Friday, January 29, 2010

MAC BUDGET

In FY2010, $10.185 million was appropriated from non-resident athletes and entertainers who work in Missouri to the Missouri Arts Council Trust Fund. And though, we are barely through half of the FY2010 fiscal year, due to tough fiscal budgetary times, the state has put spending restrictions on all but $4.4 million of this amount.

Fortunately, for the arts grantees, the Missouri Arts Council is able to honor their FY2010 contracts, because funds will be taken out of the Missouri Arts Council Trust Fund to cover these statewide spending restrictions.

For FY2011 (which will begin July 1, 2010), the Governor has recommended to the State Legislature an appropriation of $3 million from the non-resident athletes and entertainers tax to go to the Missouri Arts Council Trust Fund. An appropriation of $500,000 has been recommended for each of our four Cultural Partners: Missouri State Library Networking Fund, Missouri Humanities Council, Missouri Public Broadcasting Corporation Special Fund, and the Missouri Historic Preservation Revolving Fund.

Kyna Iman testified this week on behalf of funding for the Missouri Arts Council before the House Appropriations Committee for Economic Development. Iman discussed the Governor’s recommendation with the committee and asked the Appropriations Committee to keep MAC’s core spending authority to $9,750,000. This will allow MAC to continue to draw necessary funding from the Missouri Arts Council Trust Fund for FY2011 grants.

The Governor also recommended a new decision item for MAC for an increase of $200,000 in Federal spending authority to allow MAC to accept any possible increases in Federal Funds.

MISSOURI FINE ARTS ACADEMY

The Governor and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education recommended core funding for the Missouri Fine Arts Academy (and the Missouri Scholars Academy), which was cut last year from $720,000 to $259,000.

Julie Bloodworth, the Director of the MFAA testified before the House Appropriations Committee for Education and stressed the need for more state funding. She did an excellent job explaining how the Academies have stepped up to the state’s challenge to add more partners in funding the Academies, ie. Alumni support, more University support for room and board, corporate contributions, etc. Bloodworth explained now is not the time for the State to remove their support for Missouri’s best and brightest in the arts.

MISSOURI FINE ARTS CONSULTANT

The Missouri Alliance for Arts Education (MAAE) has partnered with high school students from Logan-Rogersville High School, Jefferson City High School and other Show-Me schools across the state to develop a bill to fund fine arts education consultants in each of 11 Regional Professional Development Centers located across the state. The role of the fine arts education consultants will be to provide professional development services to strengthen fine arts programs and to assist schools in implementing arts integration lessons and strategies in non-arts classes in Missouri public schools.

Representative Bob Dixon, R-Springfield, has filed House Bill 1274, and Senator David Pearce, R-Warrensburg, has filed Senate Bill 734, to push for a Fine Arts Consultant in the RPDCs. The Senate Education Committee held a hearing this week on SB734. Pearce and MAAE Executive Director Deb Fisher, and three fine arts students did an excellent job explaining to the committee the need for more arts instruction in curriculum for our teachers. There was no vote taken on the legislation.

ADVOCACY

As you can see, the arts are in this budgetary fight with the rest of the state. Legislators must hear from you and your members regarding how you are best serving their constituents with your arts grant. We are thankful that Governor Nixon recommended the $3 million instead of zero. However, our work is not finished.

Please join Missouri Citizens for the Arts in advocating for the FY2011 appropriation.

Please write you legislator and thank them for last year’s appropriation. Stress to them the need for continued support. Explain how your MAC grant gives back to your community.

Invite Legislators to your performances, gallery openings, classroom, etc. And get your picture with them to put in your newsletter, showbill, website, or local newspaper to show their support for the Arts (it’s harder for them to vote against us after you have published their picture in support!!)

Come to the Capitol on Wednesday, February 10, 2010 to show your support with other statewide arts advocates for Missouri Citizens for the Arts Citizens’ Day at the Legislature.

October 29, 2009 Report

On Wednesday, October 28, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon announced an additional $204 million in spending cuts to the fiscal 2010 budget in response to declining state revenue.

The cuts include 200 full-time jobs, 450 part-time jobs, $20 million for state building maintenance and repair, $15.8 million for K-12 school transportation, $13 million for life science research grants, $11.2 million from a fund for retiree health care benefits, $9 million for one-time and pilot mental health projects, $8.8 million for broadband Internet efforts and another $4.4 million from the Missouri Arts Council.

Already this year, the Nixon administration had made $430 million in spending cuts to the state's $23.7 billion budget.

Year-to-date net general revenue collections have dropped 10 percent from last year, to $1.7 billion from $1.9 billion.

Net general revenue collections for September decreased 16 percent to $648.7 million, down from $774.7 million in September 2008.

Missouri recently borrowed another $150 million from its budget reserve fund to pay bills and the salaries of government workers, mostly teachers.

That brings this year's total borrowing to $325 million since the fiscal year started July 1. The state's $510 million rainy day fund has $170 million left to last until June 30, 2010.

What does this mean for Missouri Arts Council grant recipients?

Fortunately, the Arts Council has the ability to take money from the Missouri Arts Council Cultural Trust Fund. The fund was created by income tax paid by non-resident professional athlete and entertainers. The $4.4 million expenditure restriction will be covered by the fund; therefore, there will be no cuts this fiscal year on arts council grants that were awarded in July.

