Photo: arts advocates holding signs at the 2025 Art at the Capitol event.
The Hawaiʻi Arts Alliance is a nonprofit arts advocacy organization. Subscribe to Hawaiʻi Arts Alliance email news for Action Alerts on bills and hearings, fact sheets, templates for testimony, and more.
Hawaiʻi Arts Alliance Action Alert: Urge Governor Green to veto HB 1378
Hawaiʻi Arts Alliance: “HB1378-HD2-SD2-CD1 has passed the Legislature and now sits on Governor Green’s desk. This bill threatens to dismantle decades of progress in arts and culture funding and significantly weakens the infrastructure that supports artists, schools, and communities across Hawai‘i.”
- Learn more in the Hawaiʻi Arts Alliance newsletter, May 13, 2025
- Submit your comment on legislation: Governor.Hawaii.Gov/comments-on-legislation
Why HB 1378 must be vetoed
The Hawaiʻi Arts Alliance urges the public to veto HB1378 because:
- Cuts to Core Programs: HB1378 subjects the State Foundation’s budget to administrative restrictions—typically a 5% reduction and an additional 5% restriction—resulting in a loss of more than $400,000. That’s equivalent to eliminating funding for 43 Artists-in-the-Schools residencies across the state.
- Undermines Hawaiʻi’s Cultural Legacy: The bill alters the intent and impact of Hawai‘i’s landmark “Percent for Art” law, a national model since 1989 for advancing public access to the arts.
- Destabilizes the Works of Art Special Fund: HB1378 reduces the annual appropriation from $5.5 million to $3 million, jeopardizing the long-term sustainability of community-based arts programs and initiatives across the islands.
- For additional background and details:
- Hawaiʻi Arts Alliance has a Frequently Asked Questions: HB 1378-HD2 document.
- Public testimony on HB1378-HD2 (March 13, 2025) includes opposition from the Office of the Governor, the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, the SFCA Board of Commissioners, and hundreds of pages of testimony in opposition from organizations and individuals. There are comments from the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism and the Department of the Attorney General.
- Public testimony on HB1378-SD1 (April 3, 2025) includes comments from the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Budget & Finance; Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism, and the Department of the Attorney General; opposition from the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, opposition from the SFCA Board of Commissioners, opposition from the Office of the Governor, and hundreds of pages of testimony opposing the bill from organizations and individuals.
Hawaiʻi Arts Alliance calls for formation of collaborative task force
“Rather than dismantling the Works of Art Special Fund, we are calling for the formation of a collaborative task force—including the Department of Budget & Finance, the Attorney General’s Office, the Governor’s Office, SFCA, and key legislative committee chairs. With meaningful input from community arts and cultural leaders, this group would:
- Address legislative concerns raised this session
- Strengthen transparency, oversight, and equity in arts funding
- Preserve the Works of Art Special Fund’s core intent and purpose
- Explore thoughtful, inclusive pathways to expand the Works of Art Special Fund to support both visual and performing arts
With the federal administration now proposing to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts, this is not the time to destabilize state funding for the arts. Together, we can chart a future for arts and culture in Hawai‘i that is visionary, inclusive, and resilient.”
Submit your comments to Governor Green online
Use the online form on the State of Hawaiʻi Governor’s website to submit your comments: Governor.Hawaii.gov/comments-on-legislation.
Updates
This post was updated on Thursday, May 15, 2025 to add a link to the Hawaiʻi Arts Alliance FAQ and public testimony on HB 1378-HD2 and HB1378-SD1.