“Does the First Amendment Allow the Government to Censor Art?” is an educator’s guide that addresses the relationship between freedom of speech and art censorship using history, discussion questions, and debate prompts.

The first of its kind in the nation, the new cultural policy provides direction and guidelines for how Los Angeles County and its departments will ensure that every resident of LA County has meaningful access to arts and culture. In its inaugural year of the newly established Department of Arts and Culture, the adoption of the Cultural Policy is another milestone in the County’s support of the arts. 

Today, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) withdrew a misguided proposal, after receiving nearly 38,000 public comments—including joint comments signed by Americans for the Arts and 206 nonprofit organizations from across the sector.

The proposal would have permitted, but not required, charitable nonprofits to file a new, separate information return with the IRS by February 28 every year to “substantiate” contributions made to their organization of more than $250. 

It has been a big day in Washington with agreements on both Fiscal Year 2016 funding and expired tax provisions impacting charitable giving.

Earlier this year, Texans for the Arts successfully executed the legislative strategy that secured a new appropriation of $5 million from the 84th Texas Legislative Session for the Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA), with support from and in partnership with the Texas Cultural Trust. The new funding was dedicated to TCA’s Cultural and Fine Arts Districts program, Arts Respond Cultural District Project, for the 2016-2017 biennium.

The Every Student Succeeds Act, signed into law last Thursday, includes the arts alongside math and language arts in its definition of a "well-rounded education." That ensures that arts education programs and teachers are eligible to receive federal funds through provisions such as Title I, which supports disadvantaged students, and Title II, which supports teachers. 

In a speedy few weeks, Congress passed bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in landslide votes: 85-12 in the U.S. Senate and 359-64 in the U.S. House of Representatives.

On Wednesday, December 9, the Senate passed the Every Student Succeeds Act 85-12, on the heels of its passage in the House last week.

The bill — which the president is scheduled to sign Thursday, 12/9 — would "dump the current law’s intense focus on test scores and the well-intentioned but impossible goal of having all students reading and calculating at grade level." We're one step closer to saying a permanent farewell to the widely unpopular No Child Left Behind Act. 

After Missouri’s annual Capitol Christmas tree decorating ceremony on December 8, Missouri Citizens for the Arts delivered 1,006 letters to Governor Jay Nixon asking for increased budget consideration for the Missouri Arts Council (MAC). The organization's initial goal was to drop off 500 letters but quickly surpassed its target as letters poured in from across the state in support of the arts.

The Little Rock Board of Directors unanimously passed on December 1 a two cent tax increase on hotels, motels, bed-and-breakfasts, and short-term vacation rentals to help fund cultural projects. While the hotel tax increase will not require voter approval, voters will decide on February 9 how the money will be allocated for improvements to MacArthur Park, the Arkansas Arts Center, and the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History. 

Indiana State Board of Education unanimously rejected a proposal from the Indiana Career Council in early November, which would have limited arts education for Indiana students.

The proposal was intended to provide high school graduation requirements for all students beginning with the class of 2022. It would have increased the amount of mathematics courses required, financial literacy and others. However, the proposed requirements would have limited school flexibility and removed the arts, allowing for wavers from arts courses for any honors students.

The National Endowment for the Arts and the U.S. Department of Education have selected the Education Commission of the States (ECS) to serve as the new host organization for the Arts Education Partnership.

On November 3, voters in Cuyahoga County in Ohio will be presented with Issue 8—a ballot initiative which will seek to renew a penny-and-a-half sales tax on cigarette sales that directly benefits local arts organizations for an additional 10 years. If not renewed, the levy will expire on January 21, 2017. Originally approved by voters in 2006, the sales tax created the Cuyahoga Arts & Culture which has since distributed more than $125 million to 300 arts and culture organizations throughout Cuyahoga County.

New Jersey’s Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee approved a bill that would provide tax breaks for top-billed entertainers who perform at least four shows in Atlantic City's tourism district. S2721 would exempt out-of-state performers from state income taxes on earnings from performances in Atlantic City or any others in New Jersey during the same calendar year.

Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner closed all state museums on September 30; he cited the closures as “part of his efforts to manage state finances” while a budget deal with Democratic Legislature is still being negotiated. Chairman of the State Museum Board Guerry Suggs decried the governor’s actions and said that the closure of the 138-year-old museum in Springfield and its four satellite facilities will only save the state less than $400,000 of the Illinois' projected $5 billion budget deficit. 

A committee of the Minneapolis City Council unanimously passed a proposal that would set aside a designated percentage of the city’s net debt bond for public art funding. The proposed ordinance, which was passed on a 5-0 vote, would enforce a minimum amount of funding for maintaining and building new public artworks each year. The minimum amount for public art would be equal to 1.5% of the debt the city takes on for public projects. The proposed ordinance will now be submitted to a vote by the full City Council.

The rising cost of housing and work spaces is a problem that is rapidly threatening arts professionals. In San Francisco, the San Francisco Arts Commission conducted a survey which polled nearly 600 sculptors, painters, musicians, writers, filmmakers and painters. The results showed that 70% said they had been displaced or were being displaced from their homes, workplaces, or both; 28% reported that they were at risk of being displaced imminently. 

Have you or your organization recently published a report or essay of importance that you want to be sure to share with the arts field? Have you read a report, essay, or book recently that you want to share with everyone because you found it so valuable? If so, please consider including it in the National Arts Administration and Policy Publications Database and make it available to arts practitioners and researchers for posterity.

On Wednesday, August 12, the Des Moines Register published an op-ed by John Pappajohn titled "The Arts Mean Business in Iowa." The op-ed comes several days ahead of the Iowa Arts Advocacy Caucus, held on August 14 and co-hosted with the Iowa Arts Council, Iowa Alliance for Arts Education, BRAVO Greater Des Moines, NAMM, and the United States Conference of Mayors. 

On Friday, August 14, 2015, more than 170 of Iowa’s top arts and culture leaders will gather for the Iowa Arts Advocacy Caucus from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the State Historical Building of Iowa, 600 E. Locust Street in Des Moines. The event is free to attend, and open to media. 

A coalition of construction company firms in Oakland, Ca. is suing the city over its public art ordinance, which requires construction firms to spend between 0.5% and 1% of any construction project’s budget on public art. Called the Building Industry Association of the Bay Area (BIA), the coalition represents about 300 builders, contractors, suppliers, and others within the Bay Area housing sector.

After the Massachusetts State Legislature approved an increase of $2,374,800—or 18%— to the Massachusetts Cultural Council on July 8, Governor Charlie Baker shocked the arts community by vetoing the funds on July 17.

On July 27, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper announced the launch of the Space to Create Colorado program. Inspired by Artspace’s recent construction of 30 affordable live and work units for artists and their families in Loveland, Co., Gov. Hickenlooper has decided to replicate the Loveland facility in eight mountain and rural regions throughout Colorado.

A Portland city audit—released July 28—reported that nearly 200,000 city residents have not paid or filed tax exemption paperwork for Portland’s $35 arts tax. Approved by voters in 2012, the income tax is required of all Portland residents, 18 years or older, with an income over $1,000. 

National newspaper Politico featured Salt Lake County’s Zoo, Arts, and Parks Program—more commonly known as ZAP—which is a county-wide sales tax that benefits recreational and cultural organizations.

This month, Iowa Governor Terry Branstad signed SF 510, which directs the Iowa Department of Education to fund at least a 0.5 Fine Arts consultant position. Cut to 0.23 a year ago, the position is restored to its original status. It also means that Iowa Code now mandates this position, and the law directs that the position be funded on an annual basis.