The Charitable Act would expand and extend the expired non-itemized deduction for charitable giving, and would once again provide and enhance a tax incentive for greater philanthropy toward arts and culture, among other sectors. Americans for the Arts and Americans for the Arts Action Fund have endorsed this important piece of legislation.
In 2022, Congress passed a bill called the ARTS (Artistic Recognition for Talented Students) Act, which waives U.S. Copyright Office copyright registration fees for student Congressional Arts Competition winners.
Funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) passed at $207 million each, $6.3 million and $3.45 million over President Biden’s requests. The bipartisan hearing on June 8—the first in seven years with the NEA and NEH—included testimony from Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson (13th Chair, NEA), Ms. Shelly Lowe (12th Chair, NEH), Ms. Kaywin Feldman (Director, National Gallery of Art), and Mr. Lonnie G. Bunch III (Secretary, Smithsonian Institution).
On Thursday, April 28, 2022, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA-13) introduced the Equity Through the Arts and Humanities Act (H.R. 7627), which would create a grant program to support arts and humanities projects that work to dismantle systemic racism through the arts and humanities.
Rep. Nydia Velázquez introduced a bill that would increase the Educator Expense Deduction to $2,000 and allow early childhood educators to take advantage of the tax benefit.
Americans for the Arts submitted testimony to the U.S. House Appropriations Interior Subcommittee calling for “…funding for both the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities at no less than $201 million each for FY 2023.” This is the level that the Biden Administration proposed for FY 2022, and was approved by the House; however, the final level in the Omnibus appropriations bills is $180 million.
The first ever hearing dedicated to the creative economy explored both the impact of COVID-19 on the creative economy, and the various points of connection to federal assistance to small businesses for recovery and long-term support for growth. At the invitation of the committee, Americans for the Arts provided additional testimony alongside other national arts service organizations.
Arts advocates from across the United States will gather virtually March 28-30, 2022, for the National Arts Action Summit, now in its 35th consecutive year. This year, for the first time, there will be no registration fee to attend the National Arts Action Summit for both individuals and partner organizations.
There is now more pro-creative economy legislation being considered by Congress than at any other point in U.S. history. In the last several months arts advocates have been working with members of Congress to introduce an historic lineup of pro-arts legislation that map a new, more equitable and impactful policy landscape for creative businesses and workers.
A group of 60 creative workforce organizations sent a joint letter to House Education & Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA) to request a hearing on the creative workforce and consideration of several policy items as the committee considers the reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) for the first time since it was initially adopted in 2014.
The Arts Education for All Act, the broadest arts education policy bill ever introduced in Congress, includes key provisions that will support and encourage the offering of arts education and programming experiences to Americans including our youngest learners, K-12 students, and youth impacted by the juvenile justice system; and would allow for rigorous arts and arts education research to be carried out to further inform how elementary and secondary education in our country can be improved.
The 117th Congress has yielded great strides and measurable successes in federal arts advocacy work. This Summer 2021 Legislative Update summarizes the current legislative status of the bills and policies that Americans for the Arts, coalition partners, and grassroots advocates across the country have been working toward throughout the year.
On the morning of June 30, 2021, a new and unexpected threat to a pro-arts piece of federal legislation became apparent. The full U.S. House of Representatives was beginning final consideration of the INVEST in America Act of 2021 (H.R. 3684), which included an arts and transit provision that had not attracted any opposition—until an amendment from Rep. Bob Gibbs (R-OH) aimed to strike the pro-arts provision from the bill. Rep. Gibbs argued that that federal dollars shouldn’t be used for “feel-good frescoes and metro station murals.” What Rep. Gibbs and other opponents fail to realize is that the provision does not require art projects, but rather allows local transit authorities the option to hire artists and install public art in transit projects if they wish. And it doesn’t cost the federal government money, but rather allows local transit authorities the option to spend their budget hiring an artist if they want to. Arts-related votes on the floor of either chamber of Congress are a rarity, so a dynamic advocacy strategy becomes extremely important when one occurs—and in this case, Americans for the Arts marshalled every arts advocacy tool in our war chest in response.
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On July 1, the U.S. House Appropriations Committee voted to accept the Interior Subcommittee’s fiscal year (FY) 2022 funding bill, granting Biden Administration’s funding request of $201 million for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The bill also includes $201 million for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to keep the agencies funded in tandem.
The STAR Act provision will reverse a 2015 prohibition on using Federal Transit Administration funds for art in transit, and give local transit authorities the opportunity to reap the numerous benefits of art in transit—encouraging ridership, improving customer experience, deterring vandalism, and more.
