HawaiiHawaii places arts agencies under its business and tourism department
Hawaii’s law places two arts and cultural agencies under its business and tourism department and applies grant rules to foundation and performing arts grants.
What it does
Hawaii places its arts foundation and King Kamehameha Celebration Commission under its business and tourism department. Related staff and resources follow their work.
Arts grant applicants must meet qualification rules, and recipients must sign contracts and allow oversight. Recipients found to violate grant rules or their contracts cannot apply again for five years.
Hawaii’s business and tourism director oversees its public art fund and shares art selection duties with the arts foundation. Both directors track transferred money and its use.
Argument forAccess to grant records and yearly reviews could help the state check that arts grants serve their intended purpose.
Argument againstApplication paperwork and yearly grant reviews could take time away from arts programs, especially for organizations with few staff.
More detail
The State Foundation on Culture and the Arts and King Kamehameha Celebration Commission sit within Hawaii’s Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism for administrative support. The transfer covers related authority, staff, money, records, and property. Transferred staff continue their regular duties. Employees with tenure keep their pay, benefits, and seniority. Employees appointed to civil service jobs must meet the jobs’ minimum qualifications. Employees without tenure keep their pay and benefits if transferred or appointed to those jobs. Existing agreements remain in force. Existing rules continue until the receiving department changes or repeals them. The law took effect July 1, 2026.
The arts foundation applies qualification rules, contracts, access to records, and yearly reviews to foundation grants and Performing Arts Grants Program grants. The rules cover applicants and recipients of either kind of arts grant. The foundation’s finding of a rule or contract violation triggers the application ban. Organizations must be Hawaii-incorporated businesses or federally tax-exempt nonprofits and meet governance rules. Organizations need at least one year of relevant experience, unless the foundation grants an exception based on demonstrated experience. Individuals must be professionally recognized and qualified to deliver the proposed public program. Recipients must sign a contract before receiving money. Nonprofits need written permission to hire or contract with two or more close relatives. The five-year application ban runs from the date of termination. The law took effect July 1, 2026.
The business and tourism director oversees payments and transfers for the Works of Art Special Fund and shares art selection duties with the arts foundation. The director checks the one-percent art funding amounts tied to state building construction or renovation money raised through state bonds. Art decisions require consultation with the affected state agency and give first consideration to placing suitable art where the original building money was directed. The annual fund transfer comes from money the legislature may set aside for that purpose. The law took effect July 1, 2026.
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- Jun 9Act 122, 06/08/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1222).Latest
- Jun 9Act 122, on 06/08/2026 (Gov. Msg. No. 1222).Became Law
- May 8Received notice of passage on Final Reading in House (Hse. Com. No. 888).Minor
- May 7Transmitted to Governor.
- May 6Passed Final Reading, as amended (CD 1). Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none . 0 No(es): none. 0 Excused: none.Major
- Vote recorded Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1. Result: pass.Lower
- May 6Passed Final Reading as amended in CD 1 with Representative(s) Iwamoto voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0).Major
- May 6Received notice of Final Reading (Sen. Com. No. 816).Minor
- May 1Reported from Conference Committee (Conf Com. Rep. No. 113-26) as amended in (CD 1).
- May 1Forty-eight (48) hours notice Wednesday, 05-06-26.
- May 1Reported from Conference Committee as amended CD 1 (Conf. Com. Rep. No. 113-26).
- May 148 Hrs. Notice (as amended CD 1) 05-06-26
- Apr 30The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. The votes were as follows: 4 Ayes: Representative(s) Kapela, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Quinlan, Alcos; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none.Minor
- Vote recorded The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Upper
- Vote recorded The Conference Committee recommends that the measure be Passed, with Amendments. Result: pass.Lower
- Apr 30The Conference committee recommends that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes of the Senate Conference Managers were as follows: 3 Aye(s): Senator(s) Lee, C., Inouye, DeCorte; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.Minor
- Apr 29Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Thursday 04-30-26 10:30AM in conference room 229.
- Apr 28Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Wednesday 04-29-26 10:30AM in conference room 229.
