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Who cares
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Sponsors
22 Co-sponsors
History
- Print number 10179a
- Amend and recommit to ways and means
- Reported referred to ways and means
- Referred to tourism, arts and sports development
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Requires the office of parks, recreation and historic preservation to preserve and maintain state historic sites that are closed for more than a month
In Senate Committee · Finance · Sponsor José M. Serrano
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
BILL NUMBER:A10179A
Title of bill
An act to amend the parks, recreation and historic pres- ervation law, in relation to the maintenance and preservation of state historic sites
Purpose or general idea of the bill
to ensure that the state's histor- ic sites and their associated collections are cared for according to best practices during a period of extended public closure
Summary of provisions
the parks, recreation and historical preservation law is amended by adding a new section 14.11 which will outline a series of best practices that must be followed should any, of the state's historic sites be closed for longer than 6 months. The bill explains that state historic sites, as nationally recognized historic treasures, shall be subject to the highest standards of care, custody and control to assure their preservation for future generations. During the process of determining the viability of the office maintaining a historic site open to the public, the commissioner shall produce a written outline of alternative actions that include, but are not limited to, the establish- ment of a non-profit group that would contract with the office to main- tain the historic site following the agency's established criteria. The written report shall also include an economic impact statement on any proposed closing of the site for a period of longer than 6 months. The written outline and economic impact statement shall be made available to the public as well as to the Governor and both houses of the legisla- ture. Following publication of the outline and impact statement, a public comment period of no less than 30 days shall be implemented along with at least one public hearing on the proposed actions, If both the commissioner and the state board for historic preservation determine, after public comment, that a state historic site shall be closed to the public and not fully maintained for a period to exceed the normal seasonal limit or 6 months, the commissioner shall adhere to the stand- ards of the United States Secretary of the Interior for the mothballing of historic buildings. The Secretary of the Interior's standards for the mothballing of historic buildings are the established and acknowl- edged standards for historic site and building preservation and focus on the steps needed to properly deactivate a historic property for an extended period of time. The standards require the appointment of a preservation specialist to assess the specific needs of the structure and to develop an effective mothballing program.
Justification
The legislature has found that the state has long acted on the recognition that the historical, archeological, architectural and cultural heritage of the state as represented in state historic sites are among the most important environmental assets of the state and should be carefully maintained and preserved for future generations. Beginning in 1850 at Washington's Headquarters in Newburgh, which is the nation's first publicly acquired historic site, the state has invested millions of dollars in the acquisition, preservation, and public acces- sibility of 35 nationally recognized historic sites. Closing such sites for any extended amount of -time can and will put into peril the very
existence of the site itself and, without proper techniques implemented, will lead to potentially devastating damage,
Legislative history
New bill.
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.