NEW SALES TAX ON PERFORMANCE TICKETS

The Governor will soon sign into law H.783, an act relating to Miscellaneous Tax Provisions.  This law will require not-for-profit arts presenters that had $50,000 or more in ticket sales in 2010 to collect and remit a 6% sales tax on tickets for performance on or after April 1, 2011. Exempted from this provision are ticket sales for any performance that occurs on or after April 1, 2011 if a contract was offered or signed by June 1, 2010. 

Click here to access some frequently asked questions about Act 160.

Below are some links to articles and commentaries about the new tax:

2011

• March 16, 2011: Seven Days - The Taxman Cometh
• March 15, 2011: Brattleboro Reformer - Artists Cry Foul

2010

• May 2, 2010: Burlington Free Press Article & Discussion
• May 10, 2010: Alex's Blog - Sales Tax & the Performing Arts
• May 13, 2010: Suzi Wizowaty Legislative Blog: Taxing the Arts
• May 18, 2010: Jay Craven Commentary on VPR
• May 19, 2010: Burlington Free Press Article & Discussion
• May 24, 2010: Amid Red Ink, Tax-Exempts Asked to Add to Coffers

COALITION OF ARTS GROUPS ISSUE URGENT CALL FOR HEALTHCARE REFORM

August 13, 2009 — Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit for advancing the Arts, and a coalition of 20 national arts organizations, together are calling on Congress to fully recognize the rights of individual artists and arts groups in the healthcare reform debate. The economic crisis has affected the cultural sector as dramatically as it has the millions of unemployed and uninsured Americans. Many in the cultural workforce, including those in the visual and performing arts, work independently or operate in nontraditional employment relationships, leaving them locked out of group healthcare coverage options. Additionally, soaring healthcare costs are consuming the sharply decreasing budgets of nonprofit arts organizations that have been hit hard by today’s challenging economic climate.

"Now is the time for those in the arts community to join together and build momentum for passage of a comprehensive healthcare reform bill," said Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. "More than two million arts workers are calling on Congress to pass legislation that will provide all Americans and its cultural workforce with guaranteed universal health insurance coverage. We have the solutions, Congress must listen."

Statement from National Nonprofit Arts Organizations in Support of Comprehensive Healthcare Reform

As national arts service organizatins representing thousands of nonprofit arts organizations at the state and local level as well as serving thousands of individual artists across the country, we call on Congress to pass a health care reform bill.  The current economic crisis has affected the cultural sector dramatically as it has the millions of unemployed and uninsured Americans.  Like others who have fallen through the cracks of the current system, many in the cultural workforce work independently or operate in nontraditional employment relationships, leaving them locked out of group healthcare coverage options.

Additionally, soaring health care costs are consuming the ever decreasing budgets of nonprofit arts organizations hit hard by today's economic recession.  The time for reform that delivers high quality and affordable health care for businesses and individuals is now.  We call on Congress to pass:

• A healthcare reform bill that will create a public health insurance option for individual artists, especially the uninsured, and create better choices for affordable access to universal health coverage without being denied because of pre-existing conditions.
• A healthcare reform bill that will help financially-strapped nonprofit arts organization reduce the skyrocketing health insurance costs to cover their employees without cuts to existing benefits and staff while the economy recovers. These new cost-savings could also enable nonprofit arts organizations to produce and present more programs to serve their communities.
• A healthcare reform bill that will enable smaller nonprofit and unincorporated arts groups to afford to cover part and full-time employees for the first time.
• A healthcare reform bill that will support arts in healthcare programs, which have shown to be effective methods of prevention and patient care.

There is little time to waste as a broken system continues to leave far too many behind and adds trillions to our national debt. Millions of cultural workers stand ready to assist our leaders with solutions that protect all Americans and its creative sector with guaranteed universal insurance coverage deserving of the wealthiest nation in the world.

Americans for the Arts
Alliance of Artists Communities
American Art Therapy Association
American Association of Community Theatre
American Dance Therapy Association
American Music Therapy Association
Americans for the Arts Action Fund
Arts & Business Council
Association of Independent Colleges of Art & Design
Association of Writers & Writing Programs
Business Committee for the Arts
Fractured Atlas
Grantmakers in the Arts
Literary N Network etwork
National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture
National Center for Creative Aging
National Dance Association
National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts
Society for Arts in Healthcare
Theatre Communications Group
VSA arts
 

TAKE ACTION: Contact your Congressmen and let them know the need for their support for healthcare reform.  

