CONGRESS TO CONSIDER IMLS FUNDING TOMORROW!

TOMORROW, the House of Representatives Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee is scheduled to debate the FY09 Labor-HHS-Education funding bill, which includes funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

Contact Congress today to urge their support for FY09 funding of $46.3 million for IMLS's museum program - a $15 million increase - in the FY 2009 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill.

ACT NOW! Click http://www.congressweb.com/cweb4/index.cfm?orgcode=aam to view a sample letter, email your members of Congress, and learn more. It just takes a few clicks and a few moments!

It is important for every member of Congress - especially subcommittee members - to hear from constituents that IMLS funds are critical to museums. The bill is expected to be considered by the full Appropriations Committee later this month, and then considered by the entire House. Then the Senate is expected to act. So all members of Congress should be contacted now!

For additional information about advocacy for museums visit http://www.speakupformuseums.org or e-mail mat@aam-us.org today. (Excerpted from the American Association of Museums' Museum Advocacy Alert June 13, 2008.)

ACTION NEEDED TO MAINTAIN NEH FUNDING FOR PRESERVATION AND ACCESS

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, which has jurisdiction over the budget for the National Endowment for the Humanities, last week recommended a FY 2009 funding level of $10 million for NEH's Division of Preservation and Access. This represents a total reduction of $8.380 million from current year funding and is $3.861 million less than the President's budget request of $13.861 million. This action took place at the same time the Subcommittee recommended an overall increase of $15 million for NEH as a whole.

The President's budget for NEH had recommended elimination of the Stabilizing Humanities Collections grant category, funded at $3.6 million in FY 2007. The Subcommittee's additional reduction means that ALL programs funded by the Division of Preservation and Access are now at risk. These are the funds that support field service programs and other programs nationwide that provide a preservation safety net.

Please write Senator Feinstein and ask that funding for NEH's Division of Preservation and Access be restored to the FY 2008 level of $18.380 million.

The Honorable Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) Chairman
331 Senate Hart Office Building
Washington, DC.. 20510
FAX: 202-228-3954

Your letters should make the following points:

• America's collections are at risk. (Use an example, from your own work, of a collection or an artifact that is endangered.)
• Support from NEH's Division of Preservation and Access has been essential in helping libraries, museums, and archives care for deteriorating treasures so that future generations can learn from them.
• Libraries, museums and archives do not have discretionary funds in their budgets to support these kinds of important preservation projects.
• The budget for NEH's Division of Preservation and Access should be restored to the current year funding level of $18.380 million.

Immediate action is needed because the Senate subcommittee may move to mark up the Interior appropriations bill as early as next week. To have an impact, your letters ideally should be faxed or e-mailed (go to your Senator Feinstein's website http://feinstein.senate.gov/public/ and click on "Contact Us".

Heritage Preservation is also asking that you please fax copies of your letters to Heritage Preservation at 202-233-0807 to the attention of Ruth Hargraves so they can be hand delivered to Senate staff members who handle NEH appropriations. If you have questions, please contact Ruth at 202-233-0800 (toll free: 888-388-6789) or e-mail rhargraves@heritagepreservation.org.

TELL CONGRESS YOU SUPPORT THE ARTS

On June 11th, the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, which sets the initial funding level for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), approved a $15.3 million increase for the NEA for its FY 2009 spending bill. Currently funded at $144.7 million, this increase will bring the agency's budget to $160 million.

The FY 2009 Interior Appropriations bill will next go to the full House Appropriations Committee and then the House floor.

The Senate needs to urged to match this level of funding. Please take two minutes to send a letter to your Members of Congress to let them know the arts are important to you! See the Americans for the Arts' Advocacy Center at http://capwiz.com/artsusa/issues/?style=D to take action today.

CONTACT CAM

We welcome your comments and inquiries. Please contact the CAM office at:

Celeste DeWald, Executive Director
California Association of Museums
P.O. Box 1455
Santa Cruz, CA 95061-1455
Phone: (831) 471-9970
Email: cam@calmuseums.org
http://www.calmuseums.org/

CAM is supported in part by a grant from the California Arts Council, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. To learn more about the arts in California, the Arts License Plate, and other initiatives for the arts in California, please visit the CAC Website.