Date: June 18, 2007
To: Congressional Staff
From: Americans for the Arts
Americans for the Arts and its Arts Action Fund are pleased to send you this Arts Policy Update. It is designed to provide timely and relevant information to congressional staff who are working on arts and arts education issues. The update is published six times throughout the year and periodically for breaking news items. Click here for archives.
This information is drawn from legislative news placed on our Congressional Resource Website, which is updated regularly with comprehensive and timely information, ranging from arts-related legislation to economic data and Congressional Arts Caucus activities. We encourage you to visit the website often for updates.
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ARTSLEGISLATIONNEWSHISTORIC NEA INCREASE HEADS TO HOUSE FLOOR; SENATE SUBCOMMITTEE TO MARK UP
The House Appropriations Committee has approved a $35 million increase for the National Endowment for the Arts in its FY 2008 Interior Appropriations bill. This amount, if approved by Congress and signed by the president, would be the largest increase in the history of the agency. The increase would support direct grants to local and state organizations, Challenge America and American Masterpieces. The agency, currently funded at $124.4 million would see its budget increased to $160 million, partially restoring it to its high of $176 million during the 1990's. The National Endowment for the Humanities also received a budget increase of $19 million that would increase its annual budget to $160 million - equal to that of the NEA.
The House is expected to consider the FY08 Interior spending bill this week. The Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee will hold its markup on Tuesday, June 19, 2007 and the full Senate Appropriations Committee is scheduled to mark up on Thursday, June 21, 2007.
Advocacy on behalf of these two agencies began on March 13th with the National Arts Advocacy Day. Hundreds of advocates visited Washington and their congressional delegations and called on them to support increased levels for the NEA and NEH. Rep. Norm Dicks convened the House Interior & Environment Appropriations Subcommittee for a special hearing on the arts, marking Arts Advocacy Day. Witnesses, including Americans for the Arts President & CEO Robert Lynch, acclaimed jazz trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis and several other national leaders in the arts, asked for NEA funding to be restored to its 1992 level of $176 million. A summary of the hearing with testimony and pictures is available here.
Wynton Marsalis testifies in support of increased funding for the National Endowment for the Arts before the House Interior Appropriations Subcmte on Arts Advocacy Day
The Interior Subcommittee also heard testimony from NEA Chairman Dana Gioia at the agency hearing and Congressional Arts Caucus Co-chairs Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and Chris Shays (R-CT) testified in support of an increase for the NEA at the subcommittee's public witness hearing.
Click here for more information, or contact Narric Rome.
ARTS EDUCATION PROGRAM RECEIVES INCREASE, INCLUDES VITAL NATIONAL SURVEY
The House Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee approved a $39 million funding level for the arts education program at the U.S. Department of Education. This is an increase of $3.4 million and would provide for an increased amount of model arts education grants to be distributed to local school districts and includes funding for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and VSAarts. The subcommittee also provided for the Department to administer a national survey on the status of arts education in our nation's public schools. This survey was last fielded in the 1999-2000 school year and has been a key request of the arts education community for years.
The House Appropriations Committee is expected to consider the Labor-HHS-Education bill in the next few weeks. The Senate Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee is scheduled to consider their mark on Tuesday, June 19, 2007 and the full Senate Appropriations Committee will consider the bill on Thursday, June 21, 2007.
Click here for more information, or contact Narric Rome.
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ARTSRESEARCHNEWSNEW ECONOMIC IMPACT STUDY ON THE ARTS IN
On May 22, Americans for the Arts released the findings from Arts & Economic Prosperity III, our third study of the nonprofit arts and culture industry's impact on the nation's economy. These studies are the most potent and oft-cited research tool used to encourage public- and private-sector support of nonprofit arts organizations. This new study is our largest ever, featuring findings from 156 study regions (116 cities and counties, 35 multicounty regions, and five states). Data was collected from a remarkable 6,080 nonprofit arts and culture organizations and from 94,478 of their attendees across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Nonprofit arts and culture organizations in the United States drive a $166.2 billion industry -- a growth industry that supports 5.7 million full-time equivalent jobs and generates nearly $30 billion in government revenue annually. This study shows that communities are investing in an industry that supports jobs, generates government revenue, and is the cornerstone of tourism.
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ABOUTUSFor more information about Americans for the Arts or the Arts Action Fund, please visit our websites. For further inquiries about arts policy or the information in this newsletter, please contact our Federal Government Affairs staff:
Narric Rome
Director, Federal Affairs
T 202.712.2060
Nina Ozlu
Chief Counsel for Government & Public Affairs
Executive Director, Arts Action Fund
T 202.371.2830
This update will be published six times
throughout the year and for breaking news.
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