U.S. SECRETARY OF EDUCATION ARNE DUNCAN REINFORCES IMPORTANCE OF THE ARTS IN SCHOOLS

AUGUST 18, 2009 --The NAMM Foundation announced that it hosted a live, public teleconference today with U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan to discuss his recent letter sent to school and education community leaders outlining the importance of the arts as a core academic subject in U.S. public schools.

More than 1.75 million national music and arts education advocates were encouraged via a national network of coalitions to participate in the call to hear Duncan express his concerns about access to arts education in U.S. public schools, and how these programs can be supported in the future.

The call was initiated after Duncan issued a letter last week to school and education community leaders stating, "At this time when you are making critical and far-reaching budget and program decisions for the upcoming school year, I write to bring to your attention the importance of the arts as a core academic subject and part of a complete education for all students. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) defines the arts as a core subject, and the arts play a significant role in children's development and learning process..."

"The arts can help students become tenacious, team-oriented problem solvers who are confident and able to think creatively," he stated. "These qualities can be especially important in improving learning among students from economically disadvantaged circumstances. However, recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results found that only 57 percent of eighth graders attended schools where music instruction was offered at least three or four times a week, and only 47 percent attended schools where visual arts were offered that often."

"Concerned citizens in cities, towns and communities should share this letter with state and local school leadership," said Mary Luehrsen, NAMM's director of public affairs and government relations and executive director of the NAMM Foundation, who moderated the call. "The Secretary has clearly stated that arts education is part of the core curriculum and is vital to a complete and quality education for all children. All of us need to work together to assure that all children have access to a complete education that includes high quality, standards-based learning in music and the arts."

The SupportMusic Coalition conference call also reiterated the points in Duncan's letter about how state and local actions can be reinforced to assure access to arts education.

Duncan reminded listeners that under the ESEA, states and local school districts have the flexibility to support the arts through Federal Title programs and U.S. Department of Education programs, including professional development of arts teachers as well as for strategic partnerships with cultural, arts and other nonprofit organizations. In addition, Duncan stated that local school districts can use funds under the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for the arts along with other district expenses.

Duncan also outlined the Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics' (NCES) next steps for supporting the arts as part of a well-rounded curriculum. These efforts include:

• Conducting a survey to assess the condition of arts education in grades K-12. This fall, elementary and secondary principals will be asked about their schools' offerings in music, dance, theater, and visual arts.
• Surveying elementary classroom teachers next spring as well as music and visual arts specialists at the elementary and secondary levels about their programs and resources.
• Reporting findings from this comprehensive profile in early 2011, the first report like this since the 1999-2000 school year. The data is expected to help practitioners and policymakers make more informed decisions about arts education.

During the call, Duncan highlighted the series of music events at the White House that demonstrates the administration's ongoing efforts to stress the importance of arts education beginning with a Jazz Education workshop in June with 140 students from across the country. At the July White House event reinforcing the importance of arts education, he joined the President and First Lady in featuring country music artists Alison Krauss and Brad Paisley, who appears in a White House video.

People who are interested in finding out more about the resources available for supporting the arts in U.S. public schools are encouraged to visit the Department's Web site for arts education, or for more information and links to national, state and local organizations working together to keep music education strong, interested parties should visit www.supportmusic.com. Organizations interested in participating in the SupportMusic Coalition, write to info@namm.org.

About NAMM Foundation
The NAMM Foundation is a non-profit organization with the mission of advancing active participation in music making across the lifespan by supporting scientific research, philanthropic giving and public service programs from the international music products industry. For more information about The NAMM Foundation, please visit www.nammfoundation.org.

7/20/2009 :: Take Action: Contact Your Senators, Urge NEA Funding at $170 Million

The Senate is expected to take up floor votes before the end of July on the Fiscal Year 2010 Interior Appropriations Bill, including funds for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) set at $161.3 million, the same level proposed by President Obama in his budget sent to Congress in May. The companion legislation passed by the House of Representatives in June would allocate $170 million for the arts endowment in the coming year, an increase of $15 million over the NEA's current budget.

The differences between the two bills will be worked out in negotiations by a House-Senate conference committee. It is essential that senators involved in that process hear from their constituents about the value of public funding for the arts. 

