STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3819

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.C.R. No. 118

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Labor, Culture and the Arts, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 118 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THAT THE CREATIVE RESURGENCE TASK FORCE CONTINUE TO EXAMINE AND DETERMINE MEASURES AND ESTABLISH POLICIES AND PROGRAMS TO BUILD AND FOSTER CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION THROUGH THE ARTS, CULTURE, AND HUMANITIES IN THE STATE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to extend the requested dissolution date of the Creative Resurgence Task Force that was convened pursuant to Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 242, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, Regular Session of 2021, from June 30, 2022, to the date the task force submits its report to the Legislature or June 30, 2024, whichever occurs later.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism and State Foundation on Culture and the Arts.

Your Committee finds that in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic's disproportionately devastating impact on Hawaii's creative economy, the Legislature in 2021 adopted Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 242, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, Regular Session of 2021, which requested the convening of a Creative Resurgence Task Force to build and foster creativity and innovation through the arts, culture, and humanities in the State. Specifically, the task force was requested to:

(1) Examine and determine measures that can be implemented to:

(A) Protect the tax-exempt status of creative and cultural nonprofit organizations;

(B) Support tax policies that increase charitable support for the creative sector;

(C) Repeal the monetary cap on charitable donation deductions from the state income tax;

(D) Increase the people's access to the arts, creative sector, and humanities through education, training, and workforce opportunities; and

(E) Advance and diversify the creative economy;

(2) Identify policies that specifically support and enable the creative economy to thrive;

(3) Establish policies and programs that can be implemented by the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to assist qualified creative sector workers in obtaining employment opportunities, training, and unemployment insurance benefits;

(4) Submit a report describing the progress made by the task force and its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2022; and

(5) Dissolve on June 30, 2022.

Your Committee further finds that due to unforeseen circumstances, the task force, although being able to convene and meet, has not been able to complete these requests. This measure will allow the task force to continue its work of examining and determining measures and establishing policies and programs to build and foster creativity and innovation through the arts, culture, and humanities in the State.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the requested dissolution date of the Creative Resurgence Task Force to June 30, 2023; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Labor, Culture and the Arts that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 118, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 118, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Labor, Culture and the Arts,

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BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair