A pilot program that would have allowed publicly-owned art to be showcased in private spaces is slated for veto by Gov. Josh Green.
House Bill 475 called for the creation of a performing arts committee under the State Foundation on the Culture and Arts, the state government arts agency.
The foundation has an extensive collection of locally produced art typically found at schools, airports, the state Capitol and various government buildings.
However, much of the artwork sits in storage, according to Rep. Adrian Tam, who introduced the bill.
The proposed legislation would have allowed art from the collection to be displayed on private properties. The venues, like hotels and banks, would have to be open to the public.
Tam said the Legislature doesn't plan to override the veto. Also, he said that the bill is on the list because it "could potentially jeopardize the state Foundation of the Culture and Arts tax-exempt status on bonds."
"It's unfortunate that this wasn't brought up during the many hearings we had on this bill," Tam said in an interview. "Had this been brought up, we could have probably fixed it in a way where the bill could have avoided all of that and passed, or we could have deferred that bill and worked on another bill."
