The Coburn Amendment: It’s not too late
February 10, 2009
I just e-mailed Chuck Schumer to let him know he’s on my list of undesirables at the moment. You should too. Click here to learn more about the Coburn Amendment (it prevents any money from the stimulus bill from going to museums, theatres, and art centers [among others]) and to send your own letters to your senators. There’s still a chance for the language to be changed in the final version of the legislation.
form letter below courtesy Americans for the Arts…but the “extremely” before “disappointed” was ALL MINE.
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Dear Senator Schumer,
I am extremely disappointed that you voted for S.Amdt.309 offered by Sen. Tom Coburn (Roll Call #51) which prohibits funding for “museums, theaters, and arts centers” in the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act.
There are approximately 100,000 nonprofit arts organizations, which spend $63.1 billion annually. Without an economic stimulus for the nonprofit arts industry, experts expect about 10% of these organizations (ranging from large arts institutions like museums and orchestras to small community-based organizations in suburban, urban and rural areas) to shut their doors in 2009 — a loss of 260,000 jobs. According to the Americans for the Arts, a $50 million investment to the National Endowment for the Arts will provide critical funding to save 14,422 jobs from being lost in the U.S. economy. This is based on the ability of the NEA to leverage $7 in additional support through local, state and private donations, for every $1 in NEA support.
In a report released in mid-January, the National Governor’s Association stated, “Arts and culture are important to state economies. Arts and culture-related industries, also known as “creative industries,” provide direct economic benefits to states and communities: They create jobs, attract investments, generate tax revenues, and stimulate local economies through tourism and consumer purchases.”
I hope that you will agree to remove the arts-related language from the final legislation and include funding for the nonprofit arts community in conference.
Sincerely,
Claire Mazur
