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policy and advocacy
Headlines of the Week
- Congress Reconvenes; Arts Advocates Mourn the Loss of Rep. Robert Matsui
01-03-2005: The 109th Congress convenes this week, beginning with the swearing-in of new members on Tuesday, January 4. Unfortunately, the House will be without one of its biggest arts supporters—California Congressman Robert Matsui passed away on the 1st of January of bone marrow cancer. Matsui's legacy is one of solid arts support; he consistently voted in favor of funding increases for the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as favoring other arts-friendly legislation. In 2003 and 2004, Mastsui cosigned letters urging the House Appropriations Committee to increase funding for the Department of Education's Arts in Education program. His exemplary record of arts support earned him a grade of A+ on Americans for the Arts Action Fund's Congressional Report Card.
- Americans for the Arts and the U.S. Conference of Mayors Present the 2005 Public Leadership in the Arts Awards
01-17-2005: Meridian (MS) Mayor John Robert Smith, Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, and legendary musician Peter Yarrow are this year's recipients of the Public Leadership in the Arts Awards. The awards honor elected officials and artists who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in advancement of the arts. The awards were presented at the Mayors Arts Luncheon today as part of the U.S. Conference of Mayors' 73rd winter meeting in Washington, DC. The awards are part of a series of Public Leadership in the Arts Awards, given annually by Americans for the Arts and the U.S. Conference of Mayors since 1997. Read the press release to learn more about this year's honorees.
- Secretary of State Nominee Condoleeza Rice Urges Increased Cultural Exchange
01-25-2005: During her confirmation hearing on January 18, Secretary of State nominee Condoleeza Rice advocated for increased cultural exchange. "We have some very effective cultural and educational exchange programs," said Rice. "I think we need to look at how we leverage those, move those forward. Are we doing enough, particularly in the Muslim world and in places like Indonesia and countries that we have, unfortunately, been not very active in recent years? What more can we do? And so I would hope to have some initiatives on that score, too." Rice is expected to be confirmed by the Senate this week. We urge you to write your Members of Congress and urge them to ease restrictions on foreign artists and cultural exchanges.
- CARE Act Reintroduced in Senate
01-31-2005: Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) has introduced a bill (S. 6) that includes a provision allowing artists to deduct the fair market value of any donated works of art, as well as two other provisions designed to increase charitable giving. These provisions were part of last year's CARE Act, which was never finalized by Congress despite being passed by both the House and Senate. S. 6 includes all of last year's CARE Act, as well as many more provisions dealing with welfare reform and tax relief.
- President Releases FY 2006 Budget
02-07-2005: On February 7, President Bush sent his FY 2006 budget request to Congress. The budget essentially level-funds the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities and offers a small increase for the Office of Museum Services. Unfortunately, the budget eliminates funding for the Department of Education's Arts in Education programs. Write your Members of Congress and urge them to support increased arts funding.
- Arts Advocacy Day Handbook Now Online
02-21-2005: The 2005 Arts Advocacy Day Handbook is now available online. The handbook, which will be distributed to our Arts Advocacy Day attendees, contains complete information about Americans for the Arts' legislative priorities for 2005. It also contains updated committee lists, voting records, congressional contact information, and other valuable resources for arts advocates. View more information about Arts Advocacy Day 2005.
- House and Senate Introduce Artist Deduction Legislation
03-07-2005: The House and Senate have introduced proposals that would allow working artists to take a deduction for the fair market value of gifts of their own work to nonprofit groups whose mission involves art. Under current law, they generally can deduct only the cost of the materials used to create the work. The House bill, H.R. 1120, was introduced by Reps. Jim Ramstad (R-MN) and Ben Cardin (D-MD) on March 2, 2005. In the Senate, Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Robert Bennett (R-UT), joined by 13 other Senators, introduced S. 372 on February 14, 2005. It is identical to the House bill, and would provide a deduction only for gifts that are "used" by the recipient. We urge arts advocates to send a message to Congress urging their Members to cosponsor S. 372 and H.R. 1120.
