New York S 3747: Directs the department of economic development to conduct a study regarding increasing public access to museums in New York city

Status: REFERRED TO CULTURAL AFFAIRS, TOURISM, PARKS AND RECREATION (as of 2026-01-07)

State: New York · Session: 2025-2026 · Bill: S 3747

Sponsors: Cordell Cleare

Bill Text

Bill Search and Legislative Information | New York State Assembly 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

 Skip to main content 

 New York State Assembly

 Speaker Carl E. Heastie

 --> 
 --> 

 --> 

• 
 Assembly Members 

• 
 Legislative Info 

• 
 Public Hearings 

• 
 Speaker's Press 

• 
 Assembly Reports 

• 
 Committees & More 

• Bill Search Home
• Laws
• Legislative Calendar
• Public Hearing Schedule
• Assembly Calendars
• Assembly Committee Agenda 

 Javascript must be enabled to properly view this page. 

 Bill No.: 

• Summary 
• Actions 
• Committee&nbspVotes 
• Floor&nbspVotes 
• Memo 
• Text 
• LFIN 
• Chamber&nbspVideo/Transcript 
S03747 Summary:

BILL NOS03747 

&nbsp

SAME ASSAME AS A04519

&nbsp

SPONSORCLEARE

&nbsp

COSPNSR

&nbsp

MLTSPNSR

&nbsp

&nbsp

Directs the department of economic development, in conjunction with various departments and offices, to conduct a study regarding increasing public access to museums in New York city; directs a report on such study to be submitted no later than one year after the effective date.

Go to top S03747 Actions:

BILL NOS03747 

&nbsp

01/29/2025REFERRED TO CULTURAL AFFAIRS, TOURISM, PARKS AND RECREATION

01/07/2026REFERRED TO CULTURAL AFFAIRS, TOURISM, PARKS AND RECREATION

Go to topS03747 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topS03747 Floor&nbspVotes:

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

Go to topS03747 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 3747

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN SENATE

 January 29, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by Sen. CLEARE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
 printed to be committed to the Committee on Cultural Affairs, Tourism,
 Parks and Recreation

 AN ACT to direct the department of economic development to conduct a
 study regarding increasing public access to museums in New York city

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

 1 Section 1. Study. a. The department of economic development, in
 2 conjunction with the empire state development corporation, the depart-
 3 ment of education, the office of parks, recreation and historic preser-
 4 vation, the department of environmental conservation, the department of
 5 state, the New York city department of cultural affairs, the New York
 6 city parks department, and the New York state council on the arts, is
 7 hereby directed to conduct a comprehensive study on increasing public
 8 access to museums in New York city.
 9 b. The museums that shall be identified in such study operate as and
 10 shall include, but not be limited to the American Museum of Natural
 11 History, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn
 12 Children's Museum, Brooklyn Museum, Museum of the City of New York, New
 13 York Botanical Garden, New York Hall of Science, Staten Island Museum,
 14 Staten Island Zoo, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Wave Hill, Bronx Zoo,
 15 Central Park Zoo, New York Aquarium, Prospect Park Zoo, and Queens Flor-
 16 ham Park Zoo.
 17 § 2. Scope. The study shall focus on current barriers to public
 18 access, historical access by the public, laws governing free public
 19 access, the financial and operational impact of increasing public
 20 access, financial support received by museums from governmental and
 21 other entities, and changes in such financial support since the creation
 22 of these museums. To that end, the topics to be studied shall include,
 23 but not be limited to:

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD08118-01-5

 S. 3747 2

 1 a. the financial status of such museums, including assets, sources of
 2 income, endowment portfolios, and expenses;
 3 b. current policies and practices of such museums regarding public
 4 access, with a focus on laws regarding free access and admission;
 5 c. historic and current mission, purpose, and operations of such muse-
 6 ums;
 7 d. enabling legislation and other statutory requirements regarding
 8 free public access and free admission;
 9 e. historical changes in free access by the public; and
 10 f. historical changes in support by various governmental entities,
 11 including operational funding, use and value of land and buildings owned
 12 by the state or the city of New York.
 13 § 3. Report and recommendations. A report of the findings of such
 14 study shall be filed with the governor, the temporary president of the
 15 senate, and the speaker of the assembly no later than one year after the
 16 effective date of this act. The report shall include recommendations on
 17 increasing public access, including expanding free public access, and an
 18 analysis of what measures will need to be taken to ensure such access
 19 while not undermining the operations or missions of the museums.
 20 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.

Go to top 

• 

 Sitemap 

 Request Informat

View New York S 3747 on LegisTrack → — full text, sponsors, votes, campaign finance, and cross-state matches.