Directs the state librarian to establish statewide imagination library program for encouraging children from birth to five years of age to develop a love of reading and learning; directs the state librarian to promote the statewide developement of local Dolly Parton's Imagination Library programs; advance and strengthen local Dolly Parton's Imagination Library programs with the goal of increasing enrollment; recruit volunteers to assist in the development, promotion, and coordination of local Dolly Parton's Imagination Library programs; solicit donations, gifts, and other funding to financially support local Dolly Parton's Imagination Library programs; develop community engagement; develop, promote, and coordinate a public awareness campaign to make donors aware of the opportunity to donate to the affiliate programs and make the public aware of the opportunity to register eligible children to receive books through the program; administer the local match requirement and coordinate the collection and remittance of local program costs for books and mailing; and develop statewide marketing and communication plans; establishes the imagination library of New York fund.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A9652A
SPONSOR: Reyes TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the education law, in relation to creating the Dolly
Parton's statewide library system of New York; and to amend the state
finance law, in relation to establishing the imagination library of New
York fund
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section one of the bill adds a new section 249-b to education law which
creates the Dolly Parton's statewide library system of New York, to be
administered by the state librarian.
Section two of the bill creates the Imagination library of New York
fund, moneys of which shall be used to provide age-appropriate books on
a monthly basis, at home, to each child ages 0-5 registered in the
program.
Section three is the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library is the flagship program of the
Dolly-wood Foundation. This book gifting program provides high-quality,
age-appropriate books to children from birth until their fifth birthday,
at no cost to the family. Since the program started in 1995, 2.3 million
children in five countries have received over 200 million books.
Currently, the program partners with local 501(c) (3)s, where the Foun-
dation covers the administrative costs and provides centralized publish-
ing and distribution networks, and the local partners coordinate adver-
tising the program, and managing sign ups. Children then receive a book
every month until age five.
This bill builds off of the great success of the Imagination Library, by
creating a statewide Imagination Library program. Managed by the state
librarian, with costs split equally between the state and the Founda-
tion, this program will bring the joys of reading to thousands of chil-
dren in the state.
In the words of Dolly Parton herself: "Our place in all of this is pret-
ty simple. We want to inspire a love of books. Kids will do what they
love to do, and we want to inspire children to love books and reading! I
want the child to feel the magic of a book arriving and the excitement
of opening it up. This love of books will last a lifetime."
PRIOR LEGISLATION HISTORY:
New bill.
FISCAL IMPLICIATIONS FQR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
The cost of the first year of the program is $2.5M.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
9652--A
IN ASSEMBLY
March 27, 2024
___________
Introduced by M. of A. REYES -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Libraries and Education Technology -- committee discharged, bill
amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said commit-
tee
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to creating the Dolly
Parton's statewide library system of New York; and to amend the state
finance law, in relation to establishing the imagination library of
New York fund
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 249-b
2 to read as follows:
3 § 249-b. Dolly Parton's statewide library system of New York. 1. For
4 purposes of this section, the following terms shall have the following
5 meanings:
6 a. "program" shall mean the statewide imagination library program,
7 Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of New York;
8 b. "fund" shall mean the imagination library of New York fund estab-
9 lished by section ninety-seven-bbbbb of the state finance law; and
10 c. "qualified local entity" shall mean any existing or new local Dolly
11 Parton's Imagination Library affiliate.
12 2. There is hereby established under the administration of the state
13 librarian a Dolly Parton's statewide library system of New York for
14 purposes of developing, implementing, promoting, and fostering a compre-
15 hensive statewide initiative for encouraging children from birth to five
16 years of age to develop a love of reading and learning.
17 3. a. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary, the state librar-
18 ian shall allocate moneys as grants to provide age-appropriate books on
19 a monthly basis, at home, to each child registered in the program, from
20 birth to their fifth birthday at no cost to families, through Dolly
21 Parton's Statewide Library System of New York.
22 b. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary, the state librarian
23 shall allocate moneys from the fund as grants to qualified local enti-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14150-04-4
A. 9652--A 2
1 ties that agree to a dollar-for-dollar match for purposes of the
2 program.
3 c. Notwithstanding paragraph b of this subdivision, the state librar-
4 ian may waive the dollar-for-dollar match requirement for a qualified
5 local entity on a case-by-case basis to prevent undue financial hard-
6 ship.
7 4. The state librarian shall coordinate with a nonprofit entity, qual-
8 ified under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and organ-
9 ized solely to promote and encourage reading by the children of the
10 state, for the purpose of implementing this section.
11 5. The state librarian shall provide oversight and manage the daily
12 operations of the program, which shall include, but not be limited to:
13 a. promoting the statewide development of local Dolly Parton's Imag-
14 ination Library programs;
15 b. advancing and strengthening local Dolly Parton's Imagination
16 Library programs with the goal of increasing enrollment;
17 c. recruiting volunteers to assist in the development, promotion, and
18 coordination of local Dolly Parton's Imagination Library programs;
19 d. soliciting donations, gifts, and other funding to financially
20 support local Dolly Parton's Imagination Library programs;
21 e. developing community engagement;
22 f. developing, promoting, and coordinating a public awareness campaign
23 to make donors aware of the opportunity to donate to the affiliate
24 programs and make the public aware of the opportunity to register eligi-
25 ble children to receive books through the program;
26 g. administering the local match requirement and coordinate the
27 collection and remittance of local program costs for books and mailing;
28 h. developing statewide marketing and communication plans; and
29 i. establishing, in partnership with the department, a system for
30 parent and community feedback to show impact and effectiveness of the
31 program.
32 6. On or after January first, two thousand twenty-nine, and annually
33 thereafter, the state librarian shall submit a report to the governor,
34 the temporary president of the senate, and the speaker of the assembly.
35 Such report shall include, but not be limited to:
36 a. the deposits made to, and expenditures made from the fund;
37 b. whether any local match requirements were waived;
38 c. the number of local programs that exist, their location, and which
39 entity or organization serves as the local partner; and
40 d. the number of children that are enrolled and the number of books
41 that have been sent to such enrolled children.
42 7. The regents may promulgate regulations as may be needed for the
43 administration of the program.
44 § 2. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 97-bbbbb
45 to read as follows:
46 § 97-bbbbb. Imagination library of New York fund. 1. There is hereby
47 established in the joint custody of the state comptroller and the
48 commissioner of education an account of the miscellaneous special reven-
49 ue account to be known as the "Imagination Library of New York fund".
50 2. Moneys in this fund shall be kept separate and shall not be commin-
51 gled with any other moneys in the custody of the state comptroller and
52 the commissioner of education.
53 3. The imagination library of New York fund shall consist of moneys
54 appropriated for the purpose of such account, moneys transferred to such
55 account pursuant to law, contributions consisting of promises or grants
56 of any money or property of any kind or value, or any other thing of
A. 9652--A 3
1 value, including grants or other financial assistance from any agency of
2 government and moneys required by the provisions of this section or any
3 other law to be paid into or credited to this account.
4 4. Moneys of the imagination library of New York fund, when allocated,
5 shall be available, subject to the approval of the director of the budg-
6 et, to provide age-appropriate books on a monthly basis, at home, to
7 each child registered in the program, from birth to their fifth birthday
8 at no cost to families, through Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.
9 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
