A 6309: Establishes regional arts, cultural affairs, and parks sustainability grants for ten regions throughout the state for sustainability programs.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 6309 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY March 3, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. R. CARROLL -- read once and referred to the Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development AN ACT to amend the arts and cultural affairs law, in relation to the establishment of regional arts, cultural affairs, and parks sustaina- bility grants The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The arts and cultural affairs law is amended by adding a 2 new article 6 to read as follows: 3 ARTICLE 6 4 REGIONAL ARTS, CULTURAL AFFAIRS, AND PARKS SUSTAINABILITY GRANTS 5 Section 6.01. Definitions. 6 6.03. Establishment of arts, cultural affairs, and parks 7 regions. 8 6.05. Regional arts, cultural affairs, and parks competitive 9 sustainability grants. 10 § 6.01. Definitions. For the purposes of this article, the following 11 terms shall have the following meanings: 12 1. "Regions" shall mean the arts, cultural affairs, and parks regions 13 established in section 6.03 of this article. 14 2. "Regional councils" shall mean the councils which issue grants 15 under section 6.05 of this article. 16 3. "Sustainability programs" shall mean programs which: (a) promote 17 smart growth and smart site planning; (b) reduce greenhouse gas emis- 18 sions; (c) achieve energy efficiency and reduce energy consumptions; (d) 19 facilitate the incorporation and environmentally responsible products; 20 (e) promote the efficient use of natural resources; (f) promote the 21 conservation of materials and resources; and (g) reduce waste. 22 § 6.03. Establishment of arts, cultural affairs, and parks regions. 23 Ten arts, cultural affairs, and parks regions shall be established with- 24 in the state, one for each of the following regions: 25 1. Long Island (which consists of Suffolk and Nassau counties); 26 2. the city of New York (which consists of Bronx, New York, Queens, 27 Kings, and Richmond counties); EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD08878-01-5 
 A. 6309 2 1 3. the Mid-Hudson region (which consists of Sullivan, Ulster, Dutch- 2 ess, Orange, Putnam, Westchester, and Rockland counties); 3 4. the Southern tier (which consists of Steuben, Schuyler, Tompkins, 4 Chemung, Tioga, Chenango, Broome, and Delaware counties); 5 5. the Capital region (which consists of Warren, Washington, Saratoga, 6 Schenectady, Rensselaer, Albany, Columbia, and Greene counties); 7 6. the Mohawk valley (which consists of Oneida, Herkimer, Fulton, 8 Montgomery, Otsego, and Schoharie counties); 9 7. the North country (which consists of Clinton, Franklin, St. 10 Lawrence, Jefferson, Lewis, Hamilton, and Essex counties); 11 8. the Central region (which consists of Oswego, Cayuga, Onondaga, 12 Madison, and Cortland counties); 13 9. the Finger Lakes region (which consists of Orleans, Monroe, Wayne, 14 Genesee, Wyoming, Livingston, Ontario, Seneca, and Yates counties); and 15 10. the Western region (which consists of Niagara, Erie, Chautauqua, 16 Cattaraugus, and Allegany counties). 17 § 6.05. Regional arts, cultural affairs, and parks competitive 18 sustainability grants. 1. The governor shall, in each region, establish 19 a council which shall issue competitive sustainability grants within the 20 region. Six members of each regional council shall be local experts and 21 stakeholders from arts and cultural affairs organizations and parks 22 organizations within the region. One member of each regional council 23 shall be an expert in sustainability. Each regional council shall have 24 seven total members appointed to such council. Five members of each 25 regional council shall be appointed by the governor and shall serve at 26 the pleasure of the governor, one member of each regional council shall 27 be appointed by the speaker of the assembly and serve at the pleasure of 28 the assembly, and one member of each regional council shall be appointed 29 by the temporary president of the senate and serve at the pleasure of 30 the senate. All members of the regional councils shall be subject to the 31 provisions of section seventy-three-a of the public officers law. 32 2. The regional councils shall, with approval from the governor, issue 33 competitive sustainability grants to arts and cultural affairs organiza- 34 tions and parks organizations within their region for capital projects 35 such that: 36 (a) in the city of New York region, an equal amount of grant money is 37 issued to organizations with operating budgets of ten million dollars or 38 more as is issued to organizations with operating budgets of less than 39 ten million dollars; and 40 (b) in all other regions, an equal amount of grant money is issued to 41 organizations with operating budgets of five million dollars or more as 42 is issued to organizations with operating budgets of less than five 43 million dollars. 44 3. The regional councils shall issue competitive sustainability grants 45 for implementing sustainability programs at the organization. Such 46 grants shall be issued based on criteria established by the governor for 47 such purpose. 48 4. No regional council shall issue a competitive sustainability grant 49 to an organization which has received a competitive sustainability grant 50 under this article within the prior three years. 51 5. No regional council shall issue competitive sustainability grants 52 totaling more than fifty percent of such council's competitive sustaina- 53 bility grant money issued in a calendar year to parks organizations. 54 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.