Education Reform Bill Set to Pass
On November 30, the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly (359-64) to approve legislation updating the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The Senate is expected to pass the bill next week. The legislation, known as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), would revise the nation’s most wide-ranging law overseeing public education in the United States […]
Will Budget Deal Affect NEA Funding?
As we reported last week, President Obama and congressional Republicans agreed on a sweeping budget bill that sets the parameters for the federal budget for the next two years. The deal is significant. With those guidelines in place, the chance of a government shutdown over spending is substantially reduced (though new House Speaker Paul Ryan […]
Congress Faces Tight Deadlines
Members of the U.S. House and Senate returned to Washington, D.C., this week for legislative work following the August recess. Greeting legislators upon their return is a gamut of tricky issues that require immediate attention. First and foremost among members of Congress is the fiscal year 2016 budget. After a promising start this year, which […]
While Congress Is Out, Reach Out
Despite significant progress made in both chambers to pass a budget for fiscal year 2016, legislation funding the National Endowment for the Arts and most federal agencies appears to be in jeopardy, with less than two months before current appropriations expire. Holding up the appropriations process, which was on track to pass under a regular […]
Congress in Action for the Arts
After years of inaction, the U.S. Congress has returned to legislating in recent months. Last November’s sweeping election saw the Republican party increase its majority in the House of Representatives to its largest share since 1948, as well as assume control of the U.S. Senate for the first time since 2006. The logjam has been […]
NEA Budget, Education Bills Status
As the month of June begins, several pieces of federal legislation of interest to arts advocates face critical tests. NEA FY2016 Funding Amount Uncertain It has been nearly three months since the House Appropriations Committee held a hearing to consider the fiscal year 2016 budget for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). With the […]
Education Policy in Progress
April was a busy month in Washington, as Congress worked on several pieces of legislation critical to the arts. First, as we reported last month, the House Appropriations Committee continues to work on funding bills for federal agencies in advance of the fiscal year 2016 budget. As a reminder, NASAA and other arts organizations are […]
Make Contact with Congress
March was an exciting month for the arts and state arts agencies. ArtsWA Executive Director Karen Hanan was invited by Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-WA), a member of House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies (which has jurisdiction over the budget of the National Endowment for the Arts [NEA]), to testify before the panel. […]
Arts Advocacy Plan: NEA, Education
Arts advocates from all over the country are making plans to travel to Washington, D.C., for Arts Advocacy Day, March 23-24, to make the case to Congress for the arts in federal policy. This year’s event comes at an ideal time. President Obama submitted his budget proposal to Congress in early February, in which he […]
Obama Proposes Slight NEA Increase
On Monday, February 2, President Obama submitted his budget proposal for fiscal year 2016, which begins on October 1. The president’s budget, which is not binding but is an important indicator of the administration’s policy priorities, includes robust funding for transportation projects, tax credits to low- and middle-income Americans, and suggestions for paying for those […]