STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2649

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 3281

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Transportation and Culture and the Arts, to which was referred S.B. No. 3281 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CULTURE AND THE ARTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Require that the State of Hawaii Museum of Natural and Cultural History and the State of Hawaii Museum of Monarchy History boards of directors include two ex officio, voting members, to be selected from certain state agencies;

(2) Require the State of Hawaii Museum of Natural and Cultural History to submit an annual report to the Legislature; and

(3) Establish standards and conditions that the State of Hawaii Museum of Natural and Cultural History must meet to receive state funds.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Bishop Museum and Donkey Mill Art Center.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Friends of Iolani Palace and Kahilu Theatre Foundation.

Your Committee finds that, pursuant to Act 398, Session Laws of Hawaii 1988, the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum was designated as the State of Hawaii Museum of Natural and Cultural History and, pursuant to Act 291, Session Laws of Hawaii 2007, the Friends of Iolani Palace was designated as the State of Hawaii Museum of Monarchy History. Your Committee further finds that the intent of these designations was to provide the museums with a reliable funding source so that they would no longer be dependent on grants and private donations. Since both museums received millions of dollars in state funding in 2022, your Committee believes that there needs to be increased transparency and established standards within the operation of the museums to ensure that the operations of the museums are in alignment with the State's vision.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Adding language to include two ex officio non-voting members, that shall be selected by the board representing state agencies and departments that are in direct partnership with the museum on projects that benefit the State for both the Bishop Museum and Iolani Palace;

(2) Deleting language that would have enumerated the individuals that the board could select as the two ex officio, voting members for both the Bishop Museum and Iolani Palace;

(3) Amending language to designate the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum as the "State of Hawaii Museum of Natural and Indigenous History";

(4) Inserting a $5,000,000 appropriation amount for the renovation of Bishop Hall;

(5) Amending section 1 to reflect its amended purpose;

(6) Making conforming amendments; and

(7) 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 Transportation and Culture and the Arts that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3281, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3281, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

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CHRIS LEE, Chair