House Arts Caucus Co-Chair Louise Slaughter Takes Chair of Powerful Rules Committee 01-01-2007: Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) will be sworn in as chairwoman of the House Rules Committee, one of the most powerful jobs on Capitol Hill. As chairwoman—the first in history—Rep. Slaughter will have great influence over the terms and conditions under which legislation comes before the House for debate. She was instrumental in reestablishing the bipartisan Congressional Arts Caucus in 1997 and has served as its democratic co-chair since that time. Rep. Slaughter represents the 28th Congressional District of New York, which includes part of the metropolitan areas of Rochester and Buffalo.
House Democrats Named Chairs of Appropriations Subcommittees 01-08-2007: The House democrats have named the chairs of the appropriations subcommittees. Included in the list is Rep. Norm Dicks (WA), who will chair the Interior Subcommittee, which oversees funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and Rep. Dave Obey (WI) at Labor-HHS-Education, which oversees the Department of Education’s Arts in Education program and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Congress Makes Final Selections in Appropriations Leaders 01-15-2007: The new leadership teams in the United States Senate and House of Representatives have finalized their choices to lead the arts-related appropriations subcommittees. On the Senate side, California democrat Dianne Feinstein will chair the Interior Subcommittee, which funds the NEA and NEH, while Larry Craig (R-ID) will serve as ranking member. At the Senate Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee, which funds the U.S. Department of Education’s arts education program as well as the Institute of Museum and Library Services, former Ranking Member Tom Harkin (D-IA) will take the gavel as chairman, while previous chairman Arlen Specter (R-PA) becomes ranking member. In the House, Rep. Norm Dicks (D-WA) will chair the Interior Subcommittee and will be joined by Ranking Member Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-KS), a new face on the subcommittee. The House Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee will be led by Rep. David Obey (D-WI), who is also chairman of the full Appropriations Committee. The Ranking Member is Rep. James Walsh (R-NY).
Leahy Expected to Reintroduce the Artist-Museum Partnership Act 01-22-2007: It is expected that Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), along with Sen. Robert Bennett (R-UT), will reintroduce the Artist-Museum Partnership Act in the next few weeks. This bill will allow artists to claim a fair market value tax deduction when they donate their work to charities and museums. Currently, artists who donate their works are only able to deduct the cost of supplies such as canvas, pen, paper, and ink, which does not reflect the work’s true value. In the 109th Congress, the bill’s current cosponsors were Sens. Leahy (D-VT), Bennett (R-UT), Schumer (D-NY), Cochran (R-MS), Sanders (I-VT), Lieberman (ID-CT), Cantwell (D-WA), and Stevens (R-AK).
Congress Considers FY 2007 Continuing Resolution 01-29-2007: The current continuing resolution that funds the FY 2007 Appropriations bills will expire on February 15, 2007. As expected, Congress is considering passing another continuing resolution for FY 2007 that would fund the vast majority of programs at FY 2006 levels. Funding for all arts-related programs is expected to be level funded under this legislation.
President Proposes Modest Increase 02-05-2007: The FY 2008 budget process got started on February 5 with the release of the President’s recommendations to Congress, which included a call for a small increase of $4 million for the NEA. While any call for an increase is welcome, the proposed budget falls short of the need to make a larger investment in the arts and is far below the NEA’s funding level of 15 years ago, when the agency received $176 million.
Artist Deduction Bill Reintroduced 02-26-2007: Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Robert Bennett (R-UT) have introduced a bill, S. 548, designed to increase charitable gifts of art and manuscripts to collecting and educational institutions. Specifically, S. 548 would allow creators to claim a tax deduction for the fair market value of donated work that organizations retain and use in their mission. Currently, artists may only claim a deduction for the cost of materials, such as paint and canvas. The bill does not apply to gifts that are sold to raise funds, nor to donated artistic performances.
House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee Announces Hearing on the Arts 03-05-2007: The House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee (Chairman Norm Dicks, D-WA) announced a hearing to coincide with Arts Advocacy Day (March 13). The hearing will focus on the role of the arts and in innovation and creativity. Americans for the Arts President and CEO Robert Lynch is among the witnesses invited to testify.
Arts Advocacy Day is March 13, in Washington, DC! 03-12-2007: Arts Advocacy Day is March 13, 2007! Join other arts advocates from across the national by using our E-Advocacy Center to tell your members of Congress why the arts are important to you and your community.
