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S06870 Summary:

BILL NOS06870
 
SAME ASSAME AS A05525
 
SPONSORCOMRIE
 
COSPNSRFERNANDEZ
 
MLTSPNSR
 
Amd §273-a, Ed L
 
Relates to conducting a study on the access of state public libraries and library systems to capital funding; provides the department of education, in consultation with the dormitory authority, the office of the state comptroller, and the public library systems of the state, shall assess and report on the capital needs of such public library systems, including public libraries and association libraries.
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S06870 Text:



 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                          6870
 
                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                    IN SENATE
 
                                     March 25, 2025
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by  Sen.  COMRIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Libraries
 
        AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to conducting a study  on
          the  access  of  state public libraries and library systems to capital
          funding

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section  1.  Section 273-a of the education law is amended by adding a
     2  new subdivision 9 to read as follows:
     3    9. There shall be a study conducted relating to the  access  of  state
     4  public libraries and library systems to capital funding.
     5    a.  The  department, in consultation with the dormitory authority, the
     6  office of the state comptroller, and the public library systems  of  the
     7  state,  shall  assess  and  report  on  the capital needs of such public
     8  library systems, including public libraries and  association  libraries.
     9  Such study shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
    10    (1)  identification  of  current  options  available  to libraries and
    11  library systems for financing capital projects;
    12    (2) the projected capital needs of libraries and library systems  over
    13  a five year period;
    14    (3)  identification  of  alternative options for libraries and library
    15  systems to finance capital projects;
    16    (4) information related to dormitory  authority  financing  of  public
    17  libraries and public library systems in the past ten years including but
    18  not limited to: the total number of public libraries and library systems
    19  that  have applied for dormitory authority financing; what percentage of
    20  public libraries and library systems are denied funding from the  dormi-
    21  tory  authority  and the reasons for such denials; the total cost of the
    22  proposed projects; and the amount of financing provided for the projects
    23  and the number of project applications submitted each year;
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD05012-01-5

        S. 6870                             2
 
     1    (5) identification of special needs, barriers to  accessing  financing
     2  and options for financing for public libraries; and
     3    (6)  recommendations  for the improvement of access to capital funding
     4  for public libraries and library systems.
     5    b. For the purposes of this subdivision, the following terms shall  be
     6  defined as follows:
     7    (1)  "public  library"  shall  mean any public or association library,
     8  other than a professional, technical or public  school  library,  estab-
     9  lished  for free public purposes by official action of a municipality or
    10  district or the legislature, where the whole  interests  belong  to  the
    11  public;  the  term  "association  library"  shall be construed to mean a
    12  library established and controlled, in whole or in part, by a  group  of
    13  private  individuals  operating as an association, closed corporation or
    14  as trustees under the provisions of a will or deed  of  trust;  and  the
    15  term "free" as applied to a library shall be construed to mean a library
    16  maintained for the benefit and free use on equal terms of all the people
    17  of the community in which the library is located.
    18    (2) "public library system" shall mean:
    19    (i) A library established by one or more counties.
    20    (ii)  A group of libraries serving an area including one or more coun-
    21  ties in whole or in part.
    22    (iii) A library of a city containing one or more counties.
    23    (iv) A cooperative library system established pursuant to section  two
    24  hundred  fifty-seven of this part, the plan of library service of any of
    25  which shall have been approved by the commissioner.
    26    c. The study required by this subdivision shall be completed by  Janu-
    27  ary  first, two thousand twenty-seven.  The findings of such study shall
    28  be provided to the governor, the speaker of the assembly, the  temporary
    29  president  of the senate, the chair of the assembly libraries and educa-
    30  tion technology committee, and the chair  of  the  senate  committee  on
    31  libraries.    The findings of such study shall also be posted on the New
    32  York state library's website.
    33    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
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