Finally, Congress Closes the Deal on 2011 Funding
The House of Representatives is set to vote on April 13 on the final spending agreement reached the week before by the president with Republican and Democratic congressional leaders in time to avoid a government shutdown. To allow time to lay out the details of the appropriations legislation to finish out the 2011 fiscal year, […]
House Cuts NEA 2011 Funds, Action Moves to Senate; Obama Asks for NEA Cut in 2012
The U.S. House of Representatives and Senate continue to negotiate funding for the 2011 fiscal year. The first week in March, both chambers passed another short-term continuing resolution to extend funding for the current fiscal year until March 18. This measure, essentially continuing appropriations at the 2010 levels, includes $4 billion in cuts demanded by […]
House-Senate Heading for Budget Showdown
On February 14, President Obama is scheduled to send to Congress his budget proposal for the 2012 fiscal year. With attention focused since the November election on reducing spending levels and cutting the size of the federal budget deficit, reductions in funds are expected to show up throughout the administration’s budget. As Congress begins deliberations […]
2011 Funding Decisions Delayed; IMLS Reauthorization Approved by Congress; IRA Charitable Rollover Extended
Congress Kicks FY2011 Funding Decisions into 2011 On December 21, President Obama signed yet another continuing resolution—the fourth so far in this new fiscal year—carrying appropriations for all federal programs through March 4, 2011, essentially at 2010 funding levels. An effort to move ahead with an omnibus appropriations measure for the entire year that included […]
Congress Postpones Funding Decisions; Arts Advocates Eye Tax Bill
Congress Postpones Funding Decisions to a Lame Duck Session The House and Senate returned from the August recess on September 14, and with just two weeks left before adjournment, there was little time—and even less political will—to accomplish much. As has happened in recent years, Congress did not finish with appropriations bills before the start […]
Senate Panel Boosts Arts Ed Funding
The House and Senate were in recess for the month of August. Senators and representatives will return to Washington on September 14 to resume legislative work. Before breaking for the August recess, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the fiscal year 2011 funding for the U.S. Department of Education, setting appropriations for the arts in education […]
Proposed NEA Increase, Artist Visa Process, Arts Education Funding
House Panel Approves NEA Funding Increase Following the July 4 recess, Congress took the first steps forward with fiscal year 2011 funding legislation, as appropriations subcommittees in the House and Senate began drafting their versions of the various money bills to support the range of federal agencies in the coming year. On July 22, the […]
Congress Lags in Budget Process; Advocacy Opportunities in HUD Initiative; Bill Would Strengthen Nonprofits
Congress Lags in 2011 Budget Process Congress has very little enthusiasm for taking up appropriations bills this year, and the process may hold over into a lame duck session after the November elections, when all seats in the House of Representatives and one-third of those in the Senate are on the ballot. Neither the House […]
Capitol Hill Budget Process on Slow Track; Congress Prepares Tax Bill
Congress is moving slowly—actually not moving very much at all—on developing a budget and drafting the appropriations bills to fund the government for the 2011 fiscal year come October 1. While President Obama was on time this year in submitting his proposed budget to Congress on February 1, the House and Senate have not kept […]
NEA Chair Testifies on Arts Budget; Arts Education Testimony in Senate
Appearing before the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee on April 13, Rocco Landesman, chair of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), presented the Obama administration’s budget proposing $161.315 million for the federal arts agency in fiscal year 2011, some $6 million below the arts endowment’s current funding. Landesman testified that funding at the reduced level […]