policy and advocacy
Legislative Update
Follow the links below for the latest updates on federal action pertaining to the arts. You may write your members of Congress on any of these issues by visiting our E-Advocacy Center.
Further details on our policy positions are provided through our issue briefs.
Operational Resources
Federal Arts Funding
Federal Tax Policy
Cultural Exchange
Artist Visa Immigration
New Leadership at the NEA and NEH
Arts and Healthcare
Senate Floor Information (see right side of the page for today's schedule)
2009 Congressional Schedule (dates subject to change)
Congressional Arts Caucus Roster
FY 2010 Appropriations
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) both received a $15 million increase over their FY 2009 appropriation in the House of Representatives. The Interior Appropriations Subcommittee chaired by Rep. Norm Dicks (D-WA) and Ranking Member Mike Simpson (R-ID) oversaw the boost in funding to a total of $170 million for each agency, respectively, and was approved by on the House Floor in July. The Senate and the Obama administration both proposed a $6 million increase that is being considered on the Senate floor. The House awaits the Senate measure so that the two bills can be reconciled for final passage and signed by the president. Key cultural institutions like the Kennedy Center and the National Museums of Arts saw their funding relatively level-funded at FY 2009
Labor-HHS-Education
Arts in Education saw its funding increased by $2 million with the passage of the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill on the House Floor. The additional funds were most notably distributed to the two main grant programs at the United States Department of Education (USDE) for professional development and model projects. Other concerns within the Labor-HHS-Education bill providing report language were instructions for the U.S Department of Education to “produce comprehensive reports on the status of all arts education disciplines in U.S. public schools when implementing future Fast Response Statistical Surveys and National Assessment of Education Progress evaluations.” The Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) was relatively level funded and the Corporation for National & Community Service (CNCS) received $90 million less than President Obama had requested to fully fund the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. The Senate CNCS request is $98 million than the House version and $8 million above President Obama’s request.
The IRA Charitable Rollover, which permits tax-free charitable contributions from an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) of up to $100,000 per year for taxpayers 70.5 years old and older, was included as part of a tax extension package passed last year and is set to expire December 31. The legislation that would make the rollover permanent and remove the arbitrary deduction value and lower the age eligibility cap has been reintroduced in both the Senate and the House as the Public Good IRA Rollover Acts of 2009. The House version is cosponsored by Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) and Rep. Wally Herger (D-CA) as H.R. 1250 and in the Senate as S.864, by Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME). The House Ways and Means Committee is currently discussing at least another temporary extension to be considered for the end of the year.
The Artist-Museum Partnership Act reintroduced by Reps. John Lewis (D-GA) and Todd Platts (R-PA) in the House as H.R. 1126 and in the Senate by Sens. Pat Leahy (D-VT) and Robert Bennett (R-UT) as S. 406. The new legislation is identical to last year’s version and would allow creators of original works to deduct the fair-market value of self-created works given to and retained by a nonprofit institution. It would encourage gifts of visual art such as paintings and sculptures, as well as original manuscripts and supporting material created by composers, authors, and choreographers.
While legislative action on both bills is not expected by the end of the year they continue to build on congressional co-sponsorship in the hopes of showing continuing robust support.
The small Cultural Exchange program at the U.S. State Department received funding through the FY 2009 omnibus budget bill. However, because of its size, the exact budget level does not appear in the department budget although it is estimated to be approximately $11 million.
Artist Visa Immigration Update
H.R. 1312, The Arts Require Timely Service Act (ARTS), a bill requiring the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to expedite nonprofit arts-related organizations visa petitions, passed the House of Representatives bill on April 1, 2008 under suspension of the rules by voice vote. The Senate did not consider the legislation before the end of the 110th Congress, and it was not passed. The legislation was reintroduced in the 111th Session of Congress as H.R. 1750 in the House of Representatives with the chief sponsor remaining as Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA). The bill is identical to the one that passed the House in the 110th Session of Congress and there has not been further action in this session.
New Leadership at the NEA and NEH
The Senate confirms Broadway producer Rocco Landesman and former congressman Jim Leach as chairs of the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities, respectively. Upon his nomination, Mr. Landesman said, "I am honored to receive the Senate's vote of confirmation. I look forward to serving the nation as Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. I believe this is an auspicious time for the NEA and the country. Art is essential to the civic, economic, and cultural vitality of our nation. It reflects who we are and what we stand for—freedom of expression, imagination, and vision. I am eager to work with our many partners to bring quality arts programs to neighborhoods and communities across the country."
Incentive Fairness For Small Nonprofits
Americans for the Arts has been working with a diverse coalition of charitable organizations to address the rising costs of providing healthcare to their workers. The different health reform bills currently being debated by Congress and the administration provide small businesses with some form of tax credit or exemption to help expand access to health insurance for their employees. Nonprofits and charitable organizations are not eligible for the majority of these incentives due to their nonprofit status, despite the same need to help cover their employees in the face of growing healthcare costs. The coalition seeks to ensure that employers in the nonprofit sector receive equal treatment to employers in the private sector. Americans for the Arts will be monitoring healthcare reform developments that impact the nonprofit arts community.
Healthcare Statement
A coalition of 21 national arts organizations have issued a statement to Congress, urging legislators to support healthcare reforms that address critical issues for individual artists as well as state and local arts organizations across the country. The current economic crisis has affected the culture sector dramatically, with artists being among the millions of unemployed and uninsured Americans. Americans for the Arts and its fellow petitioners are urging legislators to support reforms that address a wide range concerns. Also, with so many nonprofit arts organizations struggling to contain costs during this economic downturn, healthcare reform could strengthen their bottom lines by slowing down skyrocketing expenses and enabling smaller arts groups to afford covering part- and full-time employees for the first time. As the debate over reform continues, the arts community must remain engaged as Congress and the Obama administration wrestle to find solutions to this important issue.
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