Americans for the Arts Interim President and CEO General Nolen Bivens (U.S. Army Ret.) submitted official testimony to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies to support federal funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) at no less than $176 million for FY 2022—at least an $8.5 million increase over FY 2021 funding. This ask matches the most recent highpoint of NEA funding of $176 million in FY 1992.
Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC) has introduced the Saving Transit Art Resources (STAR) Act, which would reinstate a federal flexibility that allows local transit authorities to incorporate art into federally-funded transit projects.
Brigadier General Nolen Bivens (ret.), Interim President and CEO of Americans for the Arts, and Nina Ozlu Tunceli, Executive Director of the Americans for the Arts Action Fund (Arts Action Fund), released a statement in response to the passage of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
Brigadier General Nolen Bivens (Ret.), Interim President and CEO of Americans for the Arts and the Americans for the Arts Action Fund, released a statement in response to final passage of the National Defense Authorization Act.
On Sept. 22, 2020, President Trump issued an Executive Order (EO) banning federal contractors from conducting training “based on race and sex stereotyping,” as well as training that “portrays certain races as oppressors.” Americans for the Arts strongly opposes this EO and has subsequently signed onto two coalition letters that request President Trump rescind the EO.
A second letter of support for arts and culture in the new COVID-19 relief package has been completed by 204 local Chambers of Commerce in 50 states! This is a substantial increase from a similar May letter, which garnered 140 signatories from 39 states. If your chamber is listed in the final letter, please take a moment to reach out and thank them.
On Friday, May 15, the Democratic-led U.S. House of Representatives voted on passage of a $3 trillion COVID-19 relief aid package titled the HEROES Act. While the Republican-led Senate and the White House have indicated they are not interested in passing another COVID-19 relief package yet, there will likely be some key components of this bill that arts advocates would like to see survive a negotiated House-Senate relief compromise package.
Last week, a letter signed by 140 chambers of commerce from 39 states across the country was delivered to Congressional leadership in support of federal relief for the nonprofit arts and cultural community. This letter was generated by a small group of chambers and distributed by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) and Americans for the Arts.
Americans for the Arts President and CEO Robert L. Lynch and acclaimed singer-songwriter Ben Folds today urged the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies to support federal funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) at $170 million for fiscal year (FY) 2021, a $7.75 million increase over FY 2020 funding. With last year’s increase the largest in six years, Congress has almost restored the NEA to its funding-level highpoint of $176 million in FY 1992.
In a process that began over a year ago, the Arts have gained increased support and funding through the Congressional appropriations process. While traditional legislative priorities—the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, arts education, etc.—garnered increased funding and support language from legislators, new areas—creative arts therapies for veterans and service members and arts programs for at-risk youths—also were recognized and encouraged by appropriators for the fiscal year (FY) 2020 funding cycle. These additional legislative wins were made possible by an active Congressional Arts Caucus and Senate Cultural Caucus, a growing coalition of pro-arts organizations, and motivated grassroots advocates in every state. As the FY 2021 appropriations process is set to begin next week with the delivery of President Trump’s budget to Congress (scheduled for Feb. 10), our work to build off last year’s successes has already begun. Collaboration with our National Partners on the key issues for the 2020 Congressional Arts Handbook are ongoing, and we are gearing up for the 2020 National Arts Action Summit.
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Americans for the Arts President and CEO Robert L. Lynch released a statement in response to Tuesday’s vote of the U.S. House of Representatives on the FY 2020 spending bills, including five pro-arts appropriation items.
The US House of Representatives formally recognized this year's celebration of National Arts in Education Week during a session on September 11, 2019. Representative Chellie Pingree of Maine, who also serves as co-chair of the bi-partisan Congressional Arts Caucus, offered remarks to mark the occassion.
On June 25, Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC) introduced the Saving Transit Art Resources (STAR) Act (H.R. 3437), which would reinstate flexibility and allow local transit authorities to incorporate art into federally-funded transit projects and facilities. Rep. Adams is uniquely situated to introduce a bill supporting local art in transit projects as a practicing artist and art history professor.
This site is meant to provide relevant information to congressional staff who are working on arts and arts education issues - it is updated regularly with comprehensive and timely information, ranging from arts-related legislation to economic data and Arts Caucus events and activities.The tools on this page will provide you with legislative news, research information on your district or state, and facts and figures about the arts. We encourage you to bookmark this site!
During National Arts and Humanities Month, Rep. Kristi Noem (R-SD) photographed “Dignity,” a 50-foot sculpture of a Native American woman created by Sturgis artist Dale Lamphere. The sculpture is on the banks of the Missouri River in Chamberlain, South Dakota.