- Arts Advocates from Across the Country Meet in Washington This Week for Arts Advocacy Day
03-14-2005: On March 15, 2005, arts advocates from across the country joined together on Capitol Hill to urge Congress to support increased funding for federal cultural agencies, more sound tax policies for artists who donate their work, and a more feasible system for cultural exchanges. The day kicked off with the Congressional Arts Breakfast, where elected officials such as Congressional Arts Caucus co-chairs Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and Chris Shays (R-CT) joined celebrities such as Joe Pantoliano and Fiona Apple in rallying the attendees. Then, led by their State Arts Advocacy Captains, advocates visited over 250 congressional offices, providing Members with the 2005 Congressional Arts Handbook and Creative Industries maps detailing the number of arts businesses and employees in their district. For those who could not make the trip, we have prepared a letter that you may send to your Members of Congress urging them to support the arts.
- Americans for the Arts Submits Written Testimony in Support of NEA Funding
03-21-2005: Americans for the Arts has submitted a statement to the House and Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittees urging increased funding for the National Endowment for the Arts. We are once again advocating for restored funding of the agency's peak funding level of $170 million.
- Senate to Consider Limitations on Gifts of Property
03-28-2005: The Senate Finance Committee will hear testimony on April 6 on proposals to limit the tax deduction for gifts of property, including gifts of art to arts organizations. In 1986, a similar limitation caused a catastrophic drop in gifts to museums, leading Congress to repeal the limitation in 1990. Americans for the Arts is advocating for retention of current law, which allows donors to deduct the fair market value of gifts of property that are used to advance the recipients' charitable missions. Read the Joint Committee's statement on donation of property.
- Department of Education Announces Arts Education Grants
04-04-2005: On March 30, the U.S. Department of Education announced competitions for 2005 for the Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination Grant Program (CFDA# 84.351D) and the Professional Development for Arts Educators (CFDA# 84.351C).
The Model competition has approximately $3.9 million for about 15 awards averaging $250,000, and the Professional Development competition has about $6.2 million for 25 awards averaging $250,482. The Model grant competition has a deadline of May 31, 2005 and the Professional Development competiton is May 20, 2005.
Full details can be found on the Department of Education's website. You'll find the information listed under the date March 30.
- Reps. Ramstad and Cardin Urge Other House Members to Cosponsor Artist Deduction Bill
04-11-2005: Reps. Jim Ramstad (R-MN) and Ben Cardin (D-MD) have circulated a letter to all House members urging them to become cosponsors of H.R. 1120, the Artist Deduction bill. The legislation would allow working artists to take a deduction for the fair market value of gifts of their own work to nonprofit groups whose mission involves art. Under current law, they generally can deduct only the cost of the materials used to create the work. We urge arts advocates to send a message to Congress urging their Members to cosponsor H.R. 1120, as well as identical legislation in the Senate, S. 372.
- Letter Circulated Asking Fellow Senators to Join the New Senate Cultural Caucus
04-18-2005: Four U.S. Senators have sent a "Dear Colleague" letter, asking Senators to join a newly-formed Senate Cultural Caucus which will work to highlight the work of the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Sens. Edward Kennedy (D-MA), Mike Enzi (R-WY), Jim Jeffords (I-VT), and Norm Coleman (R-MN), who co-authored the letter, will also serve as co-chairs of the caucus. The letter notes that, "Future generations will learn about our history and ideals through our literature, paintings, dance and drama. Yet, we often overlook the important role of the arts in our daily lives." We encourage you to write your Senators and urge them to join the Senate Cultural Caucus.
- Congressional Arts Caucus Circulates Letter Urging Increased NEA Funding
04-25-2005: The Congressional Arts Caucus co-chairs have circulated a letter to all House members, asking them to sign a letter which would then be sent to the leaders of the House Interior Appropriations Committee, which has jurisdiction over funding for the National Endowment for the Arts. The letter asks for an increase of $15 million for the NEA. Such an increase, if approved, would bring NEA funding to $136.3 million for FY06 and would allow the NEA to expand the American Masterpieces initiative without taking funds from Challenge America, which provides important funds to local arts agencies. Please write your Member of Congress and urge them to sign the letter.
