SB 531 Summary

• Creates the Legislative Arts and Technology Boot Camp composed of 8 Senate members appointed by the President Pro Tempore, 8 House members appointed by the Speaker, and the lead sponsors of the bill serving as cochairs.

• Requires the boot camp to hold its first meeting by October 1, 2021, and to expire on August 31, 2022, with members receiving per diem and mileage as authorized for interim committee attendance.

• Mandates the boot camp issue a final written report by August 31, 2022, including an inventory of Arkansas's statewide arts and cultural assets by creative economy industry clusters, funding assessments for the Arkansas Arts Council's eight art districts, and a plan for leveraging arts and technology assets.

• Establishes that the boot camp will conduct one or more "Arts and Technology Boot Camps" composed of representatives from state departments, public school teachers, career and technical education personnel, and organizations working at the intersection of arts and technology.

• Directs boot camp meetings to identify statewide programming gaps in digital arts and technology, discuss business aspects of creative industries including design, media, visual arts, performing arts, film, culinary arts, and literary arts, and provide information for the final report.