However, the arts community MUST take a pro-active advocacy stance to prepare for the 2010 legislative session. Please contact your state representative and state senator and inform them of how your arts grant is being spent in their district. Make sure you are able to tell your elected officials how your arts organization serves their constituency.

Thank your legislator for their continued support for Missouri Arts Council funding.

Stay involved with Missouri Citizens for the Arts to get the latest action alerts on House and Senate Committee votes and actions taken that will affect arts funding.

If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact MCA lobbyist Kyna Iman at 314.651.1185.

LAST SESSION

GENERAL ASSEMBLY WRAPS UP SESSION
The last week of session saw the usual cobbling together of omnibus bills by conference committees, many of which did not make it past the Friday, 6:00 p.m. deadline for adjournment. Hefty bills relating to local government, judicial reform and health care reform were among those bills that did not pass. Legislation relating to economic development that was a priority for the Republican-controlled legislature and Democratic Governor Jay Nixon was finally passed on the final day of session.

HOUSE BILL 299 - MISSOURI ARTS COUNCIL LEGISLATION
This bill removes the $10 million appropriation limit per fiscal year to the Missouri Arts Council from the estimate of state revenues from the nonresident professional athletes and entertainers' tax. This was being misinterpreted as a cap on MAC's spending authority. The legislation was approved overwhelmingly by the House (151 - 3) and unanimously by the Senate (29 - zero).

BUDGET
Passage of the $23 billion state budget that includes an infusion of $785 million from federal stimulus monies to avoid deep cuts to the state's operating budget. HB 22, which contains $381 million in expenditures from federal stimulus funds, also passed. The bill specifies a number of projects to be funded, including $112 million for an interoperability emergency communications system for emergency responders, $50 million in incentives for future jobs growth at two Missouri-based battery manufacturing companies; $12 million for St. Louis mass transit; $36 million for construction of a new cancer facility at the University of Missouri-Columbia; and over $120 million in capital improvement projects for higher education institutions. Governor Jay Nixon has indicated that he may use his line-item veto power in regard to the bill.

House Bill 7 contains funding for the Missouri Arts Council. The Council took a five percent cut as well as our cultural partners. Our General Revenue of $500,000 was also cut. Although, we hated to take any cuts, given the economic climate, MCA appreciates the legislature's leadership in not making deeper cuts to the arts. House Bill 21 contains $400,000 of funding for the Missouri Arts Council from the federal budget stabilization funding. MAC is working on new guidelines on how this money will be distributed throughout the state.

The 2010 fiscal year begins July 1, 2009.

HOUSE BILL 870 - FINE ARTS EDUCATION
House Bill 870 which would have required the Division of School Improvement within the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to develop a program to have a fine arts education consultant available at each regional professional development center did not pass. Language in the bill would have defined that the duties of the consultant include, but are not limited to, working with school districts to develop fine arts staff and curriculum, coordinating services from other entities involved in fine arts education and integration, and contributing to in- service training.

MCA worked with members of the Missouri Alliance for Arts Education to get language drafted and introduced this session that we can continue to work on during the Interim. Given the current fiscal climate in the state, it may be difficult to reach final passage unless we find a creative funding source. We will continue to increase our list of legislative sponsors for the proposed legislation.

ACADEMIES
The House and Senate Conference Committee wacked the Missouri Scholars Academy and the Missouri Fine Arts Academy for FY2010 - this is NOT this year's academies - it's 2010. They budgeted $259,000 for BOTH academies - down from $720,000 last year. GAM leaders are working with the Governor's office to seek supplemental funds to make up for the cuts prior to next year's academies. If you live in Rep. Icet (Wildwood) or Sen. Nodler's (Joplin) districts, they need to receive a phone call stating frustration with their belief that the academies are "simply fun summer camps". This is just NOT true. It is an extraordinary learning experience for over 500 of Missouri's best and brightest students.

BY THE NUMBERS
·Days in the legislative session: 74
·Number of bills and resolutions introduced: 1,918
·Number of bills and resolutions passed: 164
·Total state budget for next year: $23,110,136,177
·Number of Democrats in the legislature: 85
·Number of Republicans in the legislature: 112
·Funding for elementary and secondary education: $5,424,286,721 ·Funding for higher education: $1,308,066,588
·Funding for social services: $9,579,578,055

Governor Jay Nixon (D) told reporters that he was generally pleased with the session and that "You bet we scored this session. The extra point may have been blocked, but we scored a touchdown". Nixon was referring to the failure of the legislature to pass his health care reform measure that would have provided increased insurance coverage to 35,000 low- income parents and children.

If you would like the full text of a bill or a bill summary, they will be posted at www.moga.mo.us as they become available.

LEGISLATIVE DIRECTORIES

MCA encourages you to continue to communicate with your elected officials about public funding for the arts.

To help make this easier for you, free Missouri Legislative Directories are available by requesting a copy from Cristina Garcia at mo4arts@swbell.net Please include your complete name and address for delivery.

MISSOURI LEGISLATORS CAN BE REACHED
IN JEFFERSON CITY BY CONTACTING THE
CAPITOL SWITCHBOARD AT 573-751-2000.