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.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
6870--A
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
March 25, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sens. COMRIE, CANZONERI-FITZPATRICK, FERNANDEZ, ROLISON --
read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to
the Committee on Libraries -- recommitted to the Committee on
Libraries in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- committee
discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted
to said committee
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-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05012-03-5
S. 6870--A 2
1 tory authority and the reasons for such denials; the total cost of the
2 proposed projects; and the amount of financing provided for the projects
3 and the number of project applications submitted each year;
4 (5) identification of special needs, barriers to accessing financing
5 and options for financing for public libraries; and
6 (6) recommendations for the improvement of access to capital funding
7 for public libraries and library systems.
8 b. For the purposes of this subdivision, the term "public library"
9 shall have the same meaning as in subdivision thirty-two of section
10 sixteen hundred seventy-six of public authorities law.
11 c. The study required by this subdivision shall be completed by Janu-
12 ary first, two thousand twenty-seven. The findings of such study shall
13 be provided to the governor, the speaker of the assembly, the temporary
14 president of the senate, the chair of the assembly libraries and educa-
15 tion technology committee, and the chair of the senate committee on
16 libraries. The findings of such study shall also be posted on the New
17 York state library's website.
18 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
