HI SB699

Appropriates $2,000,000 from general revenues for fiscal year 2019-2020 and $2,000,000 for fiscal year 2020-2021 to support the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, designated as the State of Hawaii Museum of Natural and Cultural History.

Funds may be used for operational activities and hiring of necessary staff at the museum.

Legislature finds the museum serves the state through preservation and study of Hawaii's natural and cultural history, housing over 22 million biological specimens and the world's largest collection of Hawaiian and Oceanic cultural artifacts.

State agencies including the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Department of Health, Department of Agriculture, and University of Hawaii regularly access the museum's collections and expertise, with state entities accounting for approximately one-quarter of all collection usage.

Museum serves more than 25,000 students per year through educational programs aligned with state education science standards, and has received decreased state funding from $2,470,000 in 1992 to $626,000 currently.