Bill > H2932

This bill establishes the Massachusetts Artists Disaster and Emergency Aid Fund to support artists residing in the Commonwealth who experience financial hardship due to unforeseen events. A "Massachusetts Artist" is defined as someone who creates "original and creative work," which includes various forms of writing, performance, music, traditional crafts, film, dance, and fine art, and who either lives in Massachusetts or maintains a permanent abode there for over 183 days a year. "Original and creative work" specifically excludes items created for industry-oriented production. "Traditional and fine crafts" are defined as handcrafted, unique, or limited-production items not mass-produced, where skill and technique are primary to the artistic process. "Fine art" encompasses a broad range of visual arts, including paintings, sculptures, digital art, and performance-based works. A "disaster" is a catastrophic event like a hurricane, flood, fire, earthquake, explosion, or terrorist attack, while an "emergency" is a major accident or situation causing loss of income, housing, studio space, childcare, or resulting from violence, sickness, disability, theft of work or equipment, or inability to afford health insurance, all of which threaten an artist's livelihood. The fund will be managed by the State Treasurer, who can accept monetary donations from various sources, including proceeds from the sale or auction of forfeited artwork. Funds will be disbursed to eligible Massachusetts Artists based on criteria established by the State Treasurer, potentially in collaboration with arts organizations and state committees, and the Treasurer may form a commission to oversee fund dispersal. Importantly, money in the fund will not come from legislative appropriations but from donations and other non-appropriated sources.