4134642 Resolution 19-714, "Sense of the Council on Funding the Arts and Humanities Enterprise Fund and the Film DC Economic Incentive Fund Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2012"

A RESOLUTION

                                                        

19-714  

 

IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

 

December 4, 2012

 

 

To declare the existence of an emergency with respect to the need to declare the sense of the Council regarding funding the Arts and Humanities Enterprise Fund and the Film DC Economic Incentive Fund.

 

            RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this resolution may be cited as the “Sense of the Council on Funding the Arts and Humanities Enterprise Fund and the Film DC Economic Incentive Fund Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2012”.

 

Sec. 2  (a) This emergency measure is necessary to declare the sense of the Council that the District of Columbia has a golden opportunity to examine how to generate revenue by funding the Arts and Humanities Enterprise Fund, established pursuant to section 6a of the Commission on the Arts and Humanities Act, effective January 29, 1998 (D.C. Law 12-42; D.C. Official Code § 39-205.01) (“Arts Fund”), and the Film DC Economic Incentive Fund, established pursuant to section 2 of the Film DC Economic Incentive Act of 2006, effective March 14, 2007 (D.C. Law 16-290; D.C. Official Code § 39-501) ("Film Fund"), to establish a creative and artistic economic development engine.

(b)  This emergency measure is necessary because neither the Arts Fund nor the Film Fund has been funded since being established in 1998 and 2007, respectively. The Council recognized the need for a dedicated funding source when the Arts Fund and the Film Fund were created.  The funding need continues. It is time to determine how to provide a long-term, dedicated source of funding for both funds.

(c) This emergency measure is necessary to recognize the work of the Committee on Small and Local Business Development (“SLBD”) on the Art in Public Space, Motion Picture and Television Production Funds Act of 2012, as approved by the Committee on Small and Local Business Development on November 29, 2012 (Committee print of Bill 19-992), which sought to provide a dedicated funding source for the Arts Fund and the Film Fund.   The committee held a hearing on November 26, 2012.  On November 29, 2012, a committee markup and vote was held.  Bill 19-992 was voted out of committee; however, there is not enough time to move the bill through the Government Operations Committee, to which this bill was sequentially referred, before the end of Council Period 19. 

(d)  Since Council Period 19 ends this month, the Executive Branch of the District government should be made aware of the sense of the Council on funding the Arts Fund and Film Fund and on establishing an Art, Film, and Television Funding Task Force before the Council Period ends.

 

Sec. 3. The Council of the District of Columbia determines that the circumstances enumerated in section 2 constitute emergency circumstances making it necessary that the Sense of the Council on Funding the Arts and Humanities Enterprise Fund and the Film DC Economic Incentive Fund Emergency Resolution of 2012 be adopted on an emergency basis.

 

Sec. 4.  This resolution shall take effect immediately.