STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2898

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 2593

       H.D. 1

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Technology and the Arts, to which was referred H.B. No. 2593, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO URBAN ART,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to reduce graffiti through the establishment of a pilot program for the creation of urban art on state property under the direction of the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts.  

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Transportation, the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, and one individual.

     Your Committee finds that graffiti is a pervasive problem in many communities throughout the State, causing visual blight, resulting in unsightly scenery, and negatively impacting property values.  However, graffiti is also recognized as a legitimate artistic genre.  Urban art, including graffiti, is a form of social commentary and expression by youth who are continuously looking for ways to share their creative point of view.  This measure seeks to reduce graffiti by providing opportunities for social expression through the establishment of a pilot program for the creation of urban art on state property under the direction of the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Technology and the Arts that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2593, H.D. 1 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Technology and the Arts,

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GLENN WAKAI, Chair