- Americans for the Arts Gives Testimony Before a House Appropriations Subcommittee
05-02-2005: On behalf of Americans for the Arts, Dr. Catherine Richmond-Cullen testified last week before the House Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee in support of increased funding for Arts in Education programs. Americans for the Arts is advocating for an increase to $53 million for these vital programs. We encourage you to write your Representative and urge them to sign a letter to appropriators asking for this increase.
- Congressional Arts Caucus Circulates Letter Urging Support for Arts in Education
05-09-2005: The Congressional Arts Caucus is circulating a "Dear Colleague" letter which will be sent to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee, urging increased funding levels for the Arts in Education programs through the U.S. Department of Education. Arts in Education currently supports model programs that bring arts education to entire schools, school districts, and regions. The Arts in Education programs also support professional development of arts educators, as well as the ongoing national arts education initiatives of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and VSA Arts. Text of the "Dear Colleague" letter will be posted later this week. In the meantime, you can write your Representative and ask them to sign the letter by using our E-Advocacy Center.
- House to Debate Congressional Arts Caucus Amendment This Week
05-16-2005: The House of Representatives this week will take up the FY 2006 Interior Appropriations bill, which funds the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities. As written, the bill offers no new funding for either cultural agency. During debate of the bill, members of the Congressional Arts Caucus will offer an amendment to increase NEA funding by $10 million and NEH funding by $5 million. We ask that you contact your Representative and urge them to vote in favor of the amendment. We will post the results of the amendment as soon as they are available, most likely Thursday afternoon.
- House Approves $10 Million Increase for NEA
05-23-2005: Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the Congressional Arts Caucus Amendment to increase funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) by $10 million and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) by $5 million. For the first time ever, the amendment passed by voice vote, which means there is not a detailed record of who voted for or against the amendment. The House also defeated two amendments that would have reduced NEA funding by $45 million. Read more, and write your Representative based on their vote on the anti-NEA amendments.
- House and Senate Subcommitees to Take Up NEA, Arts in Ed Funding
06-06-2005: This week the Senate Interior Appropriations subcommittee will begin work on their FY 2006 spending bill, which provides funding for the NEA and NEH. (The House completed their work on the bill last month, approving an increase of $10 million for the NEA.) The House Labor-HHS-Education subcommittee, meanwhile, will mark up their FY 2006 bill on Thursday. Traditionally the House offers no funding for the Arts in Education programs; the Senate provides funding in their bill which the House then accepts in a conference of the two bodies. Following the subcommittee's work on these two bills, our E-Advocacy Center will provide an opportunity to contact Congress and urge them to fight for increased funding for the arts.
- Senate Cultural Caucus Increases Membership to 26 Senators
06-13-2005: In late April, four U.S. Senators sent a "Dear Colleague" letter asking Senators to join a Senate Cultural Caucus, which will work to highlight the work of the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Senators Edward Kennedy (D-MA), Mike Enzi (R-WY), Jim Jeffords (I-VT), and Norm Coleman (R-MN), who co-authored the letter, are serving as co-chairs of the caucus. Since its inception, 26 Senators have joined the Caucus. For a full list of Caucus members, and to write your Senators and urge them to join the Caucus, visit our E-Advocacy Center.
- House Appropriations Committee Cuts PBS Funding
06-20-2005: Last week the Appropriations Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives approved deep cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) but slightly improved the long term funding picture by striking efforts to completely eliminate funding by 2008. Immediate funding reductions in the FY 2006 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill include a $100 million cut for programs, elimination of $39 million to help local stations switch to digital transmission, $40 million to upgrade aging satellite technology, and a $23 million cut to the "Ready to Learn" program, which provides money for the creation of shows such as "Sesame Street" and "Reading Rainbow." Please write your Members of Congress and urge them to restore full funding to these crucial programs.
- House Restores PBS Funding
06-27-2005: Last week the U.S. House of Representatives passed an amendment to restore $100 million in FY 2006 funding that had previously been cut by the House Appropriations Committee. The amendment passed by an impressive vote of 284–140, indicating broad bipartisan support for public broadcasting. The Senate will take up their version of the bill after July 4, 2005, but they are not expected to make any cuts to public broadcasting. To see the vote tally, and to send a message to your Representative regarding his or her vote on this amendment, visit our E-Advocacy Center.
