Twenty-six States Could Not Support New Afterschool Programs in 2005 01-03-2006: New research into state grantmaking under the Federal 21st Century Community Learning Centers initiative reveals that half the states were not able to make any new grants to afterschool programs in 2005. The research was conducted by the Afterschool Alliance. The report, "Impossible Choices: How States are Addressing the Federal Failure to Fully Fund Afterschool Programs,"says that because Congress did not provide the increased funding promised in No Child Left Behind to support growth in afterschool programs, 26 states could not fund any new afterschool programs this year. The 26 states that made no new grants in 2005 are: Alaska, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Wyoming. Four other states—Alabama, Kentucky, North Dakota, and Utah—provided funds to new grantees in 2005, but only by reducing awards to existing grantees in the later years of their grants.
New Study Illustrates Value of Arts Education 01-09-2006: San Francisco-based Performing Arts Workshop has completed a study funded by the United States Department of Education that details the value of arts instruction to children and youth. In 2003, the workshop received an Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination Grant to develop and document innovative programs for arts-based instruction in the schools. After year two of this grant, the report concluded that students involved with arts learning noticeably improved their critical thinking capacities, interpersonal skills, general academic performance, and overall attitude toward school. As a result of the publication of this study, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization invited the workshop to participate in the World Conference on Arts Education, which will take place in Lisbon, Portugal, from March 6–9, 2006.
Report From New Orleans Mayor's Office Suggests Rebuilding with the Arts 01-16-2006: A report released today by the cultural committee of New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin's Bring New Orleans Back Commission proposes that the city regenerate its pool of creative talent by finding jobs and shelter for artists and cultural institutions. The report says the city must repair damaged cultural facilities and build new ones, like a National Jazz Center and an expanded and enhanced arts district. The report also says that the mayor's office should market New Orleans as a world-class cultural capital; teach the arts and cultural traditions to the city's young people; and seek investment from national and international sources.
Seattle's 1 Percent for Arts Ordinance Reinstated 01-23-2006: The deadline for appealing the Washington State Court of Appeals decision upholding Seattle’s 1 Percent for Art ordinance expired yesterday without an appeal being filed. According to the Office of Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, Seattle’s 32-year-old 1 Percent for Art Ordinance, as applied to the public electric utility Seattle City Light has, therefore, been reinstated as law. We encourage you to read the statement from Americans for the Arts President and CEO Bob Lynch, as well as the amicus brief filed by Americans for the Arts in support of the ordinance.
Playwright Wendy Wasserstein Dies at 55 01-30-2006: Playwright Wendy Wasserstein, who won a Pulitzer Prize for her play The Heidi Chronicles, passed away in New York at the age of 55. Ms. Wasserstein was an avid supporter of the arts and delivered the 12th Annual Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy. Americans for the Arts is greatly saddened by her passing.
President Releases FY 2007 Budget 02-06-2006: President Bush today sent his FY 2007 budget request to Congress, beginning the yearly appropriations process for the nation's cultural agencies and programs, including the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), Office of Museum Services (OMS), Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), and the Department of Education's Arts in Education programs. For FY 2007, the President has requested level funding for the NEA at $124.4 million and for the NEH at $141 million. However, the Administration is once again attempting to redistribute $3.46 million out of the longstanding and Congressionally popular NEA Challenge America program in favor of more general grant support and administrative salary and overhead costs. For the sixth consecutive year, the President's budget has eliminated funding for the Department of Education's Arts in Education programs, which include funding for model arts programs and collaborations with schools, teacher professional development, and arts programs for at-risk youth. The President's budget also recommends cutting $53.5 million from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in FY 2007. As a trusted community resource, CPB uses the power of noncommercial television and radio to enrich the lives of all Americans through quality programs and education services. And finally on a more positive note, the President requested a funding boost of $4 million for the Office of Museum Services, bringing the total OMS budget to $36 million. We urge you to write your Members of Congress and urge them to support increased funding for the arts. You may also read American for the Arts President and CEO Bob Lynch's statement on the President's proposed budget.