TAKE ACTION: Please contact your senators listed here. Urge them to set the NEA funding for 2010 at $170 million as proposed in the bill passed by the House. Let them know the importance of increasing funds to the NEA to assist you in your work of expanding involvement in the arts and promoting cultural opportunities for the citizens of your state. 

Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee

• Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Chair
• Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV)
• Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
• Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND)
• Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)
• Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI)
• Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD)
• Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI)
• Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE)
• Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT)
• Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI) ex officio
• Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
• Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS)
• Sen. Robert Bennett (R-UT)
• Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH)
• Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
• Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME)

6/24/2009 :: UNITED WE SERVE - OPPORTUNITIES FOR ARTS PARTICIPATION IN 2009

United We Serve is a nationwide service initiative that kicks off on June 22, 2009. Led by the White House and coordinated by the Corporation for National and Community Service, United We Serve asks organizations across America to engage new volunteers in their work and encourages individuals to volunteer and develop community service projects with friends, family, and neighbors. After an initial 81 days – June 22 to September 11 – the president hopes that the initiative will grow into a sustained, collaborative effort to promote service as a way of life for all Americans. More information about the initiative is available at Serve.gov.

United We Serve and the Arts

By participating in United We Serve, artists and arts organizations can demonstrate the unique and vital contributions the arts make to every aspect of community life. Volunteer efforts may be centered on cultural activities or on those relating to one of United We Serve’s areas of focus: education; health; energy and the environment; and community renewal. In addition to the inherent benefits of volunteerism, either by engaging volunteers or serving as volunteers, artists and arts organizations can strengthen their community ties and make the arts more visible in local recovery efforts.

How to Participate

• Post a call for volunteers. Invite members of the community to get involved with your organization and its programs. Go to Serve.gov and register your organization and your project(s) in the All for Good database, a national hub of volunteer opportunity listings. Record numbers of volunteers are expected to seek service opportunities this summer, so be sure to capitalize on this momentum.
   
• Become a volunteer. Contribute your time to a volunteer project taking place in your community – and identify yourself as an artist when you do! Search Serve.gov and All for Good for nearby opportunities.
   
• Create your own project. Consult the on-line toolkit for tips on how to design local service efforts that make a difference. The best practices profiled there can maximize the impact of any community arts or cultural engagement initiative.
   
• Share your story. Make the arts a visible part of America’s service movement by sharing your story on-line. Describe how you have engaged volunteers for arts projects and how those projects have transformed lives, galvanized community action or assisted populations in need. Include pictures for maximum appeal. A wealth of stories is being posted on the White House Delivering Change map.
   
• Promote your participation. A sample press release is available to help you get started.
   

Helpful Resources

Additional materials about United We Serve are available on-line, including a video announcement by President Obama, answers to Frequently Asked Questions and a Media Advisory Guide.

THE UNITED STATES CONFERENCE OF MAYORS RESOLUTIONS ON THE ARTS

Read the Resolutions

At its recent annual meeting in Providence, RI, the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) passed three arts related resolutions supported by Americans for the Arts. As in previous years, the USCM is calling for the U.S. Congress to fully fund the National Endowment for the Arts and for all mayors to mark October as National Arts and Humanities Month in their communities across the country. In addition, the USCM also passed a resolution congratulating Americans for the Arts on the occasion of its 50th anniversary in 2010. This resolution notes Americans for the Arts’ work over the past 50 years across all aspects of the artistic and political communities and the leadership of Americans for the Arts President and CEO Robert L. Lynch.

NATION’S REPORT CARD IN THE ARTS RELEASED2008

The National Center for Education Statistics released the results of the long-awaited 2008 National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP) on the arts on June 15, 2009. The report found significant racial/ethnic, gender, and socioeconomic gaps in the results of both the music and visual arts assessments. The research shows that, in general, white and Asian/Pacific Islander females attending private schools in the suburbs, rural areas, or towns outperformed their peers in both visual arts and music. Due to budgetary constraints and the sheer lack of measurable programs in dance and theater, assessments in these areas were unable to be completed as a part of the 2008 NAEP on the arts. The last NAEP on the arts was conducted in 1997, and the next one isn’t scheduled until 2016. United States Education Secretary Arne Duncan issued a statement on the NAEP release.

