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A09652 Summary:

BILL NOA09652
 
SAME ASNo Same As
 
SPONSORReyes
 
COSPNSR
 
MLTSPNSR
 
Add §249-b, Ed L; add §97-bbbbb, St Fin L
 
Directs the state librarian to establish a statewide imagination library program for encouraging children from birth to five years of age to develop a love of reading and learning; directs the state librarian to promote the statewide development of local Dolly Parton's Imagination Library programs; advance and strengthen local Dolly Parton's Imagination Library programs with the goal of increasing enrollment; recruit volunteers to assist in the development, promotion, and coordination of local Dolly Parton's Imagination Library programs; solicit donations, gifts, and other funding to financially support local Dolly Parton's Imagination Library programs; develop community engagement; develop, promote, and coordinate a public awareness campaign to make donors aware of the opportunity to donate to the affiliate programs and make the public aware of the opportunity to register eligible children to receive books through the program; administer the local match requirement and coordinate the collection and remittance of local program costs for books and mailing; and develop statewide marketing and communication plans; establishes the imagination library of New York fund.
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A09652 Actions:

BILL NOA09652
 
03/27/2024referred to libraries and education technology
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A09652 Memo:

NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION
submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A9652
 
SPONSOR: Reyes
  TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the education law, in relation to creating the Dolly Parton's statewide library system of New York; and to amend the state finance law, in relation to establishing the imagination library of New York fund   SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS: Section one of the bill adds a new section 249-b to education law which creates the Dolly Parton's statewide library system of New York, to be administered by the state librarian. Section two of the bill creates the Imagination library of New York fund, moneys of which shall be used to provide age-appropriate books on a monthly basis, at home, to each child ages 0-5 registered in the program. Section three is the effective date.   JUSTIFICATION: Dolly Parton's Imagination Library is the flagship program of the Dolly-wood Foundation. This book gifting program provides high-quality, age-appropriate books to children from birth until their fifth birthday, at no cost to the family. Since the program started in 1995, 2.3 million children in five countries have received over 200 million books. Currently, the program partners with local 501(c) (3)s, where the Foun- dation covers the administrative costs and provides centralized publish- ing and distribution networks, and the local partners coordinate adver- tising the program, and managing sign ups. Children then receive a book every month until age five. This bill builds off of the great success of the Imagination Library, by creating a statewide Imagination Library program. Managed by the state librarian, with costs split equally between the-state and the Founda- tion, this program will bring the joys of reading to thousands of chil- dren in the state. In the words of Dolly Parton herself: "Our place in all of this is pret- ty simple. We want to inspire a love of books. Kids will do what they love to do, and we want to inspire children to love books and reading! I want the child to feel the magic of a book arriving and the excitement of opening it up. This love of books will last a lifetime."   PRIOR LEGISLATION HISTORY: New bill.   FISCAL IMPLICIATIONS FQR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS: The cost of the first year of the program is $2.5M.   EFFECTIVE DATE: This act shall take effect immediately.
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A09652 Text:



 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                          9652
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                     March 27, 2024
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by M. of A. REYES -- read once and referred to the Committee
          on Libraries and Education Technology
 
        AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation  to  creating  the  Dolly
          Parton's  statewide library system of New York; and to amend the state
          finance law, in relation to establishing the  imagination  library  of
          New York fund

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section  249-b
     2  to read as follows:
     3    §  249-b.  Dolly Parton's statewide library system of New York. 1. For
     4  purposes of this section, the following terms shall have  the  following
     5  meanings:
     6    a.  "program"  shall  mean  the statewide imagination library program,
     7  Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of New York;
     8    b. "fund" shall mean the imagination library of New York  fund  estab-
     9  lished by section ninety-seven-bbbbb of the state finance law; and
    10    c. "qualified local entity" shall mean any existing or new local Dolly
    11  Parton's Imagination Library affiliate.
    12    2.  There  is hereby established under the administration of the state
    13  librarian a Dolly Patron's statewide library  system  of  New  York  for
    14  purposes of developing, implementing, promoting, and fostering a compre-
    15  hensive statewide initiative for encouraging children from birth to five
    16  years of age to develop a love of reading and learning.
    17    3. a. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary, the state librar-
    18  ian  shall allocate moneys as grants to provide age-appropriate books on
    19  a monthly basis, at home, to each child registered in the program,  from
    20  birth  to  their  fifth  birthday  at no cost to families, through Dolly
    21  Parton's Statewide Library System of New York.
    22    b. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary, the state  librarian
    23  shall  allocate  moneys from the fund as grants to qualified local enti-
    24  ties that agree  to  a  dollar-for-dollar  match  for  purposes  of  the
    25  program.
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD14150-02-4

