ARTS, CULTURE AND RECREATION COMMITTEE

FEDERAL FUNDING FOR THE ARTS, HUMANITIES AND MUSEUMS

WHEREAS, the arts, humanities and museums are critical to the quality of life and livability of America’s cities; and

WHEREAS, the National Endowment for the Arts’ and the National Endowment for the Humanities’ thirty plus years of promoting cultural infrastructure in this nation of arts and humanities agencies in every state and 4,000 local arts agencies in cities throughout the country; and

WHEREAS, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the Office of Museum Services (OMS) within the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) are the primary federal agencies that provide federal funding for the arts, humanities, and museum programs, activities, and efforts in the cities and states of America; and

WHEREAS, federal funding serves as a catalyst to leverage additional dollars for cultural activity -- the annual federal investment made to these three agencies (NEA @ $97.62 million; NEH @ $115.26 million; and OMS @ $24.4 million) can leverage up to ten times that amount from state and local governments, private foundations, corporations and individuals in communities across the nation to support the highest quality cultural programs in the world; and

WHEREAS, federal funding for cultural activities stimulates local economics and improves the quality of civic life throughout the country -- the NEA, NEH, and IMLS support programs that enhance community development, promote cultural planning, stimulate business development, spur urban renewal, attract new business, draw significant cultural tourism dollars, and improve the overall quality of life in our cities and towns; and

WHEREAS, the nonprofit arts industry generates $36.8 billion annually in economic activity and supports 1.3 million jobs -- from large urban to small rural communities, the nonprofit arts industry annually returns $3.4 billion in federal income taxes, $1.2 billion in state government revenue and $790 million in local government revenue; and

WHEREAS, federal arts funding to cities, towns and states has helped stimulate the growth of 3,800 local arts agencies in America’s cities and counties and $750 million annually in local government funding to the arts and humanities; and

WHEREAS, federal funding for cultural activities is essential to promote full access to and participation in exhibits, performances, arts education and other cultural events regardless of geography and family income; and

WHEREAS, the NEA has been very responsive to Congressional concerns and has undergone a major restructuring of its grants programs to more directly reach and help build communities across the nation; and

WHEREAS, Congress has not increased funding for the NEA’s since the 40 percent cuts made in 1995; and

WHEREAS, the President has recommended substantial budget increases for these agencies for FY01 -- $150 million for NEA and $150 million for NEH -- both of which are linked to special initiatives, such as "Challenge America," which would allocate the increased budget in part to grant programs which would strengthen America’s communities through the arts and humanities; and

WHEREAS, the delicate balance in shared responsibility and partnership for public funding of the arts and humanities at the federal, state and local government levels has been in serious jeopardy since local governments cannot make up for the current funding cuts in the federal government’s share; and

WHEREAS, the United States Conference of Mayors has issued official letters in the past on Arts Advocacy Day to the President and leaders of the U.S. Senate and House, signed by more than 200 of the nation’s mayors, to save federal funding for the arts and humanities,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the United States Conference of Mayors reaffirms its support of the National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Office of Museums Services within the Institute of Museum and Library Services and calls upon Congress to fund these agencies at the President’s FY 2001 request level in order to fulfill the federal government’s responsibility to help make the arts accessible to all Americans for the social, economic and cultural well-being of the American public, as well as to help sustain this nation’s cultural infrastructure for public support of the arts and humanities at the federal, state and local levels.