Senate Bill Would Protect Detroit Art from Sale

CHICAGO — Michigan Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville, R-Monroe, Wednesday introduced a bill to protect the Detroit Institute of Arts' collection from liquidation.

Richardville introduced Senate Bill 401 Wednesday morning, days after Detroit Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr sparked a controversy by suggesting the DIA's prized collection could be used to cover the cash-strapped city's debts. Orr also said the collection could also be vulnerable to creditors in a Chapter 9 scenario. The city owns the museum.

Senate Bill 401 is brief: it would require all state art institutes to adhere to a code of ethics published by the American Alliance of Museums.

That code prohibits the use of art for collateral, Grant Beal, the DIA's director, told The Bond Buyer.

Beal said the museum's position is that its art cannot be liquidated either by the city or its creditors because it is held in a public trust.

Richardville's bill was referred to the Committee on Government Operations, where he is the chair.

"The bill was in response to concerns about what could happen to the DIA's collection in the case of bankruptcy," Senate Republican spokesman Amber McCann said. "The attempt is to offer some layer of protection."

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