House Conferees Named for Reconciliation Bill 02-13-2006: Tax reconciliation legislation will be brought to the Senate floor for the third time in four months this week, as Senators attempt to agree to a conference with the House. The House voted on February 8 to reject a Senate version of the reconciliation bill. The House also requested a conference on the reconciliation bill (H.R. 4297), and named Reps. Bill Thomas (R-CA), Dave Camp (R-MI), Jim McCrery (R-WA), Charles Rangel (D-NY), and Pete Stark (D-CA) as conferees. The Senate is expected to name conferees this week. The Senate version of the bill contains language that would allow an artist to take a deduction of fair-market value for works they donate to charity. We urge you to write your Members of Congress and urge them to support the artist deduction bill.
Congress to Take Up Tax Legislation of Interest to Arts Advocates 02-27-2006: Next week, House and Senate negotiators will start working out a final version of tax legislation that is theoretically designed to promote charitable giving, including giving to the arts. The measure contains a provision that would encourage artists to donate their works of art to nonprofit arts, cultural, and educational institutions by allowing them to claim a tax deduction for the true value of the works. The provision would both build collections for public use and give equal tax treatment to artists and non-artists. Another provision, while intended to expand charitable giving, could have a negative impact on many taxpayers and indeed on charities themselves. Under the provision, taxpayers would be allowed to write off gifts only above an annual threshold of $210 ($420 for couples who file jointly). In the short term, anybody who gives to charity and also claims itemized deductions will see their taxes go up, because the first $210 of their charitable contributions were not tax deductible. In the long term, Congress is likely to raise the threshold higher, thereby creating a disincentive for people to give to charities in the future. We encourage you to read more about this issue, and write your Members of Congress and urge them to support the artist deduction language while opposing the itemizer floor.
Arts Advocacy Day Handbook Now Online 03-06-2006: The 2006 Congressional Arts Handbook is now available online. The handbook is the compendium of Arts Advocacy Day 2006 and details the legislative agenda of Americans for the Arts and the 88 CoSponsors of Arts Advocacy Day. You can peruse legislative issue briefs, browse Member's voting records, and download dozens of pages of facts and figures. The handbook also contains contact information for every Member of Congress's scheduler, arts staffer, and education staffer. Next week, we will be posting a message to our E-Advocacy Center that you may customize and send to your Members of Congress to tell them you support our Arts Advocacy Day efforts.
Arts Advocacy Day Held in Washington, DC 03-15-2006: Arts Advocates from across the country convened in Washington, DC this week for Arts Advocacy Day 2006: The National Arts Action Summit. Arts leaders and advocates fanned out across Capitol Hill and met with more than 300 Members of Congress. In addition, more than 5,000 online advocates sent an email to their Members of Congress, encouraging them to take action on several arts-related issues that if enacted, will encourage charitable giving to arts and culture that will in turn strengthen arts organizations, allowing them to provide more services to the public.
Congressional Arts Caucus Seeks $170 Million for NEA 03-20-2006: The co-chairs of the Congressional Arts Caucus, Reps. Chris Shays (R-CT) and Louise Slaughter (D-NY) are circulating a letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, which has jurisdiction over funding for the National Endowment for the Arts. The letter requests $170 million for the NEA in FY 2007, which would represent an increase of more than $45 million, and would return the agency to the peak funding levels it enjoyed in 1992. Please take just a moment to write your Representative, and urge him or her to sign on to this letter.
Podcast of William Safire Lecture Now Available 03-27-2006: On March 14, William Safire, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and longtime political columnist for The New York Times, delivered the 19th Annual Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy to a capacity audience at The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. We encourage you to download a podcast of his speech. A full transcript of the speech will be available on our website shortly. The Nancy Hanks Lecture is presented in conjunction with Arts Advocacy Day: The National Arts Action Summit.
New Report Says NCLB Forcing Some Schools to Cut the Arts 04-03-2006: A new report by the Center for Education Policy says that the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is forcing some schools to cut down on their arts curriculum to spend more time teaching reading and math. Two conflicting editorials about the report recently appeared in the New York Times; Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, a recipient of the Americans for the Arts Public Leadership in the Arts Award, calls the reduction in arts education "stupid," but the Times editorial board supports more reading and math education. View both editorials.
