 AN  ACT  to  direct  the department of economic development to conduct a
   study regarding increasing public access to museums in New York city
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1. Study. The department of economic development, in conjunc-
 tion with the empire state development corporation,  the  department  of
 education,  the  office  of parks, recreation and historic preservation,
 the department of environmental conservation, the department  of  state,
 the  New  York  city  department  of cultural affairs, the New York city
 parks department, and the New York state council on the arts, is  hereby
 directed to conduct a comprehensive study on increasing public access to
 and  laws  requiring free public access to museums in New York city. The
 museums that shall be identified in such  study  operate  as  and  shall
 include,  but  not be limited to the American Museum of Natural History,
 Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn  Children's
 Museum, Brooklyn Museum, Museum of the City of New York, New York Botan-
 ical  Garden,  New  York  Hall  of Science, Staten Island Museum, Staten
 Island Zoo, the Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art,  Wave  Hill,  Bronx  Zoo,
 Central Park Zoo, New York Aquarium, Prospect Park Zoo, and Queens Flor-
 ham Park Zoo. Such study shall include, but not be limited to:
   1.  Taking  a  census of such museums as at the end of the fiscal year
 2018, including information on the size, including but  not  limited  to
 total  land  area,  square  footage  and number of buildings, history of
 general operating expenses, history of municipal operating, rent actual-
 ly paid or the value of the rent forgiven, hours of  operation,  visitor
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD05458-02-4
              

 A. 3059--A                          2
 
 statistics,   including  attendance  figures  calculated  using  tickets
 presented to cashiers  and  reported  as  complimentary,  full  fare  or
 discounted,  and individuals exempted from paying fees such as students,
 professors  and  teachers,  military  or  persons with disabilities, zip
 codes of visitors, identification  of  the  2018  dollar  benefits  from
 taxpayer  dollars from city and state agency budgets, and description of
 terms of free rent.
   2. Identifying the market value of each museum's 2018  investment  and
 restricted and unrestricted endowment portfolios.
   3. Providing information, including but not limited to, the provisions
 of controlling laws and contracts pertaining to such museums' initial or
 amended  incorporating  purpose and obligation to provide free admission
 and/or instruction, laws appropriating public  funds  for  operating  or
 capital costs, as well as offering opinions to inform the legislature as
 to  whether  such museums' policies and practices are in compliance with
 controlling laws and contracts and how to increase public access to such
 museums and the continued accessibility  and  availability  to  all  New
 Yorkers  in  consideration  for their financial support of such museums,
 and to craft a reporting system that ensures  effective  and  answerable
 oversight  of  such  museums'  compliance with statutes, codes, laws and
 complying agreements.
   § 2. Report. A report of the findings of  such  study,  opinions,  and
 recommendations,  shall be filed with the governor, the temporary presi-
 dent of the senate, and the speaker of the assembly no  later  than  one
 year after the effective date of this act.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.