The legislature is considering four bills this session that will impact Colorado’s creative sector. A summary of the bills is below. We encourage you to attend committee hearings and to contact your legislator to share your views. We also encourage you to become a member of Arts For Colorado www.artsforcolorado.org , the voice for the arts and creative industries at the legislature. Below is a summary of the bills and their current status.

Senate Bill 94, Definition of Capital Construction Appropriations for Purposes of the Art in Public Places Program, clarifies that the thirty-three year old Arts in Public Places Statute applies to all capital construction projects funded with state dollars, regardless of the funding mechanism. The initial hearing has been scheduled with the Senate Business, Labor and Technology Committee on Feb. 17, 1:30 p.m., Room 354.

Senate Bill 158, Creation of the Creative Industries Division within the Colorado Office of Economic Development, merges the statutory provisions for the Office of Film, Television, and Media, the State Council on the Arts, and the Art in Public Places Program, and renames the State Council on the Arts as the Council on Creative Industries and authorizes the Council to establish policies for the merged entity. The initial hearing has been scheduled with the Senate Business, Labor and Technology Committee on Feb. 17, 1:30 p.m., Room 354.

House Bill 1180, Criteria to Qualify for a Performance-Based Incentive for Film Production Activities in Colorado, changes the criteria required of a film production company to qualify for a performance-based incentive for film production activities in Colorado. It is designed to make the incentive more usable and thus attract more film and television work to Colorado. It passed 10-0 in its initial hearing before the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee and has been referred to House Finance Committee.

House Bill 1273, Arts Education for Workforce Development, requires all Colorado public schools to provide education in the visual and performing arts and requires satisfactory completion of a course in visual or performing arts as a condition for high school graduation. The bill also incorporates visual and performing arts education into the description of postsecondary and workforce readiness. Additionally, the bill provides for innovative strategies including BOCES/RSA partnerships, public-private partnerships, and non-traditional delivery such as online coursework. The initial hearing has been scheduled with the House Education Committee on Feb. 25, 1:30 p.m., Room 112.