Appropriations Season is Underway

Congressional appropriators have begun debating the distribution of the federal budget for FY16 which begins October 1, 2015. In FY16 appropriations, PAA is advocating for:
 

• National Endowment for the Arts: $155 million in the Interior Appropriations bill

• Cultural Exchange: $110 million to the Office of Citizen Exchanges at the State Department in the State and Foreign Operations bill

• Arts Education: $30 million for the Arts in Education (AIE) programs at the Department of Education in the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education bill.

NEA Appropriations

Both the House and Senate are debating their FY16 Interior Appropriations bills which contain recommendations for the NEA's budget. On June 10, the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee approved level funding of $146 million for the NEA. The full House Appropriations Committee will vote on the bill Tuesday, June 16 at 10:15am. Write your Representative today and ask for $155M for the NEA!

Why $155 million? Though the NEA has been funded at $146 million for the past four years, previously, both the President and the Senate Appropriations Committee have supported $155 million--most recently in FY11. This is why PAA and the arts community advocate for this amount.

The Senate Interior Appropriations Committee is set to consider its FY16 bill on Tuesday, June 16 at 2:30pm. If you live in Alaska, California, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, or Vermont, your Senator serves on this committee. Write your Senator today and ask for $155M for the NEA in FY16!

Arts Education Appropriations

The House Appropriations Subcommittee for Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education is scheduled to debate its FY16 bill on Wednesday, June 17th at 9am. This bill determines the budget for the Department of Education and ultimately the Arts in Education program (AIE). The AIE program provides annual federal support for the development, evaluation, and dissemination of model programs that integrate arts instruction into other subject areas. It also provides support for professional development in arts education.

PAA and national arts advocates are asking Congress for $30 million for the Arts in Education program in FY16. If your Representative serves on the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee, contact him/her today! Tell them about the importance of the AIE program and access to high quality arts education for all students. See the list of committee members here.

Representatives send letter to the FCC
Last month, Congressional Arts Caucus co-chairs, Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and Rep. Leonard Lance (R-NJ) co-authored a letter urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to protect performing arts wireless technology in the upcoming spectrum incentive auctions. The letter was sent to the FCC on May 22 with 11 bipartisan signers. It included several members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee which has jurisdiction over the FCC. Thank you for taking action on this important issue by urging your Representatives to sign on to the letter. Stay tuned for more on this policy area as the FCC prepares for the incentive auctions.
 

Sound Demonstration for FCC Commissioner
PAA advocates with the Performing Arts Wireless Microphone Working Group for the protection of wireless technology used in the performing arts. A part of this advocacy is demonstrating to FCC officials what interference to wireless microphones sounds like during live performances.

On June 10th, PAA attended a demonstration for FCC Commissioner Michael O'Rielly at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, DC. As actors ran lines from a scene from a current production, theatre technicians demonstrated the disruption that would be caused to the actors' wireless microphones if a White Space device were operating nearby. The disruption to the performance illustrated a problem that many performing arts venues are concerned about if the FCC adopts a proposal to eliminate the ability of performing arts wireless microphone users to register their needs in the Geo-location Database. This database provides interference protection. You can read a complete summary of the sound demonstration meeting in this Ex Parte Letter filed with the FCC on June 12.

Tell the Senate to #Act4Good

Congress continues to consider reinstatement and extension of a set of tax extenders in which the IRA Charitable Rollover is included. The IRA Rollover allows donors age 70 ½ and older to make tax-free charitable gifts of up to $100,000 directly from their Individual Retirement Account (IRA) funds to charitable organizations. Giving incentives such as the Rollover are an important source of support for the work and services of nonprofit arts organizations.

The House passed The America Gives More Act of 2015 on February 12 which would reinstate the Rollover and make it permanent. In the Senate, The Public Good Charitable Rollover Act of 2015 was introduced May 1, however the Senate has yet to take action on tax extenders.

Join PAA and the larger nonprofit sector in urging Congress to #Act4Good and take action on the IRA Rollover. Write your Senators and ask them to permanently reinstate the IRA Charitable Rollover. After writing your letter, you can also tweet your Senators using #Act4Good.