Legislative Update
April 16, 2008
1. AB