Legislative and Political Update for Novice Advocates

During our first main session, “Legislative and Political Updates, for Novice Advocates” we focused on the current political climate – and, more specifically, how we can better advocate for the arts by knowing what is currently happening.

The political climate in Washington DC is, currently, highly Republican, with the party in control of the White House, Senate and House of Representatives. Is it likely for this to change in 2018, as reelection approaches for the House and a large number of incumbent Republican Representatives retire. A large influx of first time voters, in addition to many others that are politically charged and in opposition to policies and agendas that have been introduced in the President’s current term, will likely swing the House of Representatives to a Democratic Majority. A switch from Republican to Democratic in the Senate is possible, as 1/3 of the members’ terms will be up in 2018.

We learned about key political committees that impact the arts. These committees have influence over the NEH, NEA and Smithsonian budgets, the IMLS, CPB, Arts Education budgets, and tax policies. Budget committees allocate a certain amount of funding to programs, while Appropriations committees decide how that funding will be spent.

It was incredibly helpful to be able to assess everything happening on Capitol Hill in preparation for our meetings with legislators tomorrow.

 #ArtsAdvocacy #EMU #ArtsManagement&Administration

- Kaylin Stinson and Connor Loughry