Important recap of the FY17 House Budget & MCC House Budget Amendment
One of MALC’s key goals, in addition to advocacy, is to educate those who are advocating about how the legislative processes work. By understanding the process, your voice will be effectively heard and you will gain the trust of your legislative representatives.
A case-in-point is the recent House budget decision to cut funding for the Massachusetts Cultural Council. MALC alerted our sector to the need for advocacy on Friday, April 22, 2016, and followed the process up to and including the amendment bundling process and what that process might mean for the MCC, the libraries, and healthcare.
Unfortunately, the MCC’s funding was cut, yet it is important to understand how the legislative process unfolded so there will be no confusion as to how that happened.
To be clear, the MCC amendment was not a stand alone vote. The MCC amendment was “bundled”, or consolidated, with all the amendments under the policy-centered grouping “Labor and Economic Development” into Consolidated “I”, where it was changed from a low of $10 million to its final number of $12,189,000, still significantly lower than its current funding of $14 million. That bundle, like the other bundles, was then voted on with a yes or no vote by the members of the House.
See the MCC amendment for #344 for line item 0640-0300:
https://malegislature.gov/Bills/189/House/H4200/Amendment/House/I/Text
For further clarification, please read the informative MCC explanation below.
To better understand the bundling process (which will more than likely may also happen in the Senate), see:
http://artistsunderthedome.org/malc/issues/floor-debates-bundled-legislation/
Also please see the outcome of the other House Budget Amendments MALC was following:
http://artistsunderthedome.org/malc/news/house-budget-amendments-update/
The budget process and advocacy now goes to the Senate. Their budget will be released in mid-May. To learn about the process, see:
https://malegislature.gov/Budget/Process
(via the Massachusetts Cultural Council)
Mass House Votes to Cut Funding for Arts & Culture in Coming Year
April 27, 2016
(Boston, MA) – The state House of Representatives unanimously approved a budget amendment today that would cut funding for the arts, humanities, and sciences through the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) by $2 million for the coming year.
The House approved a so-called “consolidated amendment” to fund the MCC at $12 million for Fiscal 2017, which begins July 1. MCC’s current state appropriation is $14 million.
If maintained through the budget process, that $2 million cut would reverse gains made in recent years to restore state cultural funding that had barely recovered from the depths of the recession, forcing MCC to cut grant amounts for its key programs.
House leaders rejected an amendment cosponsored by more than 100 state Representatives to instead increase arts and cultural funding to the $17 million level that MCC and its allies seek.
MCC Executive Director Anita Walker thanked the Representatives who signed onto that effort. And she thanked the thousands of artists, cultural leaders, educators, and others who had contacted them through the advocacy campaign led by MASSCreative, and supported by Mass Humanities, the Mass Artists Leaders Coalition, and others.
“Once again citizens across the Commonwealth joined a broad-based campaign to restore state support for the arts, humanities, and sciences,” said Walker. “We came up short in the House. But we know that increased state investment is the only way to truly capitalize on the economic, social, and educational potential of the nonprofit cultural sector. So we will redouble our advocacy efforts through the Senate budget debate and beyond.”
Increased funding would allow MCC to in turn restore vital grants to nonprofit cultural organizations, communities, school and youth programs, and artist fellowships, said Walker. And those investments will yield greater returns to the state through new revenues from cultural tourism, more vibrant communities, and more creative, resourceful youth.
The House vote is one key step in the annual state budget process. The Senate Ways & Means Committee will release its own budget proposal in mid-May. Following debate and vote, the full Senate must then reconcile its plan with that of the House before sending a final compromise back to the Governor for his approval.
See MCC’s Advocacy Action Center for updates on this process along with the latest data on the nonprofit cultural sector’s contributions to the Massachusetts economy and quality of life.
About the Massachusetts Cultural Council
The MCC is a state agency supporting the arts, sciences, and humanities, to improve the quality of life in Massachusetts and its communities. It pursues its mission through a combination of grants, services, and advocacy for nonprofit cultural organizations, schools, communities, and artists. The MCC’s total budget for this fiscal year is $15.7 million, which includes a $14 million state appropriation and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. The MCC also runs the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund in partnership with MassDevelopment.
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