Senate Bill S1052

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S1052

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 thou-
sands 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 Herit-
age 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 exist-
ing contracts with other facilities.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately
(1)https://auburnpub.cominews/local/nys-equal-rights
center-5-auburniarticle_2fde4Oca-8553-11ee-bfl1- fb13957c58f0.html