- Congressional Arts Caucus Circulates "Dear Colleague" in Support of Increased NEA Funding Level
07-04-2005: Last week the Congressional Arts Caucus began soliciting signatures for a letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee urging support of the House's funding level for the National Endowment for the Arts. The House and Senate will meet in conference in the next few weeks to iron out differences in their respective funding levels for the NEA; the House bill provides a $10 million increase for the NEA, with most of the increase targeted to the Challenge America program. The Senate bill increases NEA funding by only $5 million, but does not specify to which programs the increase would apply. We urge you to write your Representative and ask them to sign the Arts Caucus letter.
- Senate to Begin Work on Arts Education
07-11-2005: The Senate Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee will meet this week to begin work on their FY 2006 appropriations bill, which is expected to contain at least level-funding ($35 million) for the Department of Education's Arts in Education programs. Arts in Education programs support the development of models for K–12 arts education; professional development for arts educators; the national activities of the Kennedy Center; and VSA Arts (formerly Very Special Arts), which serves children with special needs. The full Senate Appropriations Committee may complete work on the bill this week as well, but because the Senate is also expected to begin debate on Supreme Court judges soon, it is unclear when work on the bill will be completed. We encourage you to send a message to your Members of Congress, urging increased funding for the Arts in Education programs.
- Senate Appropriations Bill Boosts Arts Education, CPB Funding
07-18-2005: On Thursday, July 14, 2005, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a bill that contains funding for the arts in three key areas: the Department of Education’s Arts in Education (AIE) program, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The Senate's bill provides $35.7 million for the arts education program; $511 million to support public broadcasting's ongoing operations, conversion to digital technology, satellite upgrades, and for the "Ready to Learn" program; and $33.5 million for museum grants through IMLS. We encourage you to write your Senators and urge them to fight for the committee-passed funding levels for these three programs.
- New Legislative Update Page Created; NEA/NEH Funding Likely Finalized This Week
07-25-2005: Americans for the Arts has created a new Legislative Update page, where you can get quick updates on timely legislative matters. The new Legislative Update page will be updated weekly to provide you with the latest information on Federal arts funding and legislation. We've begun this service at an opportune time; the House and Senate will likely conclude conference negotiations on the FY 2006 Interior Appropriations bill, which funds the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities. We urge you to write your Members of Congress and urge them to support the higher funding levels in the House version of the bill.
- NEA Receives Increase of $4.4 Million for FY 2006
07-28-2005: Congress has completed the final conference report for the FY 2006 Interior Appropriations bill, reconciling differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill. We are pleased to report that funding increases for both the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) are included in this bill. Prior to applying an across-the-board rescission of 0.476 percent to all programs within the Interior bill, both cultural agencies received increases of $5 million each for next year. The bill funds the NEA at $125.66 million and the NEH at $142.37 million. For more information, visit our E-Advocacy Center.
- Senate Passes Resolution in Support of Cultural Exchange
08-08-2005: The U.S. Senate has passed the People-to-People Engagement in World Affairs Resolution, which urges the Secretary of State to take the lead and coordinate with other governmental agencies and nongovernmental organizations in creating an online database of international exchange programs and related opportunities. Text of the resolution states that “the Secretary of State should coordinate with implementing partners to make readily accessible information on how Americans can take advantage of international fairs and cultural events in the United States.” We encourage you to write your Members of Congress and urge them to support cultural exchange programs.
- Americans for the Arts files amicus curiae with Washington State Court of Appeals in Support of Public Art Funding
08-15-2005: Americans for the Arts has filed an amicus curiae brief with the Washington State Court of Appeals in support of reinstating Seattle's percent for art ordinance as it applies to the city's power utility. The brief states, "Seattle’s Public Art Program and specifically its Percent for Art ordinance are national models and have been emulated by dozens of cities nationwide. Seattle’s public art projects have been highly acclaimed and widely documented in national newspapers, art publications, and text books. Since the early years of its inception in 1973, Seattle’s public art program has revolutionized the planning and engagement process of involving artists, architects, sponsoring agencies, and the community to achieve innovative, meaningful, and inspiring works of art sited in public places. Because Seattle has been so successful with its public art process, these same principles have been adopted in cities large and small across the country."
