From the Research Team

2023 State Legislative Roundup

NASAA has released its 2023 State Legislative Roundup, the latest in its annual review of state legislation important to state arts agencies and the arts community. As legislatures grapple with slowing revenue growth and the winding down of federal COVID-19 pandemic aid, NASAA continued to track bills affecting the spectrum of cultural policy, including legislation that affects:

arts education
cultural districts and creative economic development
state arts agency structure and revenue
diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives
public art

This report—which includes 79 bills curated from the hundreds we reviewed—is designed to help arts leaders stay current on legislation and ultimately advance policy that is beneficial for the arts at the state level. As such, it considers a wide range of bills, from those that significantly strengthen the arts to those that are more negative in impact. Likewise, it includes bills across the legislative process, from enacted to failed. The roundup also offers a set of infographics analyzing cultural policy trends over the past nine years.

Our tracking of legislation takes place over a multitude of sources and is greatly improved with the input of state arts agencies. We welcome news—now or at any point in the year—about past, current or pending legislation in your state. You can share your legislative leads, or questions, by contacting NASAA Research Associate Declan Wicks.