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Read. Follow. Verify.New York establishes statewide Dolly Parton Imagination Library program to mail free books to young children
Last action · April 28, 2026: REPORTED AND COMMITTED TO FINANCESponsors: Jeremy Cooney and 25 others
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What This Bill Would Do
New York establishes the statewide Dolly Parton's Imagination Library program under the Office of Children and Family Services to mail free monthly books to children from birth to age five. The bill creates a dedicated state fund to finance the program through grants, donations, and government appropriations, requiring local partners to provide dollar-for-dollar matching funds unless waived for hardship.
Families with children under five gain access to free monthly home-delivered books, while local nonprofit partners must secure matching funds or request hardship waivers from the state.
- Dolly Parton's Imagination Library is a book gifting program that mails free, high-quality books to children from birth to age five, created in 1995 to inspire a love of reading. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Children from birth to five years of age
Eligible children receive age-appropriate books delivered monthly to their homes at no cost.
Qualified local entities
Local program partners must agree to a dollar-for-dollar match to receive state grant allocations, subject to potential hardship waivers.
Office of Children and Family Services
The agency is tasked with administering the statewide program, allocating grants, coordinating with a nonprofit partner, and submitting annual reports.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible to receive free books through the program?
Do local program partners have to pay for the books?
When does the program start reporting on its progress?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
6 actions- Apr 28, 2026SenateCommitteeREPORTED AND COMMITTED TO FINANCE
- Jan 7, 2026SenateCommitteeREFERRED TO LIBRARIES
- Apr 8, 2025SenateCommitteeREPORTED AND COMMITTED TO FINANCE
- Feb 28, 2025SenatePRINT NUMBER 3154A
- Feb 28, 2025SenateCommitteeAMEND (T) AND RECOMMIT TO LIBRARIES
- Jan 23, 2025SenateCommitteeREFERRED TO LIBRARIES
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Voting Record
Libraries Vote - Version: A
Total
7
- Yes
- 7
- No
- 0
- Present
- 0
- Not voting
- 0
- Abstain
- 0
Show 1 earlier roll call
Libraries Vote - Version: A
Total
7
- Yes
- 7
- No
- 0
- Present
- 0
- Not voting
- 0
- Abstain
- 0
Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Show 21 more sponsors
Connected Entities
Sources
www.nysenate.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance60How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy10Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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