Bill > HB2459

This bill appropriates $50,150,000 from the General Fund to the Oregon Business Development Department for the biennium beginning July 1, 2023, to provide pandemic relief to Oregon cultural organizations. * The Oregon Business Development Department will receive $50,150,000 from the General Fund. * The department will retain $150,000 for administrative costs. * $11,837,497 will be distributed to major cultural venues, including the Oregon Shakespeare Festival ($5,110,350), Oregon Symphony ($1,898,750), and Portland Art Museum ($1,486,597). * $11,232,355.82 will be distributed to independent cultural venues, with individual grants listed for organizations like the Aladdin ($539,245.00), Crystal Ballroom ($571,159.19), and Revolution Hall ($471,208.99). * $26,930,147.18 will be used by the department to develop and implement a grant program for Oregon cultural organizations that experienced significant loss in earned revenue due to COVID-19 mandates or guidance. * Grant eligibility requires demonstrating a significant loss in earned revenue between fiscal year 2020 and fiscal year 2023 due to the pandemic. * Grant allocation will prioritize organizations with the greatest proportional loss of earned revenue and will consider the organization's fiscal size and lost revenue. * Grant funds will be distributed proportionally among geographic regions of the state based on population and the number of eligible organizations. * The department may withhold up to five percent of the appropriated funds for program development and implementation costs. * The grant program provisions become operative on January 1, 2024. * The bill declares an emergency and takes effect upon passage.