Two Big Victories in the House: $1.5 Million for MCC & $13 Million for Cultural Facilities Funding MAASH Wins MCC Increase in 11th Hour
April 28, 2006
Dear Friends,
Late last night, the Massachusetts House of Representatives voted to dramatically increase funding for arts and culture in Massachusetts. The House voted to approve an an amendment that will increase funding for the Massachusetts Cultural Council by $1.5 million over last year and voted to approve a landmark cultural facilities funding law that includes a minimum of $13 million in FY 07 funding for cultural facilities improvements. These are major victories that demonstrate the growing influence of the cultural community and the recognition by key lawmakers of the role that arts and culture play in the Commonwealth's economy.
This is our first amendment victory coming during this year's intense, high-pressure budget battle for limited resources. Out of 1600 proposed amendments in the House, the cultural community has emerged successful, thanks to our allies in the House and especially thanks to all of you who sent e-mails, wrote letters and made phone calls.
MAASH thanks Speaker Sal DiMasi, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Robert DeLeo and House Majority Leader John Rogers for their leadership and we especially thank Chairmen Dan Bosley and Eric Turkington for their persistent and strategic work. We also recognize the 27 co-sponsors of the amendment to increase MCC funding and all the members of the Committee on Tourism Arts and Culture. The amendment cosponsors were:
Rep. Eric Turkington of Falmouth
Rep. Dan Bosley of North Adams
Rep. Steve Walsh of Lynn
Rep. John Keenan of Salem
Rep. Tom O'Brien of Kingston
Rep. Ann Paulsen of Belmont
Rep. Smitty Pignatelli of Lenox
Rep. Ellen Story of Amherst
Rep. Mary Grant of Beverly
Rep. Vinny deMacedo of Plymouth
Rep. Frank Smizik of Brookline
Rep. Colleen Garry of Dracut
Rep. Marty Walsh of Boston
Rep. Kathi-Anne Reinstein of Revere
Rep. Shirley Gomes of Harwich
Rep. Tim Toomey of Cambridge
Rep. Denise Provost of Somerville
Rep. Jennifer Callahan of Sutton
Rep. Joyce Spiliotis of Peabody
Rep. Marty Walz of Boston
Rep. James Eldridge of Acton
Rep. Alice Wolf of Cambridge
Rep. Robert Coughlin of Dedham
Rep. Denis Guyer of Dalton
Rep. Alice Peisch of Wellesley
And, most important, thank you to all our advocates! Without the hundreds of e-mails, calls and letters, we would have lost. We generated over 1500 advocacy messages to the House alone and the House heard us.
The House-approved budget will increase the MCC general line item by $1.25 million, raise the minimum grants to Local Cultural Councils to $4,000 and increases the John and Abigail Adams Cultural Economic Development fund by $250,000.
The landmark cultural facilities language included in the amendment is the same as the language that was contained in the Economic Stimulus Bill that is currently before a House and Senate conference committee that is negotiating differences. House leadership under the direction of Dan Bosley, Chairman of the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technology sought to include this language in the budget to make sure that the program became law.
We now carry our campaign with growing political strength into the Senate. MAASH will keep you informed on the process and please be ready for another round of advocacy.
Thanks again for your advocacy work and for the work you do to make this a great state.
Sincerely,
Dan Hunter
