Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
Act 577 of the Regular Session
1 State of Arkansas
2 93rd General Assembly A Bill
3 Regular Session, 2021 SENATE BILL 531
4
5 By: Senators Elliott, B. Ballinger, Beckham, Bledsoe, Caldwell, L. Chesterfield, B. Davis, J. Dismang, L.
6 Eads, J. English, Flippo, J. Hendren, Hester, Hickey, Hill, K. Ingram, Irvin, B. Johnson, M. Johnson, G.
7 Leding, M. Pitsch, Rapert, B. Sample, J. Sturch, D. Sullivan, Teague, C. Tucker
8 By: Representatives Warren, F. Allen, Brooks, Christiansen, Cloud, Clowney, A. Collins, Cozart, Dalby,
9 Dotson, Ennett, Eubanks, Evans, D. Ferguson, K. Ferguson, Fielding, L. Fite, V. Flowers, D. Garner,
10 Gazaway, Godfrey, Haak, Hawks, M. Hodges, Holcomb, Hudson, L. Johnson, Jett, Love, Lundstrum,
11 Maddox, Magie, McClure, McCollum, McCullough, McGrew, Milligan, Murdock, Nicks, Penzo,
12 Richardson, Scott, Shepherd, B. Smith, Springer, Tosh, Underwood, Vaught, D. Whitaker, Wing
13
14 For An Act To Be Entitled
15 AN ACT TO CREATE THE ARKANSAS LEGISLATIVE ARTS AND
16 TECHNOLOGY BOOT CAMP; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
17
18
19 Subtitle
20 TO CREATE THE ARKANSAS LEGISLATIVE ARTS
21 AND TECHNOLOGY BOOT CAMP.
22
23
24 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:
25
26 SECTION 1. DO NOT CODIFY. TEMPORARY LANGUAGE. Findings and intent.
27 (a) The General Assembly finds that:
28 (1) Arkansass creative economy consists of many industries,
29 including:
30 (A) Agriculture and agribusiness;
31 (B) Tourism and recreation;
32 (C) Health and wellness;
33 (D) Technology;
34 (E) Consumer products; and
35 (F) Cottage industries; and
36 (2) The Arkansas nonprofit arts and culture sector is critical
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1 to Arkansas's cultural and economic success:
2 (A) Two billion nine hundred thousand dollars
3 ($2,900,000,000) of the Arkansass gross domestic product is generated by the
4 nonprofit arts and culture sector.
5 (B) Arkansas has thirty-three thousand seven hundred
6 twenty nine (33,729) jobs in the nonprofit arts sector.
7 (C) Thirty percent (30%) of all employees in the state of
8 Arkansas work in creative industries.
9 (3)(A) Arkansas abounds with culture and creativity. This
10 strengthens the economy, drives tourism and business, and improves economic
11 performance.
12 (B) The arts in Arkansas celebrate and bring visibility to
13 the richness and diversity of the culture, history, and potential of all
14 Arkansans.
15 (4)(A) The arts and creative experiences play a vital role in
16 supporting and improving quality of life across Arkansas.
17 (B) Ninety-one percent (91%) of Arkansans believe the arts
18 are necessary for a well-rounded K-12 education.
19 (C) Eighty-two percent (82%) of Arkansans believe the arts
20 are critical to local businesses and the economy.
21 (D) Seventy-two percent (72%) of Arkansans believe the
22 arts unify communities and seventy-three percent (73%) believe the arts help
23 them to better understand other cultures.
24 (E) The arts spur economic growth for communities during
25 recovery from disaster, trauma and pandemics.
26 (5) It is desirable to identify and bring together existing
27 groups, organizations, and other initiatives working on the intersection of
28 the arts and technology to:
29 (A) Identify state-wide programming gaps for digital arts
30 and technology;
31 (B) Bring together arts and technology public school
32 teachers to share ideas; and
33 (C) Stimulate new partnerships to help grow Arkansass
34 creative economy.
35 (b) It is the intent of the General Assembly to create a Legislative
36 Arts and Technology Boot Camp that will hold one (1) or more boot camps to
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1 share ideas that can help grow Arkansass creative economy.
