New York S 2553: Authorizes municipalities to establish a history, arts, and culture levy

Bill Text

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S02553 Summary:

BILL NOS02553 

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SAME ASSAME AS A01758

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SPONSORCOONEY

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COSPNSR

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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 S02553 Actions:

BILL NOS02553 

&nbsp

01/21/2025REFERRED TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT

01/07/2026REFERRED TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Go to topS02553 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topS02553 Floor&nbspVotes:

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

Go to topS02553 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 2553

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN SENATE

 January 21, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by Sen. COONEY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
 printed to be committed to the Committee on Local Government

 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.
 24 2. (a) The governing body of a municipality may, by ordinance, submit
 25 to the voters of the municipality, in a general or special election, a

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

 S. 2553 2

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