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.
- Federal Arts Funding
- Federal Arts Education Funding
- Federal Tax Policy
- Cultural Exchange
- Public Broadcasting/IMLS
Senate Floor Information (see right side of the page for today's schedule)
2007 Congressional Schedule (dates subject to change)
Congressional Arts Caucus Roster
Federal Arts Funding
President Bush signed into law the “omnibus” Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2007 which included $144.7 million for the National Endowment for the Arts—$20 million more than the previous year’s appropriation and representing the largest increase in 30 years. The legislation concluded the FY 2008 budget process by combining the remaining 11 appropriations bills into one, $474 billion domestic spending measure that saw the NEA receive a 16 percent boost in funding over FY 2007. The increase was a result of a compromise between the House and Senate provisions which were $36 million and $ 9 million, respectively, over the previous year’s budget. The National Endowment for the Humanities also saw an incremental increase in its funding, receiving $144.7 million for FY 2008 over the FY 2007. In his FY 2009 budget request, the president has proposed a $16.3 million cut for the NEA—from $144.7 million to $128.4 million. The president also asked for a slight cut to the NEH, from $144.7 to $144.3 million
Federal Arts Education Funding
Included in the passage of the omnibus budget bill, was funding for the U.S. Department of Education and the Arts in Education Program (AIE). While the $37.5 million appropriation represents only a modest increase for programmatic funding over FY 2007, the inclusion of $2.2 million for the Arts Fast Response Survey (FRSS) was approved. With its inclusion, the FRSS will be fielded for the first time in 7 years and will provide invaluable data as to the effectiveness of arts education in school curriculums. AIE survived an initial veto by President Bush of the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriation Bill, the legislation that funds education that was later included in the omnibus. For the eighth consecutive year, the president’s budget has eliminated funding for the AIE for FY 2009.
Federal Tax Policy
- In November, NEA Chairman Dana Gioia released a letter and NEA summary report on the Artist-Museum Partnership Act (S. 548 and H.R. 1524) sent to Senators Leahy (D-VT) and Bennett (R-UT) discussing the positive impact of the bill in preserving America's artistic heritage. To date, 77 sponsors have added their names to the House bill, a number surpassing last year’s total. Please take a moment to read the NEA Chairman’s letter here.
- December 31, 2007, the IRA Charitable Rollover expired along with other tax extensions that failed to be considered before the end of the year. This legislation, 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 to be included as part of a tax extension package attached to the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) bill. In a procedural move, the U.S. Senate stripped out the extenders and passed a bill that was later approved by the House and signed by the President. The fate of the extenders is still unclear, as an expected abbreviated Second Session of the 110th Congress is expected to make consideration of further legislation difficult.
- Reps. Tom Udall (D-NM) and Phil English (R-PA) have introduced H.R. 3881, The Promotion of Artistic Giving Act of 2007, to amend the overly restrictive changes made to the tax treatment of fractional gifts in the Pension Protection Act of 2006. Fractional gifts are charitable donations to museums and galleries made in fractions over a number of years.
Cultural Exchange
Included in the omnibus budget bill was an increase for the State Department's Cultural Programs Division as part of the FY 2008 Foreign Operations Appropriations bill. Though no budget details have been made available, the estimated funding level is $11 million.
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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 non-profit arts-related organizations visa petitions, passed out of the House Judiciary Committee in December 2007. This legislation seeks to rectify the unpredictability of the visa process for international artists and performance organizations that depend on time-sensitive scheduling without having to pay a premium for timely consideration of their petitions. The bill has not yet been scheduled for debate on the House floor.
Corporation for Public Broadcasting/OMS (within IMLS)
In the omnibus bill, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) saw an increase for its FY10 budget in the amount of $20 million, bringing the total appropriation to $420 million. The FY 2009 budget request calls for a rescission of $200 million in this already-approved funding for the CPB. Unfortunately, the Office of Museum Services (OMS) did not fare as well in the final budget reconciliation. OMS saw a small decrease from FY 2007 from $32.2 million to a FY 2008 total of $31.9 million. However, in his FY 2009 budget request, President Bush requested a funding boost of over $8 million for OMS, bringing the amount of funding available for grants to almost $40 million.
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