Senate Ways & Means Budget Part One: MassArt & Mass Cultural Council
On Tuesday, the Senate Ways & Means Budget was released. Here’s the link to the 2016 Proposed Senate Budget: https://malegislature.gov/Budget/FY2016/Senate
The Massachusetts College of Art (line item 7117-0100) is funded by the Senate Ways & Means proposed budget at $16,961,656. The final House budget funded Mass Art at $17,201537. The proposed Senate funding level means a $239,881 decrease of funding.
It is worth noting that in last year’s final 2015 State Budget, MassArt was funded at $16,353,460.* This number does not include 9c cuts to its budget: http://artistsunderthedome.org/malc/news/ma-budget-cuts-9c-updates/. MassArt has faired better than most in the 2016 budget with a slight increase in proposed funding.
*Link to 2015 budget: https://malegislature.gov/Budget/FinalBudget/2015
The Massachusetts Cultural Council (budget line item 0640-0300) is funded by the Senate Ways & Means at $12,000,000. This is the exact amount it was funded in the the final amended House Budget: http://artistsunderthedome.org/malc/news/ma-house-votes-to-level-fund-the-mcc/
State Senator Eric Lesser has proposed an amendment to fund the MCC at $15 million.
Please contact your state senator to request he or she sign on in support of Senator Lesser’s amendment for the MCC (Budget Line Item 0640-0300). To find out who our state senator is and how to contact them: http://www.wheredoivotema.com/bal/myelectioninfo.aspx
Written by Kathleen Bitetti
More from the MCC:
Senate Panel Proposes Level Funding for Arts & Culture via MCC
(Boston, MA) – The state Senate Ways & Means Committee released a proposed budget for the coming year that would fund the arts, humanities, and sciences through the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) at current levels.
The Senate panel recommended $12 million for the MCC for fiscal year 2016, which begins July 1. That matches funding levels authorized by the House of Representatives in the budget it approved in April. The House vote followed a statewide advocacy effort to reverse cuts to state cultural funding proposed earlier in the process.