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A08900 Summary:

BILL NOA08900
 
SAME ASSAME AS S08124
 
SPONSORLemondes
 
COSPNSR
 
MLTSPNSR
 
 
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.
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A08900 Actions:

BILL NOA08900
 
01/26/2024referred to economic development
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A08900 Memo:

NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION
submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A8900
 
SPONSOR: Lemondes
  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."' 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 FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS: To be determined.   EFFECTIVE DATE: Immediately. 1 https://auburnpub.cominews/local/nys-equal-rights-center-5-auburn /article_2fde4Oca-8553-11ee-bf11-fb13957c58f0.html
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A08900 Text:



 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                          8900
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                    January 26, 2024
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced by M. of A. LEMONDES -- read once and referred to the Commit-
          tee on Economic Development
 
        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:

     1    Section  1. The department of economic development shall designate the
     2  equal rights heritage center located in the city of  Auburn,  county  of
     3  Cayuga,  as  the central New York welcome center, upon the completion of
     4  any existing contracts for the operation of the central New York welcome
     5  center existing upon the effective date of this act. The  department  of
     6  economic development shall establish a contract with the city of Auburn,
     7  county of Cayuga, for the operation of such new central New York welcome
     8  center upon the expiration of any such existing contracts.
     9    § 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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