Your New Congress
Last Tuesday, the nation’s 114th Congress was sworn into office. As outlined in this column last month, the Republicans’ sweeping electoral success in November gives the party control of both chambers of Congress for the first time since 2006. That win also allows Republicans the opportunity to set the agenda in Congress, and although it […]
Reach Out to New Legislators
Following a tense week of negotiations, the Republican-led House of Representatives and the Democratic-led Senate were able to agree on legislation last weekend that funds all federal agencies except for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for the remainder of fiscal year 2015. (DHS received a three-month extension of funding.) That vote, which relied upon […]
Midterm Election Scenarios
Following a very short work period in September, the House and Senate adjourned on September 18 to allow members to return to their home districts and states to ramp up campaign activity. 2014 is an election year, and all 435 members of the House of Representatives, as well as a third (33) of the Senate, […]
Federal Update: September
Following a month-long recess, Congress returned to session on September 8 for what is expected to be a two- to three-week work period before adjourning for this November’s election. Given that limited window of time, Republican and Democratic leadership has made the decision to pass a continuing resolution to keep the government operating when the […]
Your Efforts Made a Difference
Congress adjourned for the summer last week, and is not expected to return until September 8. It is then expected to have 12 working days in Washington before the current federal budget expires on October 1. As a result, it is looking likely that Congress will have to pass a continuing resolution, which maintains existing […]
FY2015 Budget Progress in Congress
June marked an exciting period for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), as Dr. Jane Chu’s nomination to lead the agency was approved by the U.S. Senate. The NEA has operated without a chair since December 2012. In that time, the agency has had to navigate another round of funding cuts related to sequestration, […]
Call to Action: NEA Chair Vote
After several months with little progress, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee met in May and approved the nomination of Dr. Jane Chu to lead the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). During the confirmation process, it was important to NASAA that the principle of 40% of NEA grant funding being mandated for state […]
NASAA Testimony; Chu Nomination
Following a lengthy recess for Easter and Passover, Congress returned to session in May for what is expected to be a busy work period. As I have mentioned in earlier columns, Congress is attempting to pass a budget under regular procedure for the first time since 2009. Last month, the House of Representatives took an […]
Contact Your Delegation
Last week, arts advocates from around the country came to Washington, D.C., to participate in Arts Advocacy Day. Arts Advocacy Day continues to serve as a great opportunity to meet other arts leaders, share information and meet with members of Congress and their staff. To those who were able to make it this year, I […]
Arts Policy News
As March begins, there are several significant arts policy related developments to report. NEA Chair First and foremost, President Obama announced his intention to nominate Jane Chu to lead the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Chu currently serves as president and chief executive officer of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas […]