In the News

A Year of Bad News for the State: Cuts to the MCC FY 2003 Budget

The following chronology outlines the course of actions that led to Massachusetts Cultural Council's 62 percent budget cut for fiscal year 2003. Throughout the process, MAASH supported restored funding, talked with legislators and the media, and built awareness about the importance of state cultural funding.

JANUARY 2002
Governor Recommends Level Funding
In January 2002, Acting Governor Jane Swift recommended level funding of $19.1 million for the MCC in FY03.

APRIL 2002
House Recommends 48% Cut; Reduced to 24% by MAASH Efforts
In early Spring 2002, the Massachusetts House Ways and Means Committee recommended a 48 percent budget cut for the MCC - from $19.1 million in FY02 to $10 million in FY03. After a flurry of calls, letters, faxes and e-mails from the cultural community across the state, the cut was reduced to 24 percent through an amendment process.

MAY 2002
Senate Recommends Level Funding
Soon after, the Massachusetts Senate Ways and Means Committee made a separate recommendation for level funding of $19.1 million. A House/Senate conference committee was convened in June 2002 to work out differences in the two scenarios.

JUNE 2002
Despite MAASH Efforts, The News Gets Worse
The conference committee met for a month, during a time when state tax revenue estimates for FY03 fell $600 million below earlier projections. As a result, committee members had to make further cuts. But rather than negotiating amounts for each agency (as they usually do), the committee simply took the lower of the House or Senate recommendations and forwarded those to Acting Governor Swift. As a result the 24 percent cut that was originally recommended by the House - or $14.6 million - was sent forward to Acting Governor Swift.

JULY 2002
Governor Exercises Veto Power; Imposes Unilateral 62% Cut
The final and most devastating blow came in late July when Acting Governor Swift took the amount that was recommended by the Legislature and cut it in half again, to $7.3 million - a 62 percent cut. This was the lowest appropriation to the council since 1994. Despite hundreds of calls to the Acting Governor and the Legislature, the House of Representatives refused to override Swift's decision.

SUMMER 2002
MCC Cuts Staff, Grants and Programs
The resulting 62 percent budget cut forced MCC to eliminate 11 staff positions and reduce total administrative expenses by more than $1 million.

In late August the MCC board ratified plans for a radically revised program structure, reducing overall grant amounts by an average of 62 percent and eliminating 11 grant programs and partnerships. Remaining grantmaking efforts focus on five core funding programs.

FALL 2002
MAASH Teams Up With MCC for Statewide Meetings
MAASH joined MCC on the road throughout September, visiting constituents in seven areas across the state. In each location, MCC and MAASH talked with local cultural councils, cultural organizations and powerful members of the media.

The meetings are very well received, with hundreds of organizations and artists attending public forums about the budget cuts. Every major daily newspaper in the state writes at least one editorial supportive of MCC funding restoration.

A membership and fundraising campaign for MAASH is launched and the beginning of a growing grassroots network is formed.

FALL 2002
New Governor Elected
MAASH takes the lead in getting statements on arts funding from the two major-party and three minor-party candidates. MAASH distributes the statements through its wide and growing statewide network of supporters.

In November, Mitt Romney is elected Governor, and begins work on his budget recommendations for FY04. The Governor's budget is expected to be released in February 2003.

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