Bill Text: VA HB642 | 2024 | Regular Session | Comm Sub
Bill Title: Virginia Creative Economy Grant Program; established.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-02-13 - Left in Appropriations [HB642 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2024-HB642-Comm_Sub.html
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding in Title 59.1 a chapter numbered 22.22, consisting of a section numbered 59.1-284.43, as follows:
§59.1-284.43. Virginia Creative Economy Grant Program.
A. For the purposes of this section:
"Corporation" means the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation.
"Creative economy" means industries that have their origin in individual creativity, skill, and talent and that have a potential for wealth and job creation through the generation and exploitation of intellectual property, including production of audio, video, or visual content; literary or performing arts; production of film, music, software, or video games; production of physical goods, including instruments, art, crafts, furniture, robotics, and taxidermy; and television or radio.
"Creative economy entrepreneur" means a small business or a self-employed individual that earns income in the creative economy through creative, cultural, or artistic-based pursuits to produce ideas, content, goods, and services.
"Independent content creator" means an individual who creates original digital media content in the form of audio, video, or visual content for entertainment purposes and with the intention of generating a profit.
"Program" means the Virginia Creative Economy Grant Program.
B. The Virginia Creative Economy Grant Program is hereby established for the purpose of awarding grants on a competitive basis from such funds as may be available to independent content creators and creative economy entrepreneurs for the purpose of developing and expanding the creative economy in the Commonwealth. Grants shall be awarded by the Corporation, in consultation with the Virginia Commission for the Arts established pursuant to §23.1-3222, in an amount not to exceed $20,000 to any independent content creator or creative economy entrepreneur. The Program shall be administered by the Corporation, in consultation with the Virginia Commission for the Arts. In administering the Program, the Corporation, in consultation with the Virginia Commission for the Arts, shall establish and publish guidelines and criteria for grant awards, including guidelines and criteria governing agreements between the Corporation and grant recipients relating to the use of grant funds. All funds appropriated by the General Assembly for use in the Program and any gifts, donations, grants, bequests, and other funds received on its behalf shall be paid into the state treasury. Any such funds shall be used solely for purposes of (i) awarding grants on a competitive basis through the Program or (ii) implementing and administering the Program.