- The U.S. Department of Education Awards 23 New Arts Educator Grants
08-22-2005: The Department of Education has announced a new round of grants totalling $6,169,184 under the Professional Development for Arts Educators program within the Arts in Education program. Twenty-three schools or school districts in 15 states were recipients of the new round of grants, which support the implementation of high-quality professional development model programs in elementary and secondary education for music, dance, drama, media arts, and visual arts, including folk arts, educators, and other instructional staff working in high-poverty schools.
- Americans for the Arts Creates Online Bulletin Board for Regions Hit by Hurricane Katrina
09-05-2005: Americans for the Arts members in the regions affected by Hurricane Katrina have expressed a desperate need for information on their fellow arts groups. In response, we have set up a bulletin board on our website to gather and disseminate information for the arts community. If you have heard news about how arts organizations, cultural facilities, and artists are faring in the aftermath of the hurricane, please don't hesitate to submit this news for inclusion on the bulletin board. If you know of any initiatives to assist the arts, please feel free to share them as well. The Heritage Foundation has recently published a report in conjunction with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), entitled Before and After Disasters: Federal Funding for Cultural Institutions. The report details many sources of federal aid available to institutions affected by the hurricane. In addition, the National Endowment for the Arts will be posting information on how they'll be assisting victims as well.
- State Arts Action Network Issues State Appropriations Report
09-12-2005: As a service to the State Arts Action Network, Americans for the Arts has released a report on FY 2006 state arts agency appropriations. Our report finds that, in general, arts agencies faired well; there were several major gains, while only a few states experienced losses. Of the 50 states, 33 showed increases, seven remained flat funded, and 10 states reported losses. Overall, state arts appropriations grew by $21,949,988 from FY 2005 to FY 2006. For a state-by-state breakdown of FY 2006 appropriations, read the full report.
- Oral Arguments Held in Seattle Percent for Public Art Case
09-19-2005: The oral arguments in the Okeson vs. City of Seattle public art appeal were held Wednesday, September 14, 2005. The amicus brief submitted by Americans for the Arts in support of the appeal was mentioned several times and raised the judges' interest around the mitigation issue. We are told that Seattle's Defense Attorney Will Patton did a terrific job presenting the case, and the judges requested clarification about mitigation, whereas the plaintiffs had difficulty answering a judge’s question as to why the 1% ordinance for the utility should be overturned. The final court ruling is expected to take place in 3–6 months, which will be followed by the decision of the nonprevailing party whether or not to appeal to the State Supreme Court. In addition, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer ran an Op-Ed by our Washington State Arts Advocacy Captain Gretchen Johnston (from the Washington State Arts Alliance and whose group joined Americans for the Arts as a signatory to the amicus brief).
- CARE Act Reintroduced; Senate Version Contains Artist Deduction Language
09-26-2005: Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) plans to include the artist deduction bill in his new draft of the CARE Act, which he plans to introduce on Tuesday, September 27, 2005. The artist deduction bill would allow artists to claim an income tax deduction for the fair market value of works that they donate to arts or educational organizations that retain the works for mission-related use. Under current law, they may claim only the cost of materials. The House will also introduce a version of the CARE Act this week that will not include the artist deduction language. However, we have assurances from key committee staff that the House will support the addition of the artist bill after both bodies have passed the legislation and meet in committee to work out differences. For more on the artist deduction bill, read the Artists' Fair-Market Value Deduction Bills issue brief.
- House Education Chairman Suggests Terminating Arts Education Program
10-10-2005: House Education & the Workforce Committee Chairman John Boehner has suggested eliminating the Department of Education's Arts in Education program to pay for hurricane recovery efforts. Boehner's Setting Priorities in Spending Act (H.R. 4018) would eliminate a total of 14 Federal programs, including the Arts in Education program which Boehner claims "has a limited impact in integrating arts into the school curriculum." This couldn't be further from the truth. Arts in Education programs offer grants for the development, implementation, and expansion of arts education programs and the integration of arts instruction into the core curriculum. Please write your Member of Congress and urge them to support the Arts in Education programs.
