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10-04-2006: President Bush signs the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act (H.R. 5441), which contains language that broadens the definition of entities eligible for FEMA emergency assistance to include performing arts facilities.
09-21-2006: Senate Cultural Caucus Co-Chair Norm Coleman has circulated a "Dear Colleague" letter calling for a funding increase for the NEA and NEH. Further background information on the status of the funding bill is available online.
07-20-2006: The full Senate Appropriations Committee approved the Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee's mark of the FY 2007 bill, without any related amendments in funding.
07-18-2006: The Senate Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee approved its version of the FY 2007 funding bill. The Arts in Education program at the U.S. Department of Education was given a small increase of $1.2 million, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting was level-funded, as was the Office for Museum Services at IMLS.
06-29-2006: The Senate Appropriations Committee approves the subcommittee recommendation of level funding the National Endowment for the Arts ($124.4 million) and the National Endowment for the Humanities ($141 million) in the FY 2007 Interior bill.
06-15-2006: Reps. Nadler, Boehlert, and Leach, in coordination with the Congressional Arts Caucus, hosted a briefing on arts education in 122 Cannon. The primary speakers were Arts Education Partnership Director Dick Deasy, author of A Nation At Risk Milt Goldberg, and acclaimed actor and Americans for the Arts board member Giancarlo Esposito. A string quartet from the DC Youth Orchestra also performed. Staff from 48 congressional offices attended the briefing. View pictures from the briefing.
06-13-2006: The House Appropriations Committee marked up the FY 2007 Labor-HHS-Education bill and approved the funding levels that the subcommittee set the week earlier. There was one exception, Chairman Regula's manager amendment restored $20 million to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting budget, still leaving several programs terminated.
06-07-2006: The House Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee markup for FY 2007 terminated funding for the Arts in Education program at the U.S. Department of Education and made a 23% cut of about $115 million to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting budget. The Institute of Museum & Library Services received $41.385 million, an increase of about $4.18 million.
06-05-2006: U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings responds to the (see 05-05-2006 item) inquiry by Senators Enzi, Kennedy, Alexander and Dodd to the Department's plan for a new FRSS study on arts education.
05-18-2006: The House passed a Congressional Arts Caucus amendment to H.R. 5386 to increase funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities by $5 million each in FY 2007. The amendment passed by unanimous voice vote. Also on May 18, the House rejected an amendment introduced by Rep. Beauprez which would have decreased NEA funding by $30 million by a vote of 112–306.
05-18-2006: The House Education & the Workforce Committee held a hearing titled, "No Child Left Behind: How Innovative Educators Are Integrating Subject Matter to Improve Student Achievement." This was the first in a series of hearings on the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act. By viewing the webcast (Windows Media Player required), you can see Rep. Woolsey speak in support of arts education (at 15:20 on the webcast timestamp) and arts educator Ray Zeigler was one of the hearing witnesses (at 57:48 timestamp). The hearing testimony is online here.
05-10-2006: House Appropriations Committee approves Interior Appropriations Subcommittee recommendation to level fund the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities in the FY 2007 budget.
05-09-2006: Representatives Michael Castle and Lynn Woolsey (Chairman and Ranking Member, respectively, of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce) sent a letter similar to the one from the Senate authorizers (see 05-05-2006 entry below) to Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings regarding implementation of an Fast Response Survey System (FRSS) survey in arts education.
05-05-2006: Senators Michael Enzi and Edward Kennedy (Chairman and Ranking Member, respectively, of the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee), and Senators Lamar Alexander and Chris Dodd (Chairman and Ranking Member, respectively, of the Subcommittee on Education & Early Childhood Development) sent a letter to Education Secretary Margaret Spellings calling on the Department to implement the Fast Response Survey System (FRSS) on arts education, as directed by the FY 2006 Labor/HHS/Education appropriations bill.
05-03-2006: Under Secretary of State Karen Hughes testifies at House SSJC Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on public diplomacy programs. In her testimony she praised international exchange programs as the most successful public diplomacy program in the last 50 years.
04-11-2006: A Dear Colleague letter in support of funding for the National Endowment for the Arts receiving an increase in the FY 2007 appropriations bill was submitted to House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Charles Taylor and Ranking Member Norm Dicks.
03-30-2006: Americans for the Arts President and CEO Robert L. Lynch submitted written testimony in support of the Arts in Education program at the U.S. Department of Education, the Institute of Museums & Library Services, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
03-16-2006: Americans for the Arts President and CEO Robert L. Lynch submitted written testimony in support of the National Endowment for the Arts receiving an increase in the FY 2007 appropriations bill.
03-16-2006: A Dear Colleague letter in support of funding the Arts in Education program at the U.S. Department of Education in the FY 2007 appropriations bill was submitted to House Labor/HHS/Education Subcommittee Chairman Ralph Regula and Ranking Member David Obey.
03-16-2006: Americans for the Arts, along with a group of 14 other arts advocacy organizations submitted testimony to the House Science-State-Justice-Commerce Appropriations Subcommittee calling for an increase of $10 million in FY 2007 funding for cultural exchange programs at the U.S. State Department.
03-14-2006: Arts Advocacy Day. Arts Advocacy Day began with the annual Congressional Arts Breakfast, held in conjunction with the Congressional Arts Caucus (co-chaired by Reps. Louise Slaughter and Chris Shays). Representative Jim Leach was awarded the 2006 Congressional Arts Leadership Award by Americans for the Arts and the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
03-01-2006: The Senate Labor-HHS-ED Appropriations Subcommittee held a hearing with Secretary Spellings on the FY 2007 U.S Department of Education budget. In his statement to the Secretary, Appropriations Committee Chairman Thad Cochran said he hoped to work with the Secretary and Chairman Arlen Specter to ensure that the arts education program is continued.
02-14-2006: The Senate named conferees (Senators Grassley, Kyl, and Baucus) to the tax reconciliation conference committee on H.R. 4297.
02-08-2006: The House named conferees (Reps. Thomas, McCrery, Camp, Rangel, and Stark) to the tax reconciliation conference committee on H.R. 4297.
02-06-2006: The FY 2007 budget request was released today. Americans for the Arts has released a statement in response to the President's budget, and further details can be found in this weekly headline, as well as through these agency fact sheets:
- National Endowment for the Arts (pdf)
- National Endowment for the Humanities
- U.S. Department of Education (Arts in Education program)
- Institute of Museum & Library Services
- Corporation for Public Broadcasting
- U.S. State Department (Professional & Cultural Exchange Program)
02-02-2006: The Senate took up H.R. 4297, the tax reconciliation bill, and approved it 66-31, after incorporating much of its own bill, S. 2020, as a substitute. The Senate version of the bill contains language that would allow an artist to take a deduction of fair-market value for works they donate to charity.
01-29-2006: Americans for the Arts sent a letter to House Ways & Means Chairman Bill Thomas detailing concerns with various arts-related provisions in H.R 4297.
