Federal Update
Nebraskans for the Arts, in partnership with Americans for the Arts, had the opportunity to visit all five Nebraska Congressional delegation offices the week of October 28. We advocated for support of the House budget version for FY2020 funding of the National Endowment for the Arts.
We also advocated for support of the CREATE Act, and how its provisions would benefit the goals of the Blueprint Nebraska plan in supporting artists in bolstering local community development. For more background on this issue, here is a handout we provided.
We encourage you to contact our Senators and Representatives, via the ArtsAction portal, asking them to co-sponsor and support this important bill.
On October 31, the Senate overwhelminly passed their first fiscal year FY2020 bills, 84-9. The Senate Interior bill contained a $2 million increase for the NEA, and will need to be reconciled with the House bill which proposed a $12.5 million increase.
The path forward is unclear, however. The House and Senate must agree on subcommittee allocations for all 12 of the appropriations bills before moving toward a conference about the bills. Also looming is a continuting resolution (CR) to fund federal government operations past November 21.