        A. 9652                             2
 
     1    c.  Notwithstanding paragraph b of this subdivision, the state librar-
     2  ian may waive the dollar-for-dollar match requirement  for  a  qualified
     3  local  entity  on  a case-by-case basis to prevent undue financial hard-
     4  ship.
     5    4. The state librarian shall coordinate with a nonprofit entity, qual-
     6  ified  under  section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and organ-
     7  ized solely to promote and encourage reading  by  the  children  of  the
     8  state, for the purpose of implementing this section.
     9    5.  The  state  librarian shall provide oversight and manage the daily
    10  operations of the program, which shall include, but not be limited to:
    11    a. promoting the statewide development of local Dolly  Parton's  Imag-
    12  ination Library programs;
    13    b.  advancing  and  strengthening  local  Dolly  Parton's  Imagination
    14  Library programs with the goal of increasing enrollment;
    15    c. recruiting volunteers to assist in the development, promotion,  and
    16  coordination of local Dolly Parton's Imagination Library programs;
    17    d.  soliciting  donations,  gifts,  and  other  funding to financially
    18  support local Dolly Parton's Imagination Library programs;
    19    e. developing community engagement;
    20    f. developing, promoting, and coordinating a public awareness campaign
    21  to make donors aware of the  opportunity  to  donate  to  the  affiliate
    22  programs and make the public aware of the opportunity to register eligi-
    23  ble children to receive books through the program;
    24    g.  administering  the  local  match  requirement  and  coordinate the
    25  collection and remittance of local program costs for books and mailing;
    26    h. developing statewide marketing and communication plans; and
    27    i. establishing, in partnership with  the  department,  a  system  for
    28  parent  and  community  feedback to show impact and effectiveness of the
    29  program.
    30    6. On or after January first, two thousand twenty-nine,  and  annually
    31  thereafter,  the  state librarian shall submit a report to the governor,
    32  the temporary president of the senate, and the speaker of the  assembly.
    33  Such report shall include, but not be limited to:
    34    a. the deposits made to, and expenditures made from the fund;
    35    b. whether any local match requirements were waived;
    36    c.  the number of local programs that exist, their location, and which
    37  entity or organization serves as the local partner; and
    38    d. the number of children that are enrolled and the  number  of  books
    39  that have been sent to such enrolled children.
    40    7.  The  regents  may  promulgate regulations as may be needed for the
    41  administration of the program.
    42    § 2. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 97-bbbbb
    43  to read as follows:
    44    § 97-bbbbb. Imagination library of New York fund. 1. There  is  hereby
    45  established  in  the  joint  custody  of  the  state comptroller and the
    46  commissioner of education an account of the miscellaneous special reven-
    47  ue account to be known as the "Imagination Library of New York fund".
    48    2. Moneys in this fund shall be kept separate and shall not be commin-
    49  gled with any other moneys in the custody of the state  comptroller  and
    50  the commissioner of education.
    51    3.  The  imagination  library of New York fund shall consist of moneys
    52  appropriated for the purpose of such account, moneys transferred to such
    53  account pursuant to law, contributions consisting of promises or  grants
    54  of  any  money  or  property of any kind or value, or any other thing of
    55  value, including grants or other financial assistance from any agency of

        A. 9652                             3
 
     1  government and moneys required by the provisions of this section or  any
     2  other law to be paid into or credited to this account.
     3    4. Moneys of the imagination library of New York fund, when allocated,
     4  shall be available, subject to the approval of the director of the budg-
     5  et,  to  provide  age-appropriate  books on a monthly basis, at home, to
     6  each child registered in the program, from birth to their fifth birthday
     7  at no cost to families, through Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.
     8    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
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