NY State Senate Bill 2023-S8124

Senate Bill S8124

2023-2024 Legislative Session

Directs the department of economic development to move the central New York welcome center to the equal rights heritage center in the city of Auburn

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Commerce, Economic Development And Small Business 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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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 08, 2024	referred to commerce, economic development and small business

2023-S8124 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A8900
Current Committee:: Senate Commerce, Economic Development And Small Business
Law Section:: Economic Development

2023-S8124 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Directs the department of economic development to move the central New York welcome center to the equal rights heritage center in the city of Auburn; directs the department of economic development to enter into a contract with the city of Auburn for the operation of such welcome center.

2023-S8124 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S8124

SPONSOR: MAY
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to direct the department of economic development to move the
central New York welcome center to the equal rights heritage center in
the city of Auburn

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL::

To establish the Equal Rights Heritage Center as the Central New York
Welcome Center SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 directs the department to designate the Equal Rights Heritage
Center as the CNY Welcome Center upon the completion of any existing
contracts for such center elsewhere.

Section 2 sets the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

In 2016, then-Governor Cuomo announced an initiative to build 10 welcome
centers across the state. The City of Auburn was announced as the home
of one of those sites, for the Central New York welcome center. These
welcome centers would pinpoint important historic, cultural, and recre-
ational sites for visitors to the Empire State.  Each would house a
Taste NY market, to celebrate local food products, and would help visi-
tors to plan their trips and connect with the region. The Auburn Citizen
reports that, while the "initial plan for the site in Auburn was that it
would be one of the state's welcome centers," circumstances changed and
"within months of that announcement... Destiny USA was selected as the
site of central New York's welcome center."1 While the welcome center
did not manifest, the state funded the construction of the Equal Rights
Heritage Center, which the city of Auburn now pays more than $300,000 a
year to operate. The Equal Rights Heritage Center is a beautiful and
inviting space that welcomes thousands of visitors, residents, and local
students each year. It serves as a hub for the city and surrounding
area, hosting makers' markets and fairs, supporting community events,
and serving as a key partner for local tourism efforts. This bill will
help give the Equal Rights Heritage Center the recognition it deserves
and fulfill a commitment made in 2016 by designating it the official
Central New York visitors center and extending a contract to support
that work upon completion of any existing contracts with other facili-
ties.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY::

New bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS::

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE::

Immediately


1 https://auburnpub.com/news/local/nys-equal-rights-
center-5-auburn/article_2fde4Oca-8553-11ee-bf11-fb13957c58f0.html

2023-S8124 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8124
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              January 8, 2024
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  MAY  --  read  twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Commerce, Economic  Devel-
   opment and Small Business
 
 AN  ACT  to  direct  the  department of economic development to move the
   central New York welcome center to the equal rights heritage center in
   the city of Auburn

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1. The department of economic development shall designate the
 equal rights heritage center located in the city of  Auburn,  county  of
 Cayuga,  as  the central New York welcome center, upon the completion of
 any existing contracts for the operation of the central New York welcome
 center existing upon the effective date of this act. The  department  of
 economic development shall establish a contract with the city of Auburn,
 county of Cayuga, for the operation of such new central New York welcome
 center upon the expiration of any such existing contracts.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
 
 
 
 
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD13950-02-4

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