BILL NUMBER: S1378
SPONSOR: SERRANO
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the arts and cultural affairs law, in relation to
providing financial assistance to museums, zoos, botanical gardens,
aquariums and other cultural institutions located in low-income urban,
suburban or rural communities, or that provide educational services to
students from such communities
 
PURPOSE:
Museums and other eligible institutions would have access to grant fund-
ing to conduct curriculum-based educational programs for students and
teachers in grades pre-kindergarten through twelve and adults enrolled
in continuing education programs. The grants are competitive in nature
and can be used for the production of curricula, acquisition of special-
ized educational or interpretive skills, the acquisition of specialized
educational technology, the preparation of specialized educational exhi-
bition or public programming, the development and delivery of continuing
education programs, the transportation of students to a museum, histor-
ical society, zoo, botanical garden or aquarium, and other programs that
support the development and delivery of curriculum-based programs in
museums and other eligible institutions with collections. Grants would
be limited to proposals that serve students and adult learners from
low-income communities.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 Statement of legislative findings and intent.
Section 2 Short Title "museum education act"
Section 3 Arts and cultural affairs law amended by adding a new section
61.15 to direct the commissioner of education to develop and implement a
museum education grant program.
Section 4 Contains the effective date
 
JUSTIFICATION:ò
New York State has more museums, historical societies, zoos, botanical
gardens and aquaria than any other state, many of which are among the
leading art, history, science, and natural history institutions in the
world. As many as 60 million visitors, including over 6 million school
children, visit New York's museums and institutions each year, the
economic impact of which is well into the billions of dollars statewide.
However, many of our tourist and educational destinations are struggling
financially to keep their doors open and provide the services students
and adult learners need. Since 2008, school districts statewide have
been forced to cut their budgets and many have unfortunately cut trans-
portation budgets once used to transport students to their local and
regional museums and in situations. This unfortunate reality has effec-
tively cutoff many of New York's students from learning field trips and,
in turn, harmed the museums and institutions they once visited.
The MEA will help reverse this trend and get our students and adult
learners back to the museums and institutions eager to serve them -at no
cost to local school districts. In doing so, the MEA will strengthen the
educational competitiveness of New York's students and adult learners
while strengthening local economies in the process.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2023-24: S. 1459 - Referred to Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and
Recreation
2021-22: S.1490 - Referred to Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and
Recreation
2020: S.6819- Reported to Finance
2019: S.6819 - Referred to Rules Similar Bill
2017-18: S.1676A Passed Senate
2015-16: S.5001-D Recommitted to Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and
Recreation
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Subject to appropriation.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
The act takes effect one year after it becomes law.