Today, the Senate Finance Committee considered legislation to extend several expired tax provisions, including the IRA Charitable Rollover. The provision is a key tax incentive for charitable giving and an important funding source for nonprofit groups, including arts organizations. It most recently expired on December 31, 2014.

After convening a conference meeting to reconcile the Senate’s and House’s proposed budgets, on July 8, the Massachusetts’ Legislature passed the FY2016 state budget. It includes funding the Massachusetts Cultural Council at $14.16 million.

The DC Council approved its 2016 budget on Tuesday, June 30; in the budget, the Council included $200,000 in dedicated funding to research and draft a unified cultural plan for the District of Columbia.

In 2014, a coalition of arts professionals formed Arts Action DC and worked with council member David Grosso to sponsor legislation for the cultural plan initiative. The research will assess “how to stimulate a creative economy, increase cultural participation, and identify needs neighborhood by neighborhood.”

On Monday, July 6, the Oregon Legislature approved House Bill 2171, which extends the sunset date of that state’s film tax credit program. Currently, the film tax credit program offers up to $10 million in total tax credits to film and television productions that film in Oregon. HB 2171 would extend the program by another eight years. 

South Carolina arts advocates were shocked on June 30 when Governor Nikki Haley announced that she would veto 87 budget items—among the vetoes was #21 which would eliminate $1 million in new, recurring funds for grantmaking in arts education from the South Carolina Arts Commission’s budget.

Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education, and the National Lieutenant Governors Association (NLGA) will present South Dakota Lt. Governor Matt Michels with the Public Leadership in the Arts Award for State Arts Leadership, which honors a public official who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in the advancement of the arts at the state level. Michels will receive his award today at the NLGA’s Annual Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Congressional Arts Caucus co-Chairs Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and Leonard Lance (R-NJ) led a bipartisan letter requesting $154.466 million for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in FY 2016. A record-breaking 134 House members joined them in that request!

The letter especially highlights the economic impact of the arts and the NEA/Walter Reed Healing Arts Partnership.

The signed letter is available for download here.

On March 18, the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee held its Public and Outside Witness hearing to receive testimony on programs funded by the subcommittee, including the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).

On March 16, a bill requiring the New Jersey State Council on the Arts to establish an Artist District designation for municipalities cleared an important hurdle as it was released by the Assembly of Tourism, Gaming and the Arts Committee.

Freshman member Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) joined Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) as co-chairs of the Congressional STEAM Caucus.

At their recent Legislative Meeting on February 22 in Washington, DC, the National Association of Counties’ (NACo) Arts and Cultural Commission held a panel on arts and the military, which focused on how the arts can assist with the physical and physiological healing of our nation’s veterans. Jay Dick, Americans for the Arts Liaison to NACo, moderated the panel that consisted of Americans for the Arts Senior Director of Arts Policy Marete Wester and Director of the Veterans Writing Project Ron Capps.

After 3 days of considering bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and nearly 60 amendments, the Senate HELP Committee advanced the legislation, enabling it to be next considered on the Senate floor under an open amendment process. Floor action is now expected before the end of May.

On April 7^th, Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Patty Murray (D-WA) released their long-awaited bipartisan draft bill to reauthorize the long-expired Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The title of the new bill is Every Child Achieves Act. The Senate education committee began consideration of the draft bill on April 14^th with nearly 90 amendments filed.

Boston mayor Martin J. Walsh is making good on a campaign promise to increase focus on culture and the arts in the city. Walsh will reveal details of an 18-month initiative, spearheaded by new chief of arts and culture Julie Burros, which will bring city officials into the streets to meet with artists and cultural professionals. Through the initiative, called “Boston Creates,” information will be collected and analyzed for the city to then formulate a plan of action to address the issues cultural leaders and artists are facing.

On the heels of Arts Advocacy Day, this year's Nancy Hanks Lecturer - Norman Lear - wrote to The Hill about how the arts can help solve our nations problems, both here at home and abroad. He highlights arts and diversity and the power of art in the face of recent events in North Korea.

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives Interior Appropriations Subcommittee approved legislation on a voice vote to fund the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and other cultural institutions like the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Smithsonian Institution.

The NEA is proposed at level funding - $146 million for FY 2016. If approved by Congress, this would be the 5^th year of level funding for the NEA. All the cultural institutions also are proposed at level funding.

On June 1, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee announced his “Shared Prosperity for the Arts Package,” which will provide $7 million to city arts programs over the next two years. 

Several bills are making headway in the Louisiana House and Senate to reform the state’s film tax credit program. The current film tax credit program covers 30 to 35 percent of filmmakers’ costs when they choose to film in Louisiana. Last year, the program cost the state $226 million with independent analysts reporting that the state only made 20 cents in tax revenue for every dollar invested in tax credits.

Today, the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH) will expand its successful Turnaround Arts initiative into five additional school districts, as the program continues to successfully help turn around low-performing schools, narrow the achievement gap, and increase student engagement through the arts.

The Georgia Department of Education announced on June 1 that it created a new fine arts specialist position. The fine arts specialist will focus on the disciplines of music, dance, theatre and visual arts and will provide assistance for fine arts staff throughout Georgia’s school districts.

This year, Americans for the Arts is honoring Ann Marie Miller with the Alene Valkanas State Arts Advocacy Award. Since 2007, the Alene Valkanas State Arts Advocacy Award has honored an individual whose arts advocacy efforts have dramatically affected the political landscape at the state level.

On May 18, the North Carolina House of Representatives released its budget plan. In the plan, the House has proposed to revive the state’s tax credit for restoring historic and cultural buildings, which was allowed to expire last legislative session. 

Governor Jerry Brown has increased the California Arts Council‘s state appropriation with an additional $5 million from his original $1.1 million proposal. While the California Arts Council received a $5 million boost in 2014, the governor specified that it was a one-time only increase. Yet, this year’s raise in the governor’s budget revisions has been designated as permanent. 

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti proposed to raise the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs budget from $9.8 million to $11 million—an increase of 12.2%. This will mark the largest funding increase Cultural Affairs has received since the Recession. With the proposed funding increase, the department’s staff will rise from 41 to 49. Some of the positions include two new regional managers, 3 new arts instructors, and three new employees for the public art division.

In Missouri, Rep. Kathy Swan (R-Cape Girardeau) is championing House Bill 803 (HB 803) to breathe new life into the state’s film tax credit program, which ended in 2013.

This January, Americans for the Arts and the United States Conference of Mayors presented The Honorable Annise Parker, Mayor of Houston, TX with the Mayors National Award for Local Arts Leadership for cities with a population of 100,000 or more, during the United States Conference of Mayors Arts Breakfast in Washington, DC.

On February 26, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ruled - in a split (3-2) vote and along party lines - to reclassify broadband as a utility. The action gives the commission more regulatory power over Internet Service Providers (ISPs).

Although reflective of many of the record number of public comments, the ruling has resulted in some members of Congress developing an alternative legislative response.

On April 28, New York City joined the ranks of Chicago, Houston, and Denver when the city council passed its first, fully comprehensive cultural plan on a vote of 49 to 0. The bill was introduced and championed by city council members Jimmy Van Bramer (Queens) and Stephen Levin (Brooklyn).

In early March 2015, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker proposed in his state budget to eliminate the state's film tax credit program. With the elimination of the film tax credit program, the governor would divert the funds to double the state's Earned Income Tax Credit for low-income working families with three or more children.