Provides for the establishment of regional conservation partnership trusts to raise and disburse funds to not-for-profit entities managing partnership parks, and other state and local conservation activity; provides matching state grants to such trusts.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
4817
2009-2010 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 6, 2009
___________
Introduced by M. of A. ENGLEBRIGHT -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A.
McENENY -- read once and referred to the Committee on Tourism, Arts
and Sports Development
AN ACT to provide for the creation of regional conservation partnership
trusts
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Legislative findings and purpose. The legislature finds
2 that the state's heritage areas, greenways, preserves, partnerships and
3 other specially designated areas are unique and special areas serving
4 public interests in conservation, education, recreation and sustainable
5 development. Often these areas include all or portions of many cities,
6 towns and villages, and their management depends on interrelationships
7 between state and municipal entities and private entities. They have
8 appropriately been called "partnership parks". While state funding has
9 often been available for the acquisition of open space and recreational
10 and historic preservation projects, support for management and steward-
11 ship of partnership parks has been insufficient and threatens the
12 resources for which these areas have been designated.
13 The legislature further finds that community philanthropic organiza-
14 tions and nonprofit conservation organizations have provided some
15 support for partnership parks and if assisted by the state may be able
16 to maximize public and private funding for management and stewardship.
17 Therefore, the legislature hereby establishes a framework for areas of
18 the state to create regional partnership trusts to raise and distribute
19 funds for nonprofit conservation organizations providing management and
20 stewardship services for partnership parks and other state and local
21 conservation activity.
22 § 2. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "New
23 York state regional conservation partnership trust act".
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD08690-01-9
A. 4817 2
1 § 3. Regional conservation partnership trusts. (a) Community founda-
2 tions may apply to the commissioners of environmental conservation and
3 parks, recreation and historic preservation to be certified as regional
4 conservation partnership trust boards. Each such partnership trust board
5 shall be a charitable subsidiary of a community foundation organized to
6 support management and stewardship activities of a not-for-profit
7 conservation organization within its region. Such activities shall be
8 provided to partnership parks with the trust board's region.
9 (b) The commissioners of environmental conservation and parks, recre-
10 ation and historic preservation shall approve and certify as regional
11 conservation partnership trusts those not-for-profit corporations that
12 are dedicated to raise funds from private donors for the purposes of
13 grants to non-profit organizations consistent with the purposes of this
14 act. The members of a board of a partnership trust shall serve without
15 compensation for their work. Each partnership trust shall establish a
16 fund to consist of donations and funds made available therefor from the
17 state.
18 § 4. The state is hereby authorized, during any state fiscal year, to
19 disburse not more than one million dollars to regional conservation
20 partnership trusts to match donations to such trust during the state
21 fiscal year, and made available for grants to not-for-profit corpo-
22 rations for the purpose of this act.
23 § 5. This act shall take effect immediately.
