Requesting The Establishment Of An Arts Data And Mapping Task Force To Conduct A Statewide Survey Of Entities Engaged In Arts And Arts Education And Develop A Comprehensive Statewide Database And Geographic Information System Map Of Arts Entities And Programs.
HCR162 is a nonbinding House Concurrent Resolution that requests the creation of an Arts Data and Mapping Task Force. The task force would be convened by the President and CEO of the Hawaii Youth Symphony and would include representatives from arts organizations, state education and culture agencies, GIS and data entities, school systems, and a neighbor island arts education program. Its main job would be to conduct a statewide survey of arts and arts education providers and build a comprehensive statewide database and publicly accessible GIS map of arts entities and programs.
The resolution directs the task force to identify what arts programs exist, who they serve, where they are located, and where access gaps remain. It also asks the task force to recommend how the state should continue collecting, maintaining, and sharing arts data. The dataset is specifically limited to descriptive information about availability and geographic distribution; it may not evaluate program quality, outcomes, or effectiveness. The task force would provide an interim report on music and dance before the 2028 session and a final report, including any proposed legislation, before the 2030 session.
Because HCR162 is a concurrent resolution rather than a bill, it does not directly amend or create state law. Its practical effect would be to organize a statewide data-gathering effort and produce a public mapping tool and database that could inform future policy, funding, and program decisions. The resolution would involve education, culture, GIS, and community stakeholders, and it could influence later legislation or administrative action related to arts education access and statewide data infrastructure.
The overall sentiment appears supportive and constructive. The resolution frames arts education and programming as important to student learning, cultural preservation, community well-being, workforce development, and the creative economy, and the available vote history shows the Senate Water, Land, and Agriculture Committee passed it unanimously and without amendment. That suggests broad agreement with the goal of improving visibility and coordination of arts resources statewide.
There is little visible opposition in the provided materials, but the resolution does reflect a policy choice to prioritize descriptive mapping over performance evaluation, which may matter to stakeholders who want outcome-based accountability. The main practical questions are likely to involve who will maintain the database, how comprehensive the survey can be across public, private, nonprofit, and municipal providers, and whether the effort will adequately capture neighbor island and underserved communities. Any contention would likely center on implementation burden, data collection scope, and long-term maintenance responsibilities rather than the concept of the task force itself.