Americans for the Arts Submits NEA, Arts in Education Testimony 04-10-2006: Americans for the Arts recently submitted testimony to Congress on two arts-related matters. In our testimony to the House Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations subcommittee, we recommended an appropriation of $53 million for the Department of Education's Arts in Education program. The program is currently funded at a level of $35.5 million, but the President's budget proposes the elimination of this funding. The testimony also urges Congress not to cut funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. In addition, Americans for the Arts submitted testimony to the House Interior Appropriations subcommittee, recommending a funding level of $170 million for the NEA in FY 2007. This funding level, also recommended by the Congressional Arts Caucus, would represent an increase of $45.6 million. The Bush administration has recommended level funding of $124.4 million, as presented in NEA Chairman Dana Gioia's testimony at a March 27 hearing.
House May Vote on NEA Funding the Week of May 15 04-17-2006: The U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) during the week of May 15. Following its Easter recess, Congress will reconvene on April 25. The House Appropriations Committee will then issue its funding recommendations in several stages, beginning with the Interior Appropriations bill, which contains funding for the NEA. If the committee adopts the administration’s request for flat funding for the NEA, we expect that the Congressional Arts Caucus will offer an amendment to increase NEA funding when the full House debates the bill. Also, NEA opponents probably would offer amendments to decrease funding. In past years, the House has approved the Arts Caucus amendments and has defeated anti-NEA amendments. Please take a moment to urge your House member to support an increase for the NEA—and, just as important, to oppose any proposed decrease.
NEA Announces More Than $63 Million in Grants 04-24-2006: The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) recently announced it will award more than $63 million in grants to arts organizations nationwide in its second major round of funding for fiscal year 2006. The NEA will provide funding to 970 nonprofit arts organizations for a total of $21,509,500 through the categories Access to Artistic Excellence, Learning in the Arts, Arts on Radio and Television, and Folk Arts Infrastructure. In addition, the NEA will distribute $42,230,200 to the state and jurisdictional arts agencies and regional arts agencies in keeping with its mandate to allocate 40 percent of its grantmaking budget to these partners. For more information, visit the NEA's website.
House Subcommittee Level-Funds NEA 05-01-2006: The House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, which has jurisdiction over NEA funding, met this week and introduced an FY 2007 bill that offers no funding increase for the NEA. Instead, if passed, the bill would level fund the agency at its FY 2006 level of $124.4 million. The full Appropriations Committee is expected to take up the bill next week, and the bill will likely be voted on by the full House the week of May 15. We urge you to send a message to your representative and ask him or her to support an increase in funding for the NEA.
House Committee to Take Up NEA Funding Bill 05-08-2006: The full House Appropriations Committee will take up the FY 2007 Interior Appropriations bill this week. The Interior bill provides funding for both the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities, and currently offers no funding increase for either agency. Instead, if passed, the bill will level fund the agencies at their FY 2006 levels ($124.4 million for the NEA, $141 million for the NEH). The bill will likely be voted on by the full House the week of May 15. We urge you to send a message to your representative in support an increase in funding for the NEA.
House to Take Up NEA Funding Increase Thursday 05-15-2006: The U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) as early this Thursday, May 18, 2006. On May 4, the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee approved a bill that offers no increase in funding for the NEA in FY 2007. Instead, the bill level funds NEA spending at last year's level of $124.4 million. On May 10, the full House Appropriations Committee approved those recommendations. Thus, the only way we'll be able to secure an increase in funding for the NEA is through an amendment that we expect to be offered during floor consideration of the bill this week. Congressional Arts Caucus co-chairs Reps. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and Chris Shays (R-CT) will offer this amendment to increase NEA funding. Just as important, NEA opponents will probably offer amendments to decrease funding. In past years, the House has approved the Slaughter-Shays amendments to increase funding and has overwhelmingly defeated anti-NEA amendments. But we can't take this for granted—we need your help to ensure success again this year. Please write your Representative as soon as possible and ask them to support the increase and oppose the decrease.
House Passes NEA Funding Increase 05-22-2006: On May 18, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a Congressional Arts Caucus amendment to increase funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities by $5 million each in FY 2007. The amendment passed by unanimous voice vote. Also on May 18, the House rejected an amendment which would have decreased NEA funding by $30 million by a vote of 112–306. We encourage you to send a message to your Member of Congress thanking them for their arts support by visiting our E-Advocacy Center. You may also read an Americans for the Arts press release on the funding increase.
NEA Funding Now Heads to Senate 05-30-2006: Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the FY 2007 Interior Appropriations bill, which provides funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities. The House unanimously passed an amendment to increase funding for both agencies by $5 million, and defeated a measure that would have reduced NEA funding by $30 million. The Senate is expected to take up their version of the bill in mid-June. In the meantime, we encourage you to send a message to your senator in support of increased funding for the NEA.
