New York A 1758: Authorizes municipalities to establish a history, arts, and culture levy

Bill Text

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A01758 Summary:

BILL NOA01758 

&nbsp

SAME ASSAME AS S02553

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SPONSORBarrett

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COSPNSRJones, Glick, Simon, Bendett, McDonough, Jensen, Brabenec, Shrestha

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MLTSPNSR

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Add §6-w, amd §3-c, Gen Muni L

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Authorizes municipalities to establish a history, arts, and culture levy to support history, arts, and culture; exempts such levy from the real property tax levy limit.

Go to top A01758 Actions:

BILL NOA01758 

&nbsp

01/14/2025referred to local governments

01/07/2026referred to local governments

Go to topA01758 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topA01758 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topA01758 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 1758

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN ASSEMBLY

 January 14, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by M. of A. BARRETT, JONES, GLICK, SIMON, BENDETT, McDONOUGH,
 JENSEN, BRABENEC -- read once and referred to the Committee on Local
 Governments

 AN ACT to amend the general municipal law, in relation to authorizing
 municipalities to establish a history, arts, and culture levy

 The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
 bly, do enact as follows:

 1 Section 1. The general municipal law is amended by adding a new
 2 section 6-w to read as follows:
 3 § 6-w. History, arts, and culture funds. 1. As used in this section,
 4 the following words and terms shall have the following meanings:
 5 (a) "History, arts, and culture" means creative and cultural activ-
 6 ities, including but not limited to, historic preservation, museum cura-
 7 tion, performing, visual, and fine arts, music, dance, graphic design,
 8 film, digital media and video, architecture and urban design, humani-
 9 ties, literature, historic education, arts and culture education,
 10 crafts, and folk arts.
 11 (b) "Local arts council" means an entity, often referred to as a local
 12 arts agency, arts commission, or cultural affairs office, that:
 13 (i) is either a municipal or county government agency, or a private
 14 entity exempt from federal income taxation under paragraph (3) of
 15 subsection (c) of section 501 of the federal Internal Revenue Code of
 16 1986 (26 U.S.C. s.501(c)(3)); and
 17 (ii) maintains a mission that generally involves making history, arts,
 18 and culture more accessible to the public, and supporting local artists,
 19 art programming, or local organizations focused on history, arts, and
 20 culture.
 21 (c) "Tax" means a charge imposed upon real property by or on behalf of
 22 a county, city, town, or village for municipal purposes, but shall have
 23 a different meaning if the context clearly indicates.

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD04509-01-5

 A. 1758 2

 1 2. (a) The governing body of a municipality may, by ordinance, submit
 2 to the voters of the municipality, in a general or special election, a
 3 proposition authorizing an annual levy, in an amount or at a rate that
 4 the governing body deems appropriate, to be established for the purpose
 5 of supporting history, arts, and culture. Upon approval of the proposi-
 6 tion by a majority of the votes cast by the voters of the municipality,
 7 the governing body of the municipality may annually raise by taxation a
 8 sum not to exceed the amount or rate set forth in the proposition
 9 approved by the voters for the purposes specified therein. The history,
 10 arts, and culture levy shall become effective in the next budget year
 11 following the year in which the levy has been approved by the voters.
 12 (b) Amounts raised by the levy imposed pursuant to this section shall
 13 be deposited into a history, arts, and culture trust fund to be created
 14 by the municipality, and shall be used exclusively for history, arts,
 15 and culture, except that the municipality may deposit such amounts into
 16 the current fund of such municipality for uses not related to history,
 17 arts, and culture if the municipality is in fiscal distress as defined
 18 in paragraph c of subdivision ten of section fifty-four of the state
 19 finance law. Any interest or other income earned on monies deposited
 20 into the history, arts, and culture trust fund s