SECRETARY OF EDUCATION PRESSED ON THE ARTS IN SCHOOLS

United States Secretary of Education Arne Duncan made the rounds on Capitol Hill in early June to make the case for the Obama administration’s education budget and policy requests. Education and Labor Committee Member Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) pointedly asked Secretary Duncan to address the potential of the No Child Left Behind Act emphasizing math and reading scores at the expense of other core academic subjects like the arts. Secretary Duncan assured her that he is reviewing the law’s impact on the other core curricula, referencing the need to present the full menu of options in the classroom. Subcommittee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) urged Secretary Duncan to watch the 2009 Nancy Hanks Lecture on the Arts and Policy, “The Ballad of the American Arts,” performed by Grammy Award-winner and guest lecturer Wynton Marsalis. Chairman Harkin cited the lecture in warning that the arts should not be left out of the classroom as a casualty of focus on other subjects. Secretary Duncan replied that students desperately need the arts to maintain interest in school and that more hours in the school day would help ensure a well-rounded education.

HOUSE & SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEES BOOST NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS BUDGET

On June 10, the House of Representatives Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies approved of $170 million dollar budgets for both the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Under the leadership of Subcommittee Chairman Norm Dicks (D-WA), funding for the NEA and NEH exceeds President Obama’s request by $8.7 million for each agency for FY 2010 and is the highest proposed appropriation for the NEA since its $176 million peak in 1992. In his statement, Chairman Dicks referenced the Arts Advocacy Day hearing the subcommittee held which featured testimony from Josh Groban, Wynton Marsalis, and Linda Ronstadt. On June 23, corresponding legislation in the Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee set NEA funding at $161.3 million, which meets the president’s request, but is $8.7 million less than the House committee version. After being considered and passed in the Senate, the two versions of the bill will have to be reconciled into a final measure before being sent to the president for approval. For further information, please contact Associate Director for Federal Affairs Gladstone Payton.

NEA RECEIVES FUNDING INCREASE IN HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE

This morning in Congress, the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, which sets the initial funding level for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), approved a $15 million increase for the NEA in its FY 2010 spending bill, setting it on a path towards final House consideration. Chairman Norm Dicks (D-WA) has once again championed the arts and culture and proposed an increase in funding. Please send a message to your Members of Congress telling them to support this important funding increase!

Currently funded at $155 million, this increase would bring the agency's budget to $170 million. In his statement, Chairman Dicks referenced the Arts Advocacy Day hearings the subcommittee held as demonstrating that "the endowments are vital for preserving and encouraging America's arts and cultural heritage."  On Arts Advocacy Day, Americans for the Arts presented a panel of witnesses before Chairman Dicks' Appropriations Subcommittee calling for a significant increase in funding for the NEA.  Witnesses included Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center Wynton Marsalis, renown singer-songwriter Josh Groban, legendary singer Linda Ronstadt, Reinvestment Fund CEO Jeremy Nowak and Americans for the Arts President & CEO Robert Lynch. Pictures from the hearing and further details including the witnesses' testimony are available online here.

Thanks to all of the grassroots advocates for your letters and calls to Congress and for attending Arts Advocacy Day. We're seeing the results!

Next Steps:
The FY 2010 Interior Appropriations bill will next go to full committee and then to the House floor for final consideration where your help may be needed to defend against floor amendments attempting to cut this increase. We must now put pressure on the Senate to match this funding level. Please take two minutes to visit the Americans for the Arts E-Advocacy Center to send a letter to your Members of Congress letting them know that the arts are important to you!

Please help us continue this important work by becoming an official member of the Arts Action Fund.  Play your part by joining the Arts Action Fund today -- it's free and simple.

OBAMA PLAYS IT SAFE WITH THE ARTS

The Wall Street Journal

"Last week President Barack Obama announced Jim Leach as his choice to lead the National Endowment for the Humanities. Mr. Leach, an Iowa Republican who served 30 years in the House before losing his bid for re-election in 2006, notably went against his party last year by endorsing Mr. Obama, not John McCain, in the presidential race. Now that President Obama has picked Mr. Leach for NEH and Rocco Landesman, a successful Broadway producer, to head the National Endowment for the Arts, the Obama cultural team is complete.

Of the two, Mr. Leach is more surprising—if only because his cultural qualifications aren't as immediately obvious. But he was a solid supporter of the endowments while in Congress, and both the National Humanities Alliance and Americans for the Arts recognized his contributions. He's also familiar with academia, having recently taught at Harvard and Princeton.