Artist Deduction Bill Introduced in the House 03-19-2007: After announcing at the Congressional Arts Breakfast on Arts Advocacy Day that he would be the lead sponsor for the Artist Deduction Bill, Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) introduced the bill on March 14, 2007, joined by Rep. Jim Ramstad (R-MN). Identical to a Senate bill introduced by Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Robert Bennett (R-UT), the bill supports individual artists by allowing them to take a fair-market value tax deduction for tangible works they donate to nonprofit collecting and educational organizations, and it benefits the public by giving them access to more art. Send a message to your members of Congress asking them to be a co-sponsor of this important bill, H.R. 1524 (House) and S. 548 (Senate).
Congressional Arts Caucus Circulates NEA and Arts Education Dear Colleague Letters 03-26-2007: The Congressional Arts Caucus is circulating NEA and Arts Education Dear Colleague letters, seeking $176 million in NEA funding and $53 million in funding for arts education at the U.S. Department of Education for FY 2008.
Deadline Extended for House Dear Colleagues 04-02-2007: The Congressional Arts Caucus has extended the deadline for Representatives to sign-on to the NEA and Arts Education Dear Colleague letters. The letters request $176 million in NEA funding and $53 million in funding for arts education at the U.S. Department of Education for FY 2008.
Americans for the Arts Testifies on Arts Education at House Hearing 04-09-2007: At the end of March, Ayanna Hudson Higgins, the director of arts education at the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, testified on behalf of Americans for the Arts at a public witness hearing of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, and Education Appropriations. Hudson Higgins, who was the sole arts education witness before the panel, requested $53 million in funding for the Arts in Education program at the U.S. Department of Education. She also asked that Congress require the Department to administer the long overdue Fast Response Statistical Survey (FRSS) for arts education, which would give a status report on the delivery of arts education in America’s public schools.
Americans for the Arts Provides Testimony to Senate Appropriations Committee 04-16-2007: Americans for the Arts has provided outside witness testimony to the Senate Appropriations Committee relating to FY 2008 appropriation levels. The testimony, written in support of the National Endowment for the Arts and the Arts in Education program at the U.S. Department of Education, was submitted to the subcommittees that fund those programs. Similar testimony was provided by Americans for the Arts witnesses before House Appropriations Subcommittee hearings in March.
Arts Caucus Chairs Testify on NEA Funding 04-23-2007: Congressional Arts Caucus Co-Chairs, Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and Rep. Chris Shays (R-CT) appeared before the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee on April 19, 2007, to formally testify on the importance of increasing funding to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Read Rep. Louise Slaughter’s testimony and Rep. Chris Shay’s testimony online. This hearing is the third hearing at which supporters of the NEA have testified; the earlier two included Americans for the Arts President and CEO Robert Lynch and NEA Chairman Dana Gioia. The subcommittee is expected to take action on NEA funding by the end of May.
Rule on Foreign Artist Visas Extends Filing Time 04-30-2007: The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that it will change the visa processing rules to allow employers and agents more time to file visa requests for foreign guest artists. Extending the earliest filing date from 6 to 12 months will provide relief for those petitioners who are prepared to file far in advance of a performance. The arts community has asked for this rule change as part of its overall advocacy efforts to reduce the total processing times for O petitions (for individual foreign artists) and P petitions (for groups of foreign artists, reciprocal exchange programs, and culturally unique artists) filed by, or on behalf of, nonprofit arts-related organizations.
Senators Dodd and Alexander Call on GAO for Arts Education Study 05-07-2007: Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) have written the Government Accountability Office (GAO) requesting a study on access to music and arts education in the American public school system since passage of the No Child Left Behind Act. The request calls on the GAO to investigate evidence of the possible link between participation in music and arts education and increased student engagement, positive behavior, high school graduation rates, and academic achievement for all students, including minority and low-income students and students with disabilities. This research would provide policy direction as Congress considers reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act.
Congressional Arts Caucus Sends Arts in Education Dear Colleague Letter to the House Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee 05-14-2007: The Congressional Arts Caucus, co-chaired by Reps. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and Chris Shays (R-CT), has sent a Dear Colleague letter with the signatures of 72 additional members of Congress to House Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman David Obey (D-WI) and Ranking Member James Walsh (R-NY) calling for the Arts in Education program at the U.S. Department of Education to be funded at $53 million in the FY 2008 federal budget. The program is currently funded at $35.3 million.
Major Funding Increase for the National Endowment for the Arts 05-23-2007: The House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, which sets the initial funding level for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), approved a $35 million increase for the NEA for its FY 2008 spending bill. If this funding level is maintained by the Senate and signed into law by President Bush, it will represent the largest increase in NEA history. The agency, currently funded at $124.4 million, has only seen increases of under three percent for the last several years.