House Subcommittee Cuts Arts Education, Public Broadcasting 06-12-2006: Last week an appropriations subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives approved a funding bill for FY 2007 that would slash public broadcasting and arts education programs. The Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee cut $115 million from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which provides funds to PBS and NPR. This cut represents 21 percent of the CPB budget for FY 2007 and would threaten the survival of many small public broadcasting stations serving rural parts of the country and minority audiences. The subcommittee also provided no funding for the Arts in Education program at the U.S. Department of Education. The arts education program was funded at $35.6 million in FY 2006 and over the past five years has made 122 grants to school districts and local arts education partners around the country. On Wednesday, June 14, the full House Appropriations Committee is expected to finalize this spending bill, following which the bill will come before the full House. For more information, and to write your representatives and urge them to oppose these cuts, please visit our E-Advocacy Center.
Vote on Arts Education and Public Broadcasting Delayed 06-19-2006: As we reported last week, the House Appropriations Committee has approved a funding bill that would slash public broadcasting and arts education programs. The full House of Representatives was expected to vote on the measure this week. However, it now appears that that vote will not take place until after the July 4 recess. We encourage you to take this opportunity to write your Members of Congress and urge them to support arts education and public broadcasting, and to restore funding to these important programs.
Senate Committee to Take Up NEA Funding This Week 06-26-2006: As previously reported, the House has completed work on a funding bill that would give a $5 million increase for FY 2007 to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The increase would put the NEA’s funding level at $129.4 million. However, $1.8 million of the House increase would be consumed by increased administrative expenses, leaving just over $3 million in new funding to support artistic activities. Senate action on this bill will take place this week, when the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee takes up its version of the legislation. Americans for the Arts is asking the Senate to approve an increase of $10 million, because $5 million, while welcome, would not keep pace with inflation. We urge you to write your Senators and ask them to support a $10 million increase for the NEA.
Senate Committee Offers No NEA/NEH Funding Increase 07-03-2006: Last week the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee passed a bill that offers no new funding for the National Endowment for the Arts or National Endowment for the Humanities. Unlike the House, which offered a $5 million increase for both agencies in May, the Senate chose to level fund each agency at last year's funding total. The full Senate still needs to vote on the bill, though they are not expected to take action until September.
Governor Schwarzenegger Restores Investment in Arts and Music Programs for Public Schools 07-10-2006: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California has proposed boosting the arts education budget for California public schools. The governor's budget proposes $105 million in ongoing arts education funding (between $15–20 per student), and $500 million available for schools to purchase arts and physical education supplies (equipment, instruments, etc.). Many California arts groups are praising the governor's efforts. Governor Schwarzenegger made the announcement at an event in Los Angeles last week, where he was joined by American Idol judge Randy Jackson and Earth, Wind and Fire singer Philip Bailey. A video of the event and press release are available on the governor's website.
Commission on No Child Left Behind Seeks Comments 07-17-2006: The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), which authorizes the chief Department of Education programs for public schools, is set to expire next year. Prior to revising and renewing NCLB, Congress has recently begun preliminary hearings and will continue to gather information and feedback through early next year, when an actual drafting process will begin. Currently, the Commission on No Child Left Behind, a bipartisan independent commission on NCLB, is accepting comments in all areas of K–12 education. The commission will make formal recommendations to Congress in early 2007. We encourage you to submit your own comments about the importance of arts education. With your action, the commission will report to Congress that students, parents, teachers, artists, businesses, and advocates around the country are insisting on a stronger place for the arts in NCLB and every child's education. Please visit our E-Advocacy Center to get started. We also encourage you to visit our NCLB Resources page.
Senate Offers Increase for Arts in Education Programs 07-24-2006: On July 20, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved an FY 2007 spending bill that offered a $1.2 million increase for the Department of Education's Arts in Education programs. The Committee also provided level funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). As you may recall, the House version of the bill threatens to eliminate funding for the Arts Education programs and cut CPB funding by 21 percent. We encourage you to write your Members of Congress and urge them to support the Senate Committee-offered funding levels for Arts Education and CPB.
