Testimony in Support of

Connecticut H.B. No. 5443

Support for dedicating a portion of the Meals Tax to the Tourism Fund to support cultural organizations.

March 11, 2026

Dear Leaders of the Finance, Revenue, and Bonding Committee, Senator Fonfara, Representative Horn, Senator Fazio, Representative Polletta, Senator Cabrera, Senator Miller, Representative Constantine, Representative Rader, and esteemed Connecticut General Assembly members of the Finance, Revenue, and Bonding Committee,

My name is Steph Burr, and I am the Executive Director of the Northwest Connecticut Arts Council, the designated regional service organization serving 25 towns across the Litchfield Hills, and the treasurer of the board of the Connecticut Arts Alliance. I am writing in strong support of H.B. 5443, specifically the provision dedicating 0.5% of Connecticut's meals tax revenue to arts and culture.

Two independent national datasets tell a consistent and compelling story: Connecticut has one of the most vibrant arts ecosystems in the country, but one of the lowest levels of state public investment to match. H.B. 5443 offers a practical and sustainable path to address that gap.

Connecticut Is a Top-3 Arts State With 44th-Ranked State Investment

The SMU DataArts Arts Vibrancy Index 2025, a rigorous, data-driven ranking of all 50 states on measures of arts supply, demand, and public support, adjusted for population and cost of living, ranks Connecticut #3 in the nation for overall arts vibrancy. This is the largest single-year jump of any state, rising 18 positions from #21 in 2024. Four of the top five states in the country are in the Northeast: New York (#1), New Jersey (#2), Connecticut (#3), and Massachusetts (#4).

Now compare that to what the NASAA State Arts Agency Revenues Report for Fiscal Year 2025 shows on actual state investment. When pass-through line items are excluded, the only fair measure of flexible, community-serving arts funding, Connecticut ranks 44th out of 50 states in per capita arts agency investment, at just $0.41 per person.

Connecticut's arts ecosystem has achieved national excellence despite chronic underinvestment from the state; not because of it. That is a remarkable testament to our artists, organizations, and communities. It also raises an urgent question: what could Connecticut's creative sector accomplish with adequate public support?

Connecticut Lags Every Neighboring State in Arts Funding

NASAA FY2025 data shows per capita state arts agency appropriations for Connecticut and its neighbors:

• New York:$4.39 per capita (ranked 6th nationally)
• New Jersey:$4.32 per capita (ranked 7th nationally)
• Massachusetts:$3.76 per capita (ranked 8th nationally)
• Rhode Island:$2.15 per capita (ranked 14th nationally)
• National average:$2.02 per capita
• Connecticut:$1.88 per capita headline, but only $0.41 per capita (ranked 44th) in flexible, baseline investment once pass-through line items are excluded

That distinction matters. Connecticut's $1.88 figure is inflated by 51 pass-through line item appropriations that flow directly to specific institutions, bypassing the grant-making system entirely. They do not support broad-based programs for artists and organizations across the state. The baseline figure of $0.41 is what actually reaches communities through competitive, flexible state grants, and on that measure, every neighboring state invests far more.

Sources: NASAA State Arts Agency Revenues, Fiscal Year 2025, Table 6; SMU DataArts Arts Vibrancy Index 2025, State Rankings, published January 8, 2026.

The Meals Tax Is the Right Mechanism

Dedicating a portion of the meals tax to arts and culture is more than a creative funding solution; it is a logical one. Arts and cultural activity directly drives restaurant and hospitality revenue. When residents attend a theater production in Torrington, a gallery opening in Kent, or an arts festival in Litchfield, they eat out. They stay overnight. They shop local. This provision closes the loop between the economic activity the arts generate and the public funding the arts receive.

The NASAA report notes that 30 state arts agencies already receive funding from dedicated revenue streams including hotel/motel taxes, sales taxes, entertainment taxes, and lottery proceeds. Connecticut has the opportunity to join that group with a mechanism that is both fair and durable.

The SMU DataArts research also confirms what practitioners know on the ground: public investment and arts vibrancy are directly linked. The Arts Vibrancy Index specifically measures government support as one of three core pillars of a healthy arts ecosystem. Connecticut's historic jump to #3 reflects genuine growth in our creative sector. Sustaining and building on that position will require the kind of stable, dedicated funding this bill would provide.

Conclusion

Respectfully submitted,