Legislative News
Read the latest arts news
The amazing Congressional outreach efforts by arts advocates last helped produce the following in the FY’24 Senate Appropriations bills passed in the full committee mark-up last week:
Charitable giving is crucial to maintaining the health of arts throughout our country. Key findings from the 2023 Giving USA Report, released last month, showed that an estimated $499.33 billion was given to charities in 2022.
On Tuesday, May 16th, Congresswoman Ann Kuster (D-NH-02) introduced the Early STEAM Achievement Act (H.R. 3374) which aims to strengthen STEAM education for children ages eight and under. The legislation would establish a competitive grant program within the Department of Health and Human Services to support early childhood STEAM programs and provide professional development in STEAM education for teachers.
On Thursday, May 11, 2023, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA-13) re-introduced the Equity Through the Arts and Humanities Act (H.R. 3239). The legislation would create a grant program through the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for nonprofit and public entities, including faith-based and community organizations, that serve and are led by people of color.
During last year’s Strategic Realignment Process, Americans for the Arts and Arts Action Fund staff heard from stakeholders that advocacy is both a key strength and among their top priorities. Staff also heard that how we do our work is as important as what we do.
Americans for the Arts submitted testimony to the U.S. House Appropriations Interior Subcommittee calling for “…federal funding for both the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) at no less than $211 million each for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024.” Funding at no less than this amount would match or exceed what the Biden Administration proposed in their FY24 budget request released earlier this month.
The Charitable Act would expand and extend the expired non-itemized deduction for charitable giving, and would once again provide and enhance a tax incentive for greater philanthropy toward arts and culture, among other sectors. Americans for the Arts and Americans for the Arts Action Fund have endorsed this important piece of legislation.
In 2022, Congress passed a bill called the ARTS (Artistic Recognition for Talented Students) Act, which waives U.S. Copyright Office copyright registration fees for student Congressional Arts Competition winners.
On December 23, 2022, the United States Congress passed, and President Biden enacted, an end-of-year omnibus package that funds the government for Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) and has provisions that support the arts. The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) will be funded each at $207 million, a $27 million increase from last year.
On October 14, 2022, Representative Suzanne Bonamici (OR-1) introduced the Capital, Repairs, and Employment for Art Talent to Improve Visibility Everywhere (CREATIVE) Act. The CREATIVE Act would expand access to capital for facilities by allowing local arts agencies, museums, and 501c3s to receive grants of up to $5 million to construct and acquire new facilities, maintain and improve existing facilities, or hire staff or produce art at existing facilities.