ALAWON: American Library Association Washington Office Newsline
Volume 8, Number 41
May 6, 1999

In this issue:

NEH/NEA Appropriations Hearing Held; Action Needed: Ask Congress 
to Fund NEH and NEA at $150 Million Each

On April 28 William Ferris, chair of the National Endowment of the 
Humanities, and Bill Ivey, chair of the National Endowment of the 
Arts, testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on 
Interior on FY2000 appropriations. 

NEH is requesting $150 million for FY2000, an increase of $40 
million from FY99.  For several years NEH has been funded at $110 
million.  In FY96 their budget was cut by 36 percent.  According 
to Ferris, the extra funds requested for FY2000 would help offset 
some of that loss.  He reminded the subcommittee that next year 
will mark NEH's 35th anniversary and that this budget request 
"places particular emphasis on the educational mission of the 
agency."  

NEH educational programs include teacher seminars and institutes 
that improve teaching and learning of the humanities, documentary 
television-films, museum exhibitions, library reading groups, and 
projects that help out-of-school adults engage in lifelong 
learning.

Rep. Ralph Regula (R-OH), chair of the subcommittee, told Ferris 
that the reality of tight budget caps this year will make it 
difficult to give NEH extra funds.  Other members on the panel 
offered positive remarks regarding the job Ferris is doing and 
stated they would like NEH to receive the funding requested.

Bill Ivey, NEA chair since 1998 and former director of the Country 
Music Foundation for 27 years, testified before the subcommittee 
for the first time.  NEA also requested $150 million in FY2000, an 
increase of $52 million from FY99.

"Challenge America" is one of the new major NEA initiatives for 
the next year.  These grants will target communities that lack a 
significant arts presence.  "Challenge America" builds on key 
objectives of ArtsREACH, which was set up to strengthen arts 
activity in the twenty states with the fewest direct NEA grants.

Rep. Regula recognized that NEA was striving to become a more 
accountable agency in how they use federal funds and distribute 
grants.  He reiterated his statement that the request will be 
difficult to fulfill due to the tight budget caps. 

Action Needed:
Please contact your members of Congress and ask them to fund NEA 
and NEH at $150 million each.  Give examples of how you have used 
a grant from one of these agencies.  If you need further 
information regarding Congressional appropriations for library 
programs, please contact Mary Costabile, at 1-800-941-8478 or 
mrc@alawash.org

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