Still, Leach and Landesman are probably not the choices initially expected from a president who was being lobbied just a couple of months ago to do something as bold as create a cabinet-level department of arts and culture. These are the choices, rather, of a president who doesn't want this to be a political fight. With these nominations it's also clear that Mr. Obama is not making a statement that great change is needed at either agency. This is not to disparage these choices—both of which, in addition to being rather surprising, are quite good, at least in the eyes of those who think both endowments are already following a wise course. In fact, given the constituencies that rallied most vociferously behind Mr. Obama in the campaign, his choice of these two men ought to elicit a sigh of relief from conservatives.

Taken together, what might these two nominations mean for the relationship between the government and the arts under the Obama administration? Do they signal any new directions for these agencies?

Not necessarily. Both endowments currently enjoy considerable support in Congress and, given the history of the NEA in particular, this is no small achievement. While some supporters of the arts are quite upset with the direction the NEA has taken in the past few years (more about this later), there's no denying that it's in better shape than it ever has been. It enjoys broad support in Congress in part because it has steered clear of controversy and extended its good effects."

To read the complete article, please visit The Wall Street Journal website.

FY 2010 BUDGET REQUEST TO CONGRESS

President Obama today released the final details of his FY 2010 budget request to Congress which includes the nation’s cultural agencies and programs, including the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), Institute for Museums and Library Services (IMLS), and the Department of Education’s Arts in Education program.  Write your members of Congress and tell them to support funding for these cultural agencies.

As Americans for the Arts President & CEO Robert Lynch noted in a press statement, "The president's proposed funding of $161 million would take the NEA to its highest funding level in 15 years and will help continue the upward trend of budgetary growth that Congress established several years ago.  In contrast to the previous administration, this year's budget includes funding for the Arts in Education program at the Department of Education at $38.16 million. We hope that Congress will build on these initial budget requests to secure even higher funding levels to address the needs of the arts and arts education community."

PRESIDENT PROPOSES $6.3 MILLION INCREASE FOR NEA IN FY 2010

President Obama sent his fiscal year 2010 budget to Congress on May 7 with a proposed increase of $6.3 million for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), taking the arts spending to a total of $161.315 million. The current year's funding  level for the arts endowment, approved by Congress in February 2009, is $155 million. Since 2007, the NEA's funding has grown by $30.6 million, an increase of 25%. The same funding level of $161.315 million is proposed in 2010 for the National Endowment for the Humanities, also currently at a budget level of $155 million.

The budget documents released by the White House explain that the increased budget for the NEA will allow funding to continue for the Challenge America and American Masterpieces programs as well as the general program of grants and for support to state and regional arts agencies. A slight increase of $2 million is proposed for the NEA's administrative budget. Further details on the allocations within the $161.3 million proposed by the Obama administration for the arts endowment will be available as additional budget information is released.

The funding process now moves to the congressional appropriations committees. In the House, Rep. Norm Dicks (D-WA), who chairs the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee with jurisdiction over the arts funding, has told news reporters that he would like to see a funding level of $170 million for the NEA in 2010.

The arts in education program in the U.S. Department of Education is level-funded in the president's 2010 budget at $38 million – the same as 2009 – for support of VSA Arts, the arts education program of the Kennedy Center, and competitive grants for the development of model arts education programs and professional development for arts educators.

SENATE AND HOUSE INCLUDE ARTISTS IN NATIONAL SERVICE BILL

Legislation approved by both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives would create a voluntary service corps of artists and musicians to serve in schools in low-income communities and in health care, therapeutic and other community settings.

The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, H.R.1388/S.277, legislation aimed at the overall expansion of national and community service programs, passed the Senate on March 26 by a vote of 79 to 19. Similar legislation was approved, 321-105, in the House of Representatives on March 18. Both bills would triple the number of AmeriCorps service volunteers, from 75,000 to 250,000. 

Though the two measures contain provisions to engage artists and musicians in the service corps, the wording of those provisions and other sections of the bill is not completely identical and must first be reconciled before the legislation passes final approval. Congressional leaders hope to finish work on the legislation next week and send the bill to the president for signing.