Additionally, the National Endowment for the Humanities was also given enough of an increase to match the NEA at $160 million.
Americans for the Arts Releases New Economic Report 05-28-2007: Americans for the Arts released the results of the most comprehensive economic impact study of the nonprofit arts and culture industry ever conducted in the United States. The Arts & Economic Prosperity IIIreport reveals that the nonprofit arts industry generates $166.2 billion in economic activity every year, resulting in $29.6 billion in federal, state, and local tax revenues. Americans for the Arts held a Congressional Briefing on Capitol Hill on May 22 to brief Congress on this report. You can view pictures from the event here.
House Subcommittee Approves Increase for Arts Education 06-07-2007: The House Labor-Health-Education Appropriations Subcommittee provided a funding level of $39 million for the Arts in Education program at the U.S. Department of Education. It is the first time in the history of the program that the House appropriations bill has provided funding for arts education. Please take two minutes to visit Americans for the Arts E-Advocacy Center to send a message to Congress supporting this arts education increase.
House Appropriations Bills Head Towards Floor 06-11-2007: The House will soon consider the Interior Appropriations Bill and the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Bill for FY 2008. The Interior bill includes a $35 million increase for the National Endowment for the Arts and the Labor-HHS-Education bill includes $39 million for the Arts in Education program at the U.S. Department of Education. The Interior bill is expected to be considered this week and the Labor-Health-Education bill as early as next week.
Senate Approves Increase to the National Endowment for the Arts 06-19-2007: The Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee approved a $9 million increase over current year levels for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in its FY 2008 spending bill. While the $9 million is much lower than the $35 million approved by the House a few weeks ago, it is actually the largest increase provided by the Subcommittee since June 2002. Also to be considered this week is the Senate Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill at the Subcommittee level. The full Senate Appropriations Committee is expected to consider both of these bills on Thursday, June 21, 2007.
Major NEA Funding Increase Approved in the House 07-02-2007: Great news! On June 27, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a new historic level of funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The bill provides a $35 million increase to the NEA—the largest in the history of the agency! This accomplishment didn’t come easily—the debate took place over two days and of the many amendments offered to the bill, three specifically targeted cuts to the NEA. Read more information about this debate here.
Artist Deduction Bills Continue to Gain Support 07-09-2007: The Artist-Museum Partnership Act (commonly known as the 'Artist Deduction bill') has been gaining co-sponsors since it was re-introduced earlier this year. The House bill H.R. 1524 introduced by Reps. John Lewis (D-GA) and Jim Ramstad (R-MN) now has 50 co-sponsors. Additionally, the Senate bill S. 548 introduced by Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Robert Bennett (R-UT) has 23 co-sponsors. The legislation supports individual artists by allowing them to take a fair-market value tax deduction for tangible works they donate to nonprofit collecting and educational organizations, and it benefits the public by giving them access to more art. Many of the cosponsors are legislators who sit on the tax-writing committees, which would demonstrate a real interest in approving this legislation.
Arts Education Funding Being Considered on the House Floor 07-16-2008: The FY 2008 Labor-Health-Education Appropriations bill, which sets the initial funding level for education programs at the U.S. Department of Education, is currently being reviewed on the House floor this week. If approved it will include $39 million for the Arts in Education program and also included support for a national survey (FRSS) on arts education in the FY 2008 spending bill. This is the first time in seven years that the Arts in Education program has received any level of support from the House.
Chairman Miller Speaks About No Child Left Behind 07-30-2007: Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee gave a speech at the National Press Club on the future of the No Child Left Behind law. His remarks are just part of a larger debate happening about this law and changes that should be made to the legislation since it is up for reauthorization this year. Americans for the Arts is working with other arts organizations to ensure that the arts, a core academic subject, is strengthened through the reauthorization. Learn more about Americans for the Arts' position on this subject.
Congress in Recess for August 08-27-2007: Congress has recessed for its August break and will return on Monday, September 10, to a full slate of appropriations bills. The Senate still needs to approve both the FY 2008 Interior bill, which funds the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Labor-Health-Education bill, which funds arts education, public broadcasting, and museum grant programs. Both bills are currently under the threat of a veto from President Bush, so it looks unlikely that Congress will be able to complete work on these bills by the start of the new fiscal year in October. If this process is delayed further, the appropriations bills might get lumped together into one giant "omnibus" appropriations bill.
House Education Committee Kicks off NCLB Hearings 09-10-2007: The House Education and Labor Committee (Chairman George Miller, D-CA) began consideration of reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act. The committee staff has circulated a "discussion" draft that proposes two new grant programs that are related to the arts. Visit the Committee's website to read more about this draft.
