This bill establishes a voluntary surcharge program for performing arts venues in New Hampshire, specifically targeting those with a capacity between 100 and 2,500 persons. The program allows ticket sellers at these venues to charge a surcharge of no more than $0.50 per ticket, which will be used to fund the division of the arts and the New Hampshire state council on the arts. The surcharge will be administered by the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and deposited into a newly created performance art voluntary ticket surcharge fund. This fund will be distinct and separate from other funds, with all moneys being nonlapsing and exclusively used for supporting the administration, functions, and grants of the division of the arts and the state council.

Additionally, the bill includes provisions for the development of a memorandum of understanding to govern participation in the surcharge program and mandates that the commissioner of natural and cultural resources adopt rules regarding the program's establishment and expenditures from the fund. The bill also amends RSA 6:12 to include the performance art ticket surcharge fund in the application of receipts. The act will take effect 60 days after its passage, and it is projected to have a fiscal impact of less than $10,000 in each fiscal year from 2026 to 2029.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 6:12
SB633 text: 6:12