Department of Education Announces Model Grant Awardees 07-31-2006: The U.S. Department of Education has announced the 2006 recipients of the Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination Grants Program. The program supports the development, documentation, evaluation, and dissemination of innovative, cohesive models that demonstrate effectiveness in:
Integrating and strengthening arts into the core elementary and middle school curricula.
Strengthening arts instruction in those grades.
Improving students' academic performance, including their skills in creating, performing, and responding to the arts.
The Department of Education will be posting the full list of grantees on its website this week.
Senate Pension Bill Includes Provision Harmful to Museums 08-07-2006: Wrapped up in the massive pension reform bill finally enacted by Congress on August 3, 2006, are several provisions that affect arts-related charities and donors. The legislation includes a “reform” provision that would discourage gifts to museums. The harmful reform provision will put a gigantic constriction on donors’ ability to stretch gifts out over time. This ability is important, because donors of important art works often reach a cap on annual charitable deductions. The new provision both puts a strict time limit on such “partial” gifts and forces donors to use the lowest possible appraisal value in calculating their deduction. This provision will discourage gifts to museums and other collecting institutions, perhaps drastically. Therefore, we urge that it be repealed at the first opportunity. Using our E-Advocacy Center, you can send a message to your senators urging them to overturn this provision.
Congress Adjourns for August Recess with Much Left Undone 08-14-2006: Congress will return to Washington, DC, after Labor Day to a full legislative agenda that includes (among many other issues) funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, the Department of Education's Arts in Education programs, funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and tax legislation. To get the latest on arts-related issues before Congress, make sure to check out our Legislative Update.
Congress Returns for Three-Week Pre-Election Session 09-05-2006: Congress returns to Washington, DC, after a month-long Labor Day recess to a full legislative agenda. Both the House and Senate are behind last year’s pace in advancing appropriations measures, with the Senate having passed only one fiscal 2007 spending bill—the Homeland Security measure. The House has passed all but one measure, the Labor-HHS-Education bill, which funds the Department of Education's Arts in Education programs, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Thus, most major arts-related legislation remains unfinished, including funding bills for the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities. To get the latest on arts-related issues before Congress, make sure to check out our Legislative Update.
Congress Expected to Delay Arts Funding 09-11-2006: Congress will be in session through the end of September, when they will recess through the November elections. This leaves them with little time to complete a massive slate of unfinished legislation, including the FY 2007 appropriations bills which funds all federal programs, including those in the arts. At this time, it appears that Congress will put off appropriations legislation and pass a Continuing Resolution—a measure to keep the government running at the previous year's funding levels—through November, when they will return for a lame-duck session to finish the appropriations process. You can keep up with the latest congressional arts information by visiting our Legislative Update and our E-Advocacy Center.
Congress Expected to Pass Continuing Resolution 09-18-2006: As expected, it appears that Congress will put off appropriations legislation and pass a continuing resolution—a measure to keep the government running at the previous year's funding levels—through November, when they will return for a lame-duck session to finish the appropriations process. Congress is also expected to wrap-up numerous appropriations bills—including those that fund the NEA, NEH, and Arts in Education programs—into one large "omnibus" bill, which may not pass until after the November elections. You can keep up with the latest congressional arts information by visiting our Legislative Update page and our E-Advocacy Center.
Senate Circulates Letter to Increase Arts Funding 09-25-2006: The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), which makes grants to thousands of arts organizations across America, is currently funded at $124.4 million, far less than the $170 million-plus that it received prior to 1996. In an effort to help restore funding, Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) has circulated a "Dear Colleague" letter to his Senate colleagues, asking their support for an increase of five to 10 million dollars for FY 2007. Please use our E-Advocacy Center to ask your senators to indicate their support by co-signing a joint letter to the senior leaders of the Appropriations Committee.
October is National Arts and Humanities Month 10-03-2006: October is National Arts and Humanities Month (NAHM), a coast-to-coast collective celebration of culture in America. Coordinated by Americans for the Arts, NAHM has become the largest annual celebration of the arts and humanities in the nation. From arts center open houses to proclamations from elected officials to banners and newspaper articles, communities across the United States draw citizens' attention to the cultural gems surrounding them. Read more about National Arts and Humanities Month on our website.
Americans for the Arts to Auction Unique Signed Guitar 10-09-2006: Beginning Monday, October 16, you can bid on an Epiphone acoustic guitar signed by more than 20 celebrity arts supporters, including Alec Baldwin, Jamie Lee Curtis, Melissa Etheridge, and Lisa Marie Presley. All proceeds from this auction will benefit Americans for the Arts and our advocacy efforts on behalf of the arts and arts education. To learn more about the guitars and see a full list of the celebrities who have signed it, visit Americans for the Arts' eBay auction page.
The Auction Has Started for Americans for the Arts' Unique Signed Guitar 10-16-2006: Americans for the Arts is currently auctioning an Epiphone acoustic guitar signed by more than 20 celebrity arts supporters, including Alec Baldwin, Jamie Lee Curtis, Melissa Etheridge, and Lisa Marie Presley. You can bid on this unique guitar until 9:00 a.m. (EST) on October 26, and all proceeds from this auction will benefit Americans for the Arts and our advocacy efforts on behalf of the arts and arts education. To learn more about the guitars and see a full list of the celebrities who have signed it, visit Americans for the Arts' eBay auction page.
40 Senators Support Increase for NEA 10-23-2006: Forty Senators have co-signed a letter urging congressional appropriators to give the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) an increase of five to ten million dollars for FY 2007. The deadline for signatures is November 1. The letter was authored by Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN), who is a co-chair of the Senate Cultural Caucus. Previously, the House had voted to increase NEA funding by $5 million, while the Senate appropriations committee had recommended flat funding. (The NEA currently receives $124.4 million – about 41 cents per American, or less than the cost of a pack of gum.) A congressional conference committee will likely make a final decision when members return to Washington following the November 7 elections.
Don’t Forget to Vote on November 7! 10-30-2006: Americans for the Arts wants to remind you that this year’s election is important because every seat in the U.S. House of Representatives is up for election, as well as 33 Senate seats. Your choices at the state and local levels are important as well. This is your chance to make your voice heard—so don’t forget to vote!
It’s Election Time! 11-06-2006: Along with the rest of the nation, Americans for the Arts is anxiously awaiting the outcome of the election on November 7. As soon as we have analyzed the results, we will issue a report on the election's impact on the arts at local, state, and federal levels. Check back next week for our complete review, including the effect on Congress, state legislatures and governorships, and on several arts-related local ballot initiatives.
100 Percent of Arts Ballot Measures Pass Overwhelmingly across the Country 11-08-2006: While the 2006 midterm elections predominantly attracted voters who were interested in voicing their concerns about national issues, thousands of voters turned out to support critical local ballot measures that had a direct impact on the arts. All 10 of the local ballot measures tracked and supported by Americans for the Arts Action Fund passed overwhelmingly, as did a state ballot measure on the arts in Louisiana.
Congress Returns, but Appropriations Likely Deferred Until December 11-13-2006: Congress has returned from its election recess for a lame-duck session. Originally planned to last for only a week, the session will instead stretch into December. This week will be largely taken up with organizational issues necessitated by the Democratic takeover, and appropriations bills will apparently be deferred until December.
Congress Recesses Without Approving 07 Funding 11-20-2006: Shortly before recessing for Thanksgiving, the lame-duck Congress passed a continuing resolution through December 8, 2006. When they return, they have the option to pass an omnibus appropriations bill for FY 07 or another continuing resolution that would run through January or February. If they pass another continuing resolution, appropriations issues will be left to the 110th Congress for a decision.
Congress Expected to Push Appropriations to 2007 11-27-2006: When Congress returns in December for their lame-duck session, they are expected to approve a continuing resolution to fund the government to a date in February 2007. This decision will move the appropriations bills for FY 2007 to the 110th Congress while continuing to fund federal programs at their FY 2006 levels.
Congress Prepares for 110th Congress 12-04-2006: As the lame-duck Congress reconvenes this week, the House democrats are expected to choose committee chairmen for 2007–2008 from among their top members. New Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) might also start selecting other committee seats this week. The House republicans are also expected to fill the “ranking member” positions on committees.
109th Congress Passes Continuing Resolution on 2007 Appropriations 12-18-2006: As expected, on the last day of the 109th Congress, the House adopted a continuing resolution that moves the FY 2007 appropriations to the 110th Congress. This means that when Congress reconvenes in January 2007, they will have to complete the FY 2007 appropriations while beginning work on the FY 2008 appropriations bills.