Arts Education Working Group Announces Recommendations for NCLB 09-17-2007: The Arts Education Working Group, a coalition of arts and arts education advocacy groups including Americans for the Arts, has released a number of recommendations to strengthen the role of the arts in the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act. These legislative proposals were based on a unified statement titled, "Arts Education: Creating Student Success in School, Work, and Life," which was signed by over 60 education and arts education organizations. These recommendations are very timely as the House Education & Labor Committee held a hearing on Monday, September 10, 2007 on preliminary legislative language. The Arts Education Working Group will be working to include the group's recommendations into the House and Senate draft bills, in addition to analyzing additional new proposals.
Congress Expected to Pass Continuing Resolution 09-24-2007: Congress has not yet completed the FY 2008 appropriations bills which fund all federal programs, including those in the arts. At this time, it appears that Congress will pass a Continuing Resolution—a measure to keep the government running at the previous year's funding levels—through November, giving them more time to finish the appropriations process. You can keep up with the latest congressional arts information by visiting our E-Advocacy Center.
Congress Passes Stopgap Spending bill 10-01-2007: As expected, Congress put off appropriations legislation and passed a continuing resolution to keep the government running through November 16. This legislation will keep funds flowing to all federal agencies at fiscal 2007 levels, and give Congress more time to work through the appropriations process. It is needed because no FY08 appropriations bills have been sent to the president, and the new fiscal year began October 1. Keep up with the latest congressional arts information by visiting our E-Advocacy Center.
Senate Draft Education Bill Expected Soon 10-15-2007: Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA), chairman of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, is expected to release draft legislation reauthorizing the No Child Left Behind Act soon. Sen. Kennedy's staff have received the legislative recommendations set forth by the Arts Education Working Group, and Americans for the Arts will be monitoring this legislation and its impact on arts education.
Artist Visa Legislation Introduced in House 10-22-2007: Representative Howard Berman (D-CA) has introduced H.R. 1312, the Arts Require Timely Service Act, which has been reported out of the House Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee and is expected to be considered by the full House Judiciary Committee soon. This bill encourages a speedy approval time for foreign artists invited to perform at American venues. Similar provisions have been incorporated into various pieces of Senate legislation, but have failed to gain approval on the Senate floor. This issue was recently covered in a front page story of the Washington Post. To read more background information about artists visa legislation, visit our issue brief.
Senate Passes Arts Education Funding 10-29-2007: The U.S. Senate has passed their FY2008 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill by roll call vote, 75–19. This bill funds a large number of domestic programs including the Arts in Education programs at the U.S. Department of Education, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). The Senate bill provides $36.3 million for Arts Education compared to the $39 million level of the House bill. Write your Senators and urge them to support the higher funding levels in the House version of the bill today!
Conference Report Provides Increased Arts Education Funding 11-06-2007: House and Senate Education Appropriators agreed on a conference report which provides a 14 percent increase in funding for arts education. If it passes both chambers, President Bush has signaled he will veto the measure because it contains more spending then he requested. For more information about arts education funding, please visit our issue brief.
IRA Charitable Rollover Provision Included in Tax Bill 11-12-2007: The U.S. House passed a bill preventing the alternative minimum tax from applying to some 25 million Americans by a vote of 216–193. Included were certain tax extenders set to expire this year if not considered in this bill, including the extension of tax-free distributions from individual retirement plans for charitable purposes. The bill would extend for one year the provision that permits tax-free charitable contributions from an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) of up to $100,000 per taxpayer, per taxable year. For more information about the IRA Rollover Provision, visit our issue brief.
House Set to Deliberate Omnibus Spending Bill 12-10-2007: The House expects to vote on an omnibus FY08 spending resolution which would combine the 11 unfinished appropriations bills into one catch-all measure this week. The president has suggested he will veto any funding bill that is above his proposed budget. Currently, the House appropriations number is $23 billion above his request and Congressional leaders are signaling that a compromise on that number will be offered in an omnibus package. Congress hopes to complete the appropriations process before December 14, when the continuing resolution temporarily funding essential government functions and programs will expire.
Final Federal Budget Provides $20.3 Million Increase to NEA 12-20-2007: The FY 2008 Omnibus appropriations bill allocates $144.7 million in funding for the National Endowment for the Arts—a $20.3 million increase over last year's funding. This 16 percent increase is the single largest increase for the agency in 30 years and reflects years of advocacy to restore the NEA to the funding levels it once had in the mid-90s. You can read more about this increase here.
