MA House Ways & Means Budget Release (Part One) – MassArt & Cuts to the MCC

The Massachusetts House of Representatives’ Committee on Ways and Means is responsible for crafting and releasing the House of Representatives’ budget. This is the second step in our state’s budget process: https://malegislature.gov/Budget/Process. The first step of the budget process was the release of the Governor’s Budget.

Today this House committee released its Fiscal Year 2017 (FY17) budget proposal. To review the House FY 2017 Budget: https://malegislature.gov/Budget/FY2017/House

On a positive note: The House Ways and Means Budget slightly increased Massachusetts College of Art’s budget (budget line item 7117-0100) to $17,899,354. (Last year MasssArt’s funding was $17,201,537.)

Unfortunately, like last year’s proposed House Budget, it seeks a major cut in funding  for Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC). The House proposed funding for the MCC is $10,000,000. The MCC‘s funding is currently at $14,160,000 (budget line item 0640-0300) and this proposed House budget cuts the MCC’s funding by just over four million dollars. (Of Note: The Governor’s 2017 budget proposal level funded the MCC.)

The MCC is the state agency that supports the arts, sciences, and humanities. It uses this money to provide services, grants, and advocacy for the cultural sector. Artists of all disciplines should be deeply concerned about the potential for $4 million to be stripped from its next budget.

Support restoration of the MCC’s budget

Representative Corey Atkins, Chairwoman of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development, filed a budget amendment to set MCC funding at $17 million in FY17. Her colleagues in the House have until 3 p.m. on Friday, April 15, 2016 to cosponsor her amendment (as they do all amendments).

Please contact your state representative and request that he or she sign on as a cosponsor of the Atkins amendment to increase the funding for the Massachusetts Cultural Council to $17 million – budget line item 0640-0300.

To figure out who your state rep. is, click here: http://www.wheredoivotema.com/bal/myelectioninfo.aspx

The next MALC blog post will focus on the House Ways and Means budget proposal line items for the state library system.

Written by John Weeks and Kathleen Bitetti