National Comedy Center Designated As Nation’s Official Comedy Center

Image by Justin Gould/WNYNewsNow.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate has passed legislation which includes language to officially recognize Jamestown’s National Comedy Center as the official Comedy Center of the United States, according to a joint release by Sen. Charles Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.

“Comedy is an art form, and it’s a part of our rich cultural history in America. I’m thrilled that legislation designating Jamestown’s Comedy Center as the official National Comedy has passed through the Senate. The Comedy Center will be a tourism magnet and I will fight tooth and nail to get this bill signed into law,” Schumer said.





“As the birthplace of the iconic Lucille Ball, and the home to the Annual Comedy Festival, Jamestown is an epicenter of comedy in the nation, and is the perfect home for the National Comedy Center. I know this organization is rapidly becoming a cultural institution, attracting visitors from far and wide, creating jobs, and injecting millions of tourism dollars into the region. I am incredibly proud to play my part in sponsoring this legislation, and I believe that this institution is already a smash hit,”he said.

Gillibrand said she was honored that her legislation passed the Senate.

“This museum is a celebration of talent in our nation and has become a destination for families, tourists, and comedy lovers from all over the country,” said Gillibrand. “Jamestown has done a remarkable job of transforming an old train station into part of the new museum and a state-of-the-art center dedicated to preserving the history of talent. When I visited the museum, it was clear that the Comedy Center would become a landmark in New York. I was proud to work with my colleagues in Congress in pushing for funding to help make this possible, and urge my colleagues in the House to pass this legislation.”





















Schumer and Gillibrand’s legislation will formally designate the National Comedy Center as the ‘national’ comedy center. Schumer and Gillibrand noted that this designation will allow the center to build on the success of other Upstate New York tourist attractions like National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, NY.

Schumer and Gillibrand have supported the construction of the Jamestown National Comedy Center. In 2017, the senators worked to help secure $5 million in New Markets Tax Credit financing to support the Comedy Center. Then, in March of last year and again this February, Schumer traveled to Jamestown, to push for the Comedy Center to be designated as the official “National Comedy Center” of the United States. While there, Schumer discussed how the designation would help comedy find its permanent home in Jamestown, New York. Gillibrand visited the Comedy Center ahead of the grand opening in last summer.









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