- Apr 27Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Tuesday 04-28-26 10:30AM in conference room 229.
- Apr 24Bill scheduled for Conference Committee Meeting on Monday, 04-27-26 10:30AM in conference room 229.
- Apr 21House Conferees Changed: Representative Keohokapu-Lee Loy added as Co-Chair. Representative Quinlan added as Conferee. Representative Hartsfield discharged as Co-Chair.
- Apr 21Received notice of change in conferees (Hse. Com. No. 801).Minor
- Apr 21Senate Conferees Appointed: Lee, C. Chairs; Inouye Co-Chair; DeCorte.
- Apr 21Received notice of Senate conferees (Sen. Com. No. 717).Minor
- Apr 20House Conferees Appointed: Kapela, Hartsfield Co-Chairs; Alcos.
- Apr 20Received notice of appointment of House conferees (Hse. Com. No. 786).Minor
- Apr 16Received notice of disagreement (Hse. Com. No. 599).Minor
- Apr 14House disagrees with Senate amendment (s).Minor
- Apr 10Report Adopted; Passed Third Reading. Ayes, 25; Aye(s) with reservations: none. Noes, 0 (none). Excused, 0 (none). Transmitted to House.Passed Senate
- Vote recorded Report Adopted; Passed Third Reading. Result: pass.Upper
- Apr 10Returned from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 530) in amended form (SD 1).
- Apr 9Reported from WAM (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3646) with recommendation of passage on Third Reading.
- Apr 9One Day Notice 04-10-26.
- Apr 8The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes in WAM were as follows: 13 Aye(s): Senator(s) Dela Cruz, Moriwaki, DeCoite, Elefante, Hashimoto, Inouye, Kanuha, Kidani, Kim, Lee, C., Richards, Wakai, Fevella; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.Minor
- Vote recorded The committee(s) on WAM recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. Result: pass.Upper
- Apr 6The committee(s) on WAM will hold a public decision making on 04-08-26 10:02AM; Conference Room 211 & Videoconference.
- Mar 30Reported from WLA (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3245) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to WAM.
- Mar 30Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM.Minor
- Mar 16The committee(s) on WLA recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in WLA were as follows: 5 Aye(s): Senator(s) Lee, C., Inouye, Chang, Lamosao, DeCorte; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.Minor
- Vote recorded The committee(s) on WLA recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Upper
- Mar 12The committee(s) on WLA has scheduled a public hearing on 03-16-26 1:00PM; Conference Room 224 & Videoconference.
- Mar 10Referred to WLA, WAM.Minor
- Mar 6Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 52).Minor
- Mar 6Passed First Reading.Minor
- Mar 5Reported from FIN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 767-26), recommending passage on Third Reading.
- Vote recorded Passed Third Reading. Result: pass.Lower
- Mar 5Passed Third Reading with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Perruso excused (1). Transmitted to Senate.Passed House
- Feb 26The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 16 Ayes: Representative(s) Todd, Takenouchi, Hartsfield, Hussey, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Kitagawa, Kusch, Lee, M., Miyake, Morikawa, Perruso, Templo, Yamashita, Alcos, Gedeon, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none.Minor
- Vote recorded The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. Result: pass.Lower
- Feb 24Bill scheduled to be heard by FIN on Thursday, 02-26-26 10:00AM in House conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
- Feb 6Reported from CAA (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 34-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to FIN.
- Vote recorded Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on FIN. Result: pass.Lower
- Feb 6Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on FIN with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0).Minor
- Feb 4The committee on CAA recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 6 Ayes: Representative(s) Kapela, Kong, Garrett, Lee, M., Sayama, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and Excused: none.Minor
- Vote recorded The committee on CAA recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. Result: pass.Lower
- Jan 30Bill scheduled to be heard by CAA on Wednesday, 02-04-26 9:30AM in House conference room 309 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
- Jan 26Referred to CAA, FIN, referral sheet 1Minor
- Jan 23Introduced and Pass First Reading.Minor
- Jan 22Pending introduction.Introduced
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