2
3 SECTION 2. DO NOT CODIFY. TEMPORARY LANGUAGE. Legislative Arts and
4 Technology Boot Camp Creation and duties.
5 (a) The Legislative Arts and Technology Boot Camp is created and
6 consists of the following:
7 (1) Eight (8) members appointed from the Senate membership by
8 the President Pro Tempore of the Senate;
9 (2) Eight (8) members appointed from the membership of the House
10 of Representatives by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;
11 (3) The Senate lead sponsor of this act or his or her designee,
12 who shall serve as a cochair of the boot camp; and
13 (4) The House lead sponsor of this act or his or her designee,
14 who shall serve as a cochair of the boot camp.
15 (b)(1) If a vacancy occurs on the boot camp, the vacancy shall be
16 filled by the same process as the original appointment.
17 (2) Members of the boot camp shall be paid per diem and mileage
18 as authorized by law for attendance at meetings of interim committees of the
19 General Assembly.
20 (c)(1) The cochairs of the boot camp shall call the first meeting of
21 the boot camp by October 1, 2021.
22 (2) Meetings of the boot camp shall be held at the call of the
23 cochairs.
24 (3) The boot camp shall establish rules and procedures for
25 conducting its business.
26 (4) The Bureau of Legislative Research shall provide staff for
27 the boot camp.
28 (d)(1) The appointments in subsection (a) of this section shall be
29 made no later than thirty (30) days after the effective date of this act.
30 (2) The boot camp expires August 31, 2022.
31 (e)(1) By August 31, 2022, the boot camp shall issue a final written
32 report, which shall include without limitation:
33 (A) An inventory of Arkansass statewide arts and cultural
34 assets, to be organized by creative economy industry clusters;
35 (B) An assessment of:
36 (i) The amount of funding needed for Arkansans for
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1 the Arts to create, update, and maintain a statewide database that contains
2 an inventory of Arkansass arts and cultural assets for each of the Arkansas
3 Arts Council's eight (8) art districts; and
4 (ii) The options for and practicability of obtaining
5 that amount of funding; and
6 (C) A plan for identifying and leveraging current and
7 future assets and talents in the areas of arts and technology.
8 (2) The report required under subdivision (e)(1) of this section
9 shall be made available to the public and shall be delivered to:
10 (A) The Governor;
11 (B) The Legislative Council or, if the General Assembly is
12 in session, the Joint Budget Committee;
13 (C) The Arkansas Economic Development Commission;
14 (D) The Arkansas Planning and Development Districts and
15 (E) Any other relevant state agencies.
16 (f) To develop the information needed for the report under subsection
17 (e) of this section, the boot camp shall hold one (1) or more boot camps as
18 described in Section 3 of this act.
19
20 SECTION 3. DO NOT CODIFY. TEMPORARY LANGUAGE. Arts and Technology Boot
21 Camps Purpose and composition.
22 (a) The primary, though not exclusive, means by which the Legislative
23 Arts and Technology Boot Camp shall obtain the information needed for the
24 report required under Section 2 of this act is through assembling and
25 conducting one (1) or more meetings to be known as an Arts and Technology
26 Boot Camp.
27 (b) An Arts and Technology Boot Camp shall be composed of individuals
28 invited by the Legislative Arts and Technology Boot Camp from any of the
29 following:
30 (1) The Department of Commerce;
31 (2) The Department of Education;
32 (3) The Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism;
33 (4) Public school teachers who teach arts or technology;
34 (5) People involved in conducting career and technical education
35 programs;
36 (6) People involved in Environmental and Spatial Technologies
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1 (EAST) Initiative labs; and
2 (7) Any other existing groups, organizations, or individuals
3 working on or interested in the intersection of arts and technology.
4 (c) An Arts and Technology Boot Camp shall:
5 (1) Identify statewide gaps in the funding, talent, or assets in
6 the areas of digital arts and technology programming;
7 (2) Discuss the business of the arts in the following creative
8 industries:
9 (A) Creative services;
10 (B) Design;
11 (C) Media;
12 (D) Publishing and printing;
13 (E) Visual arts;
14 (F) Audio, music, and sound arts;
15 (G) Cultural sites;
16 (H) Performing arts;
17 (I) Film or animation;
18 (J) Culinary arts;
19 (K) Product design and development;
20 (L) Fashion design;
21 (M) Crafts; and
22 (N) Literary arts; and
23 (3) Engage in any other discussions or provide any other
24 information relevant to the report to be issued by the boot camp under
25 Section 2 of this act.
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28 APPROVED: 4/6/21
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