New York S 9872: Establishes the Central New York passport program

Bill Text

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S09872 Summary:

BILL NOS09872 

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SAME ASNo Same As

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SPONSORGRIFFO

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COSPNSR

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MLTSPNSR

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Add Art 5-G §§181-j - 181-l, Ec Dev L

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Establishes the Central New York passport program to promote regional tourism, economic development, and cultural engagement across the Central New York region through an integrated mobile application providing event information, cross-promotional ticketing, and community partnerships.

Go to top S09872 Actions:

BILL NOS09872 

&nbsp

04/09/2026REFERRED TO COMMERCE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND SMALL BUSINESS

Go to topS09872 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topS09872 Floor&nbspVotes:

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

Go to topS09872 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 9872

 IN SENATE

 April 9, 2026
 ___________

 Introduced by Sen. GRIFFO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
 printed to be committed to the Committee on Commerce, Economic Devel-
 opment and Small Business

 AN ACT to amend the economic development law, in relation to establish-
 ing the central New York passport program to promote regional tourism,
 economic development, and cultural engagement across the central New
 York region

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

 1 Section 1. The economic development law is amended by adding a new
 2 article 5-G to read as follows:
 3 ARTICLE 5-G
 4 CENTRAL NEW YORK PASSPORT PROGRAM
 5 Section 181-j. Short title.
 6 181-k. Legislative findings and intent.
 7 181-l. Establishment of the central New York passport program.
 8 § 181-j. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as the
 9 "central New York passport act".
 10 § 181-k. Legislative findings and intent. The legislature finds that
 11 the central New York region--encompassing the cities of Syracuse, Utica,
 12 Rome, and Cooperstown, and the surrounding towns and villages along
 13 routes 20 and 90--possesses a wealth of cultural, artistic, agricul-
 14 tural, and recreational assets.
 15 Despite the strength of these attractions, including the Boilermaker
 16 Road Race, the Glimmerglass Opera Festival, the Theater at Woodshill,
 17 local farmers markets, art galleries, museums, music venues, sporting
 18 events, and other community programs, the region lacks an integrated
 19 mechanism for cross-promotion, coordinated event awareness, and visitor
 20 retention.
 21 It is therefore the intent of the legislature to establish a regional
 22 initiative to promote the collective economic and cultural interests of
 23 central New York municipalities, support local businesses, and enhance
 24 tourism through a unified mobile platform--known as the "Central New
 25 York Passport".

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD15526-01-6

 S. 9872 2

 1 § 181-l. Establishment of the central New York passport program. 1.
 2 The commissioner shall develop and implement a "Central New York pass-
 3 port" promotion program. Within one year of the effective date of this
 4 article, the commissioner, in conjunction with Empire State Development
 5 and the New York state tourism advisory council, shall develop, operate,
 6 and maintain a mobile application and web-based platform to promote
 7 tourism in central New York that:
 8 (a) provides a comprehensive calendar of regional events, attractions,
 9 and activities in central New York;
 10 (b) integrates timetables, maps, and travel itineraries for visitors
 11 to central New York;
 12 (c) enables cross-promotional ticketing deals, discounts, and sponsor-
 13 ships among participating venues, including but not limited to restau-
 14 rants, farmers markets, local museums, theaters, art galleries, movie
 15 theaters, breweries, wineries, sporting events, and music venues;
 16 (d) promotes seasonal festivals and regional tourism corridors along
 17 New York state routes twenty and ninety;
 18 (e) allows users to create customized "passports" collecting stamps,
 19 digital rewards, or points for visiting participating sites; and
 20 (f) encourages community engagement and local commerce by linking
 21 small businesses and nonprofit institutions to regional event tra