BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  ACR 85
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          Date of Hearing:   April 22, 2008

           ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT, SPORTS, TOURISM, AND  
                                   INTERNET MEDIA
                                Betty Karnette, Chair
                   ACR 85 (Jones) - As Introduced:  January 9, 2008
           
          SUBJECT  :   Arts Month

           SUMMARY  :   Proclaims the month of February 2008 as Arts Month,  
          and recognizes the economic, educational, and civic value of  
          preservation, public presentation, and promotion of the arts,  
          culture, and cultural heritage that provides access for all  
          Californians.  Declares the intent of the Legislature to  
          seriously address how the state can better organize itself to  
          preserve and foster the state's world-class arts and cultural  
          environment.  Specifically,  this resolution  makes the following  
          legislative findings:

          1)California has more arts-related businesses and more people  
            employed in the creative industries than any other state, with  
            86,534 arts-related businesses, institutions, and  
            organizations that employ 426,222 people.  California's  
            nonprofit arts organizations generate a $5.4 billion impact on  
            the state's economy and nearly $300 million in state and local  
            taxes.

          2)The arts in the state are a strong magnet for cultural  
            tourists, contributing to the state's ranking as the most  
            visited state in the nation, with the arts serving as a  
            primary reason for visiting the state for six million of the  
            state's 44 million annual tourists.

          3)The arts develop essential skills, such as creativity,  
            perception, and imagination that fuel the state's high-tech  
            and entertainment industries, and give at-risk and  
            underprivileged youth access to the resources needed for  
            lifetime success in the workplace, universities, schools,  
            churches, businesses, and social service agencies.

          4)California, the world's eighth largest economy, has been  
            ranked lowest of the 50 states in per capita state investment  
            in the arts and culture since 2003.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :   None








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           COMMENTS  :   California Arts Advocates assert, in support of this  
          resolution, "The arts preserve and enhance our cultural  
          heritage, strengthen our sense of national, state and community  
          identity, bring families closer together, and make communities  
          more desirable locations in which to live, work and raise a  
          family."

           REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION  :   

           Support:  
           
          California Arts Advocates
          California Park & Recreation Society  
           
           

          Opposition  :  

          None on file.  

          Analysis Prepared by  :    Dana Mitchell / A.,E.,S.,T. & I.M. /  
          (916) 319-3450