- House Circulates Letter in Support of Arts Education
10-24-2005: The U.S. Senate continues work this week on next year’s funding for the Arts in Education (AIE) program. Congressional supporters in the House (which has offered NO funding for the program) are currently circulating a "Dear Colleague" letter that calls on Labor/HHS/ED Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Ralph Regula (R-OH) and Ranking Member Dave Obey (D-WI) to accept the funding level provided in the Senate version of the bill. Please write your U.S. Representative and Senator to express your support for the Arts in Education funding.
- Senate Approves Funding for Arts Education, Public Broadcasting
10-31-2005: The full Senate gave approval to the FY 2006 appropriations bill for the Departments of Labor, Health & Human Services and Education, and related agencies on October 27, 2005. The bill contains a slight increase for the Department of Education’s Arts in Education program, to $35.7 million. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) would receive $400 million in its regular appropriation, with an additional $35 million to assist with digital conversion and $40 million for satellite technology upgrades; these figures are very similar to last year’s CPB appropriation. The Office of Museum Services (OMS) would receive an increase of about 10 percent for its grants programs, for a total of $33.5 million. In addition, the Senate would give OMS another $19 million for specific museums. The Senate will now negotiate with the House to agree on a final version of FY 2006 funding.
- President Bush Submits Katrina Reallocation Bill Which Includes No Arts Funding
11-07-2005: On October 28, President Bush submitted a request to Congress to reallocate $17 billion worth of previously approved Hurricane Katrina funding. No new funds were requested in the package, and no funding was requested to be shifted to programs to helps the arts and culture community in the affected areas. Americans for the Arts' Creative Industry research shows that a total of 24,003 arts-related businesses employing 108,296 people were located in the FEMA-designated disaster areas hit by Hurricane Katrina. Our Arts & Economic Prosperity Study, which only covered parts of the affected areas, also showed that the nonprofit arts in New Orleans are a $300.5 million industry and support about 10,000 full-time jobs. We urge you to write President Bush and ask him to provide funding to these arts communities.
- 2005 Elections Good for the Arts
11-14-2005: Americans for the Arts Action Fund has completed its preliminary report of the 2005 Election Impact on the Arts. We are very pleased to report that citizens voted overwhelminingly for both pro-arts ballot initiatives and candidates. While 2005 is considered an off year for national and most statewide elections, hundreds of local elections took place in communities across the country, including two statewide elections in New Jersey and Virginia. Additionally, four out of four local ballot initiatives having a positive direct impact on the arts and arts education passed overwhelmining, as well as one statewide ballot that could potentially benefit the arts.
- Senate Approves Tax Deduction for Charitable Gifts by Artist
11-28-2005: Under current law, collectors who donate art to charities can receive a tax deduction for the fair market value of the art. However, artists who donate to a charity artwork that they created are only allowed to take a tax deduction for the cost of the materials used. Bipartisan legislation to reform this inequity was introduced in the House (H.R. 1120) and in the Senate (S.372). Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Robert Bennett (R-UT) have now successfully attached this legislation to the Senate Budget Reconciliation bill, which passed last week. We urge you to write your Representatives and ask that they support similar language in the House.
- Congress Hopes to Wrap Up This Week
12-12-2005: Members of Congress hope to complete significant appropriations, budget, and tax cut legislation this week before heading home for the holiday recess. Of greatest interest to the arts community are a tax reconciliation package; the Senate version contains language that would allow artists who donate their work to claim fair market value. In addition, Congress must complete work on an appropriations bill that funds the nation's education programs, including the Department of Education's Arts in Education programs. The House and Senate have agreed to a funding level of $35.6 million, equal to last year, but the agreement must be passed by both bodies this week.
- FY 2006 NEA, NEH Funding Likely to be Cut by 1 Percent
12-19-2005: The U.S. House of Representatives adjourned for the year early this morning. Before adjourning, the House passed the the FY 2006 Department of Defense Appropriations bill, which included a 1 percent cut to all Federal spending programs to help pay for hurricane relief. If passed by the Senate (as expected) this would result in the NEA being funded at a level of $124.44 million in FY 2006; still an increase of $3.14 million over FY 2005 funding. For the latest information on Congressional action on the arts, please visit our E-Advocacy Center.
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