  We compare the distribution of molecular gas and star formation activity in
the bar region of six spirals (NGC 2903, NGC 3627, NGC 4321, NGC 5457, NGC
6946, & IC 342) from the BIMA Survey of Nearby Galaxies (SONG). The molecular
gas, traced using the CO (J=1--0) emission line, is brightest along the leading
edge of the stellar bar in the bar dust lanes. The star formation activity,
traced using the Halpha emission line, is offset towards the leading side of
the CO emission. A cross-correlation analysis shows that a) the HII regions are
offset 0--800 pc on the leading side of the CO emission, b) the largest offsets
are found in the strongest bars, and c) there is a wide range in offsets in a
single bar with no systematic pattern as a function of the galacto-centric
radius. The CO-Halpha offset constrains how stars may form depending on the gas
flow. We examine possible star formation scenarios in context of the two main
classes of bar gas flow simulations, the N-body/sticky particle and
hydrodynamic models. Though both model gas flows are generally consistent with
the observed offsets, we suggest the inclusion of a two- or multi-phase medium
to improve the agreement between models and observation.
