OLR Bill Analysis

HB 5024

AN ACT ESTABLISHING A CULTURAL TREASURES ACCOUNT.

SUMMARY:

This bill establishes a separate, nonlasping General Fund account to fund arts and cultural activities. The fund must contain any money the law requires to be deposited in the fund, but the bill appropriates no amount. The Connecticut Commission on Cultural and Tourism (CCCT) may use the account to grant funds to people, institutions, and organizations for creating, preserving, promoting, and expanding arts and cultural activities sponsored nonprofit organizations.

CCCT must reserve at least 25% of the account's funds for entities with annual operating budgets under $ 1 million. It must award the grants based cultural merit, financial strength, management accountability, community involvement, visitors per year, number of students served, historic value, the ratio of state and private dollars, and other criteria CCCT may impose.

CCCT must provide these criteria to applicants before it can award any grants. It currently provides grants to arts and cultural institutions under many different purposes. For example, it gives grants to schools, municipalities, and nonprofit organizations for performances, art lectures, and workshops. It also provides grants to cultural nonprofit organizations to improve buildings and structures.

EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2008

COMMITTEE ACTION

Commerce Committee

Joint Favorable