SENATE, No. 1195
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
INTRODUCED MAY 30, 1996
By Senator MARTIN
An Act establishing a program to provide grants for history museums, historical societies and historic sites, and making an appropriation.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Legislature finds and declares that:
a. The history museums of this State perform the invaluable function of preserving, for present and future generations, the objects that constitute the shared cultural heritage of the people of this State;
b. These institutions have not been properly funded, resulting in grossly inadequate staffs and budgets;
c. All of our history museums, especially the smaller historical societies, greatly need money and services to help them preserve historic structures, archaeological collections, archival materials and collections of fine and decorative arts--the collective treasures of our State;
d. Due to the chronic need for funds, history museums across the State currently lack resources for appropriate development, preservation and educational outreach programs, and are therefore underutilized in comparison to museums in neighboring states;
e. With greater general operating support, New Jersey's history museums will be able to develop programming and exhibitions that will increase the number of visitors, attract increased tourism dollars, and improve New Jersey's image throughout the region;
f. It is desirable to provide funding and general operating support for our historical institutions so that they may continue to perform the essential task of preserving the treasures of this State.
2. For the purpose of this act:
"commission" means the New Jersey Historical Commission in the Department of State;
"general operating support" means, but is not limited to, such expenses of museum operations as salaries and fringe benefits; insurance; the costs of heat, electricity, and the establishment and maintenance of appropriate environmental conditions in which to maintain collections; payments for facility or equipment lease or rental; expenses related to facility maintenance and upkeep; costs of materials and supplies; expenses of staff training in museum management, exhibition techniques, and presenting educational programs for the public and related expenses;
"historic site" means a structure or a site associated with New Jersey's history which is on the State or National Registers of Historic Places or is eligible for the National Register, and that is owned or administered by a not-for-profit New Jersey corporation or an element of New Jersey's local, county or State government;
"historical society" means any organization of citizens working to promote preservation and public knowledge of the local history of New Jersey or a region, county or municipality of New Jersey and having a regular museum function;
"history museum" means an organization which houses collections of New Jersey historical material or presents historical collections to the public in the form of exhibitions or educational programs and makes them available for research, and does so within a museum environment.
3. a. There is hereby established a program within the commission to offer general operating support grants to history museums, historical societies and historic sites.
b. The commission shall develop guidelines for this program consistent with the definitions utilized by this act and in consultation with the New Jersey Association of Museums, the Association of New Jersey County Cultural and Historic Agencies, the League of Historical Societies of New Jersey, the Northern New Jersey Museum Roundtable, and the Division of Parks and Forestry in the Department of Environmental Protection.
c. The guidelines shall specify the eligibility requirements for applicants, conditions under which grants will be made, and the process by which the commission will review and award these grants.
d. The guidelines shall make provisions for grants to a variety of history museums, historical societies and historic sites reflecting the racial, ethnic and geographic diversity of the State.
e. The commission shall publicize the guidelines of this general operating support grant program as widely as possible, including the methods required by law for State government agencies to publicize their grant programs.
f. The commission shall advise history museums, historical societies and historic sites on the preparation of general operating support grant applications, and identify a pool and select peer reviewers, comprised of history museum professionals from outside the State, for this grant program. The peer review panel shall make recommendations to the commission for determination of grant awards.
4. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of State for use by the commission the sum of $2,000,000 for general operating support grants for history museums, historical societies and historic sites.
5. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill creates a grant program to support the operations of the history museums, historical societies and historic sites of this State. The bill appropriates $2,000,000 for these grants. The funds would be distributed as grants-in-aid to history museums, historical societies and historic sites dedicated to the preservation of New Jersey's history. Most New Jersey history museums must contend with a cycle of poverty that impedes their often heroic efforts to make the treasures of New Jersey history accessible to the public. Many museums are so understaffed that they are unable to fulfill their primary public trust function of preserving historic structures, archaeological collections, archival materials, and collections of fine and decorative arts. Lack of funding limits the capabilities of many museums to mount exhibits that appeal to more than a specialized audience, and to offer outreach that would bring history to life for the school children of the State.
A recent Eagleton Institute study, The Status of Museums in New Jersey reported the following grim statistics:
● Almost half (48%) of all museums in the State are without even one full-time staff person. The great majority of these are small, local historical societies and historic sites.
● Half of all museums struggle to operate on less than $66,378 a year. Most of these institutions are small history museums.
● There is an exact correlation between staff and budget size and audience appeal. The study shows that the same museums that struggle to survive with no full-time professional staff and annual budgets under $66,378 cannot attract over 4,000 visitors a year.
According to a 1991 survey commissioned by the New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism, only 4% of our visitors reported visiting history museums, compared with an average of 19% in other states. 34% of visitors nationwide visited interesting buildings and architecture, while in New Jersey the figure was 16%-- less than half.
Despite our excellent museums, landmarks and architecture, only 28% of New Jersey visitors reported a positive perception of this State's landmarks, compared with 50% of visitors to landmarks nationwide. While 31% of museum-goers in all states reported positive reactions, New Jersey's ratings were an abysmal 16%-- almost 50% worse.
Passage of this act should be made a priority in order to bring the treasures of New Jersey history to the widest possible public. With some 25% of the nation's population living within a day's driving distance of New Jersey, even minor improvements in the image of the State's history museums, historical societies and historic sites could yield expanded audiences for our institutions, allowing New Jersey to realize the great economic potential inherent in cultural tourism.
Establishes grant program for State's history museums, historical societies and historic sites; appropriates $2,000,000.