Tucson: Arts Action Alert: Tell Your Representative to Support Increased Arts Funding

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From: Americans for the Arts [mailto:advocacy@artsusa.org]
Sent: Thursday, March 23, 2006 2:11 PM
Subject: Arts Action Alert: Tell Your Representative to Support Increased
Arts Funding

Arts Action Alert - Take Action Now!

March 23, 2006

A "Dear Colleague" letter is being circulated on Capitol Hill this week by
the co-chairs of the Congressional Arts Caucus, Representatives Chris Shays
(R-CT) and Louise Slaughter (D-NY), to increase the funding level of the
National Endowment for the Arts to $170 million in FY 2007. Representatives
Shays and Slaughter are seeking additional signatories to this letter, and
we ask for your assistance in gathering them. In just two minutes, you can
use our E-Advocacy Center
<http://capwiz.com/artsusa/utr/1/DESSFQNZVF/DDHDFQNZWE/663613036> to
contact your Member of Congress and ask them to sign on to the Dear
Colleague letter. The deadline for your Representative to add their
signature is Friday, March 31, so there is no time to lose!

The President's FY 2007 budget requests no new funding for the NEA, but
rather a "level-funding" of $124.41 million, identical to last year's total.
In addition, the budget request reallocates funds at the expense of some
valuable programs, such as Challenge America. This important program ensures
that direct grants from the NEA reach underserved populations, including
places where opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography,
ethnicity, economics or disability.

The letter <http://capwiz.com/artsusa/utr/1/DESSFQNZVF/AZQMFQNZWF/663613036>
currently being circulated by the Congressional Arts Caucus would urge the
leaders of the House Interior Appropriations committee - which has
jurisdiction over NEA funding - to increase NEA funding to $170 million in
FY 2007, an increase of $45 million over current funding. As the Dear
Colleague letter notes, "The American public wants and needs an affordable
investment in the arts. An investment in the arts is an investment in our
future."

An increase in funding for the NEA was one of several issues our arts
advocates discussed with their Members of Congress during our 19th annual
Arts Advocacy Day
<http://capwiz.com/artsusa/utr/1/DESSFQNZVF/MFKVFQNZWG/663613036> , held on
Capitol Hill on March 15. Thanks so much to those of you who came to
Washington, DC or participated online to make this event such a success.
While Arts Advocacy Day may be over, our work to increase arts funding has
just begun. Please urge your Representative
<http://capwiz.com/artsusa/utr/1/DESSFQNZVF/LELAFQNZWH/663613036> to sign
the Dear Colleague letter and signal their support of the arts.

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