The artists service corps provision in the House was proposed by Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-NY) during drafting of the legislation by the House Committee on Education and Labor. In the Senate, Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Judd Gregg (R-NH) offered the artists service amendment, which was included by voice vote in the legislation taken to the floor by the bill’s manager. The new provision in the House and Senate bills would encourage the use of “skilled musicians and artists to promote greater community unity through the use of music and arts education and engagement through work in low-income communities, and education, health care, and therapeutic settings, and other work in the public domain with citizens of all ages.”

The new authority to include provisions for support of artists in the national service program responds to a campaign pledge made by President Obama to create an “Artists Corps” of young artists trained to work in low-income schools and their communities. A similar program was proposed by NASAA and other arts advocacy organizations in our recommendations to the transition team for the incoming Obama administration. Passage of the national service legislation to support nonprofit organizations in working with community volunteers has been a high priority for the new president.

The measure passed by the Senate includes an amendment offered by Sens. Max Baucus (D-MT) and Charles Grassley (R-IA) to establish a capacity-building program for nonprofit groups in the Corporation for National and Community Service that will expand organizational development assistance to small and midsize nonprofit organizations.

Both the House and the Senate bills would set up a fund to help nonprofit organizations recruit more volunteers and establish a “Summer of Service” program for middle and high school students. The two bills differ in provisions aimed at limiting the legislative advocacy and political organizing activities of service volunteers, differences which must be resolved before final passage.

PRESIDENT SIGNS FY09 OMNIBUS FUNDING BILL WITH NEA INCREASE

On March 11, President Obama signed into law H.R. 1105, the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009, completing, as the president said, “the work of last year by providing the funding necessary for the smooth operation of our Nation's Government.” The House passed the legislation on February 25 by a vote of 245 to 178, and the Senate, after several days of debate, passed the bill on March 10 by voice vote.

Funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, set at $155 million from the outset, was never in controversy. The final spending for the NEA represents an increase of $10.3 million over the fiscal 2008 funding of $144.7 million. The measure also folds the Challenge America funding into the general grants program, much as was done two years ago when Challenge America funds for the states were consolidated into the basic partnership grants.

The new spending level at $155 million is in addition to the $50 million allocated to the NEA by the economic stimulus bill enacted earlier. House and Senate leaders had decided to hold back on bringing the omnibus bill forward over concern it might hinder work on the stimulus bill.

Included in the appropriations for the Department of Education is an increase of $633,354 for the arts education competitive grants, for total funding for the grants program in 2009 of $38.66 million.

The omnibus bill also provides for more than 8,000 earmarks, which provoked much of the debate over the legislation, especially in the Senate. Following the passage of the spending measure, President Obama and congressional leaders set new standards for controlling the transparency of the process going forward for designating earmarked funds in an appropriations measure.

OMNIBUS FUNDING BILL SETS NEA INCREASE FOR CURRENT FY09

The House of Representatives is scheduled Wednesday and Thursday of this week to debate and vote on an omnibus spending measure (H.R. 1105), unveiled yesterday, designed to carry nine fiscal 2009 appropriations bills through the remainder of the current fiscal year. House Democratic leaders expect to take the bill to the floor without allowing any amendments to the measure.

The measure, which represents an agreement worked out between House and Senate Democrats, includes $155 million for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), an increase of $10.3 million over the fiscal 2008 funding of $144.7 million. The proposed increase would come in addition to the $50 million allocated to the NEA by the economic stimulus bill signed into law by the president last week.

Since the 2009 fiscal year began in October, the federal government has been operating under a continuing resolution holding spending to the FY08 levels. That spending resolution expires on March 6. The $410 billion omnibus appropriations package marks the end of the spending disputes Democrats had with President George Bush, who had threatened to veto the unfinished appropriations bills in disagreement over their funding levels.

Overall, the spending in the omnibus package would provide about $19 billion more than President Bush had requested when he proposed his budget for the nine bills a year ago. Details of the bill were worked out under wraps late last year. Democratic leaders in the House and Senate decided to hold back on bringing the bill forward over concern it might have slowed down work on the stimulus bill.

Understandably, congressional Republicans, left out of the drafting of the bill, are critical of the measure, which they have attacked as excessive, pointing to programs – of which there are many, including the NEA – with appropriations increases proposed in the omnibus funding bill on top of increases allocated by the stimulus legislation. House Republicans had urged Democrats to freeze spending for the rest of fiscal 2009 at the 2008 levels. The omnibus bill also includes long lists of earmarks, which had been barred from recent funding bills by mutual agreement of the party leaders.

At the end of the week, President Obama is expected to send to Congress his outline of a budget proposal for fiscal 2010. A complete budget package will be released by the administration in April.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: Arts Opportunities in the Economic Stimulus Package

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed into law by President Obama on February 17, 2009, includes a number of expanded funding opportunities, outlined below, that could be available to assist artists and arts organizations. By late March, most federal agencies should have completed the development of their procedures for allocating the economic stimulus funding. Many of the decisions regarding distribution of the funds will be made at the state and local government levels.

National Endowment for the Arts:  $50 million in grants to fund projects and activities that preserve jobs in the nonprofit arts sector threatened by declines in philanthropic and other support during the current economic downturn, with 40% of the funds distributed to state arts agencies and regional arts organizations using current agency practice, and 60% of funds for competitive grants. Matching requirements are waived in both grant categories. Click here for additional information on eligibility requirements.

Community Development Block Grants (CDBG): $1 billion for communities to support “bricks and mortar” funding for a variety of state and municipal projects, an important source of government support for local arts organizations. Funds are administered through the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development to mayors’ community development offices. Cities with populations of fewer than 50,000 receive CDBG funds through their state.

Transportation Enhancements (TE program): $825 million in funding for the Transportation Enhancements program (3% set aside in each state’s $27.5 billion share to support surface transportation projects) administered by state transportation departments. At least half the funds must be obligated by states within 120 days and the remainder within one year, or the U.S. Secretary of Transportation can recall unobligated funds. States are to place different priorities on 12 general TE activities, such as pedestrian and bicycle facilities, scenic easements, landscaping, historic preservation and public art. In the past, state arts agencies have developed partnerships with state departments of transportation to pursue joint projects funded by the TE program.

Rural Development: $130 million through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Community Facilities program, with funds for the construction, rehabilitation or acquisition of “essential facilities,” which may include cultural facilities. About 9% of Community Facilities funding in the past has been directed to educational and cultural facilities.

Elementary and Secondary Education: $13 billion for Title I elementary and secondary education funds to local school districts. This program provides financial assistance through state education agencies to local education agencies (LEAs) and public schools with high numbers or percentages of poor children to help ensure that all children meet state academic achievement standards. In addition, the economic stimulus bill appropriates $53.6 billion to a State Fiscal Stabilization Fund to be administered by the U.S. Department of Education for restoring shortfalls in state education funding, including for the use of LEAs. Federal funds may be used to support arts education, which qualifies as a core academic subject.

Economic Development Assistance: $150 million to the Department of Commerce for the Economic Development Administration’s Economic Development Assistance Program. A portion of these funds are designated for priority consideration by the Secretary of Commerce to “areas of the Nation that have experienced sudden and severe economic dislocation and job loss due to corporate restructuring.” The program, which could address planning and implementation of cultural districts, for example, is designed to generate jobs, help retain existing jobs, and stimulate industrial and commercial growth in economically troubled areas.

Corporation for National and Community Service: $160 million for expanded support for state commissions and national grantees of AmeriCorps and VISTA volunteers, placing additional volunteers in positions with community-based organizations.

National Park Service: $589 million for construction, repair and restoration of facilities, and the preservation of buildings and resources of cultural and historic importance within the National Park System, which might also include grant support for such programs as Tribal Heritage preservation, Save America’s Treasures, and Preserve America Communities (including heritage tourism); and $15 million for preservation work on historic campus buildings at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Job Training and Employment Services: $3.95 billion to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration for job training through formula grants to states for adult, dislocated worker, and youth services (including $1.2 billion for youth activities and summer employment for youth up to age 25, and $50 million for the YouthBuild program), and $120 million for Community Service Employment for Older Americans. Job training and employment services could be made available to include workers in the creative sector and through arts institutions able to provide professional development training.

Unemployment Benefits: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act increases unemployment weekly benefits by an additional $25 through 2009, provides up to 33 weeks of extended unemployment benefits to workers exhausting their regular benefits, and encourages states to increase unemployment compensation coverage among low-wage, part-time and jobless workers. The bill also temporarily suspends federal income tax on the first $2,400 of unemployment benefits per recipient.

Health Coverage for Unemployed Workers: To help workers maintain health coverage, the stimulus bill provides $87 billion in additional federal Medicaid funds and a 65% subsidy for Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) continuation premiums for up to nine months for workers (and for their families) who have been involuntarily terminated between September 1, 2008 and December 31, 2009.

AMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT

On February 17th, President Obama signed into law The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.  Here is language from H.R. 1 regarding the grants and administration of the National Endowment for the Arts that is pertinent to state arts agencies and the diverse constituencies they serve:

$50,000,000, to be distributed in direct grants to fund arts projects and activities which preserve jobs in the non-profit arts sector threatened by declines in philanthropic and other support during the current economic downturn: Provided, That 40 percent of such funds shall be distributed to State arts agencies and regional arts organizations in a manner similar to the agency’s current practice and 60 percent of such funds shall be for competitively selected arts projects and activities…

By their action, members of Congress demonstrated that they got the message that an arts job supports a household and the economy just as other jobs do.  Members of Congress demonstrated they understood that every state—cities, suburbs and rural areas—benefits when performing, visual, literary and media artists— bring paychecks home to their families.  

The specific allocation of $20 million to state arts agencies such as the Vermont Arts Council, verifies that Congressional leaders believe the arts are best supported by a combination of direct grant making and grant making through states.  They understand that the portion of federal dollars that goes through state arts agencies can be targeted efficiently to those local places where jobs can be saved and created, can reach deeply into local communities and school systems, can assist arts organizations to make it through the recession and artists to market their products and services.

In the days and weeks ahead, we will keep you informed of opportunities that result from the stimulus bill funding.  We look forward to doing our part to assist the recovery of—and reinvestment in—Vermont’s economy.

Make plans to join us on March 25th for Arts Achievement Day at the State House.  The day-long event is your chance to meet with legislators and other arts advocates as we celebrate our accomplishments and lobby for continued state funding for the arts.
 

THE ARTS ARE PART OF THE SOLUTION!

The day will include:

• Displays and exhibits by local arts organizations and participants in the Art of Action
• Tour of the State House art collection with State Curator David Schütz
• An accessibility training workshop
• Peer networkingPerformances
• Lunch with Legislators
• New documentary by Vermont filmmaker Deb Ellis
• Panel discussion: The Arts in Action
• Legislative reception and award ceremony

Stay tuned for more details in the weeks ahead.
 

Today, Senators Leahy and Bennett re-introduced the Artist Museum Partnership Act, which would allow artists, composers and writers to take a tax deduction equal to the fair market value of works that they donate to libraries, museums, colleges, and other places that intend to put the works on public display.  Senators Bayh, Boxer, Brown, Cochran, Dodd, Durbin, Johnson, Kennedy, Sanders, Schumer, and Whitehouse are also cosponsors.  

This bill would restore tax equity for artists and benefit museums, libraries, and the public by encouraging artists to donate works.  Currently, artists can only deduct the cost of supplies (i.e. paper, pens and ink), while art collectors and estates of deceased artists can deduct the full fair market value of donated works.  Under this bill, an IRS-approved appraiser will determine the fair market value of a work. 

Leahy and Bennett have introduced this bill for the past five Congresses.  It was included in the Senate-passed version of the 2001 tax reconciliation bill, the Senate-passed version of the 2003 Charity Aid, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Act, and the Senate-passed version of the 2005 tax reconciliation bill.

The Vermont Arts Council acts as the state's foremost arts advocate, and we need your help! If you're willing to send emails or make phone calls when input from the arts community is most needed, click here to join our Core Arts Advocacy List.

By joining our Core Advocacy list, we can keep you informed via email of ongoing opportunities to advocate for the arts on the regional and national level. Just click the link above, enter your email address, and select the Core Advocacy list checkbox to subscribe.

Also, check click on the TAKE ACTION button below to keep informed about national arts advocacy opportunities.

We work throughout the year at the state and national levels to increase funding for the arts and promote public policy that recognizes and supports the vital contribution the arts make to our culture, our schools and our communities. Click the button at left to learn about national arts advocacy opportunities.

The Creative Industries report was done by Americans for the Arts. Creative Industries: Business & Employment in the Arts reports offer a new, research-based approach to understanding the scope and importance of the arts to the nation's economy. While most economic impact studies of the arts have focused on the nonprofit sector, Creative Industries is the first national study that encompasses both the nonprofit and for-profit arts industry.

Open the creative industries report for Vermont (pdf file).