STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3877

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.C.R. No. 162

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water, Land, Culture and the Arts, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 162 entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN ARTS DATA AND MAPPING TASK FORCE TO CONDUCT A STATEWIDE SURVEY OF ENTITIES ENGAGED IN ARTS AND ARTS EDUCATION AND DEVELOP A COMPREHENSIVE STATEWIDE DATABASE AND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM MAP OF ARTS ENTITIES AND PROGRAMS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the establishment of an Arts Data and Mapping Task Force to:

(1) Conduct a statewide survey of entities engaged in arts and arts education; and

(2) Develop a comprehensive statewide database and geographic information system map of arts entities and programs.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Department of Education; Office of Planning and Sustainable Development; State Foundation on Culture and the Arts; Hawaiʻi Community Foundation; Hawaiʻi Youth Symphony; and twelve individuals.

Your Committee finds that the State lacks a centralized, comprehensive, and publicly accessible statewide database that identifies the availability, geographic distribution, and scope of arts programs and services across all counties. Advances in geographic information systems and open data platforms provide an opportunity to collect, organize, and present arts and arts education data in a manner that is transparent, accessible, and useful to communities statewide. By convening a task force devoted to developing this dataset, this measure will support student learning, cultural preservation, community well-being, workforce development, and the State's creative economy.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land, Culture and the Arts that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 162, and recommends its adoption.

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

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CHRIS LEE, Chair