| Advocacy
Update : National News
NATIONAL ART NEWS
The National Endowment for the Arts: An
Omnibus Appropriations Bill containing FY 2008 federal
funding for domestic spending was agreed to just before
the end of the year. On December 26, 2007, President
George W. Bush signed into law HR 2764, the Consolidated
Appropriations Act of 2007. The bill includes $144.7
million for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) -- $20
million more than the previous year’s appropriation
and the largest increase in the last 30 years.
Due to the leadership and support on Congressman
John Spratt (D-SC) as the Chair of the House Budget Committee and
the leadership of House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee
Chairman Norm Dicks (D-WA) and Congressional Arts Caucus
co-chairs Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and Chris Shays (R-CT), the
NEA saw a 16% boost in funding over FY 2007.
Arts Education within the U.S. Department of
Education: The FY08 Final Omnibus
Bill includes funding for arts education within the
U.S. Department of Education’s budget – a
$2.23 million increase – to $37.53 million. The
increase will include funding for administering the
first national survey since 1999 on the status and
condition of arts education – a key element in
the national arts advocacy agenda, as promoted by Americans
for the Arts.
National Public Broadcasting: The
Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) that provides
support to our national public broadcasting network and
National Republic Radio (NPR), saw their annual budget increased
from $396 million to $420 million.
Museum Programs: The Office
of Museum Services within the Institute for Museum & Library
Services (IMLS) is slated to receive about $31.27 million – a
$556,000 decrease from FY 2007 funding.
NATIONAL ARTS ADVOCACY DAY
Washington, D.C. *
March 31-April 1, 2008
National Arts Advocacy Day events will take place
on March 31 and April 1, in Washington DC, coordinated
by Americans for the Arts (AFTA) and other national co-sponsors. Please
contact the Arts Alliance if you are interested in joining
our “South Carolina Team”.
On March 31, we will attend a day of issue briefings and
workshops, and the evening’s Nancy Hanks
lecture on Public policy, featuring Daniel H. Pink, at
the Kennedy Center. Pink is the author of
the best-selling book, “A Whole New Mind”,
and of the Harvard Business Review article, “The
MFA is the New MBA”. Our team will attend a reception
following the lecture and then go to dinner as a group.
On the morning of April 1, our South Carolina team will
attend AFTA’s Congressional Arts Breakfast
featuring Congressional speakers and celebrities and brief
performances.
The Arts Alliance will coordinate and pre-schedule Congressional
office visits “on the Hill” with our delegation
and staff, following the Breakfast and throughout the
day. National Arts Advocacy Day
is an exciting event, very educational, and also fun.
For further information including registration,
hotel and travel information, workshop topics, etc.,
please contact Arts Alliance Executive Director, Betty
Plumb at 803-325-2435 or by email at: Betty.Plumb@scArtsAlliance.net. Additional
information can also be found at www.AmericansfortheArts.org.
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