03-26-2012: Americans for the Arts President and CEO Robert L. Lynch and award-winning actor Stanley Tucci testified at a public witness hearing before the House Appropriations Interior Subcommittee in support of the NEA increase and on behalf of federal cultural funding.
02-16-2012: A hearing on legislation to reauthorize the Elementary & Secondary Education Act in the U.S. House Education and Workforce Committee included significant discussion on arts education. Colorado Springs arts teacher Felicia Kazmier, one of the witnesses, spoke about the need for more funding and accountability in supporting arts education. Congressional Arts Caucus co-chair Todd Platts, caucus member Rep. Bobby Scott, and Rep. Ruben Hinojosa all raised arts learning as important to the underlying K-12 issues being considered by the committee. View testimony here.
02-13-2012: The Obama Administration released its federal budget blueprint for Fiscal Year 2013 with an $8 million increase in funds for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). This proposal would bring the NEA’s funding to $154 million compared to last year’s appropriation of $146 million. See more information and a breakdown of key federally funded arts programs here.
01-16-2012: Rep. John Kline (R-MN), chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Education introduces draft legislation to reauthorize the Elementary & Secondary Education Act (also recognized as the No Child Left Behind Act). While the legislation maintains the arts as a core academic subject, it also proposes to terminate the federal Arts in Education program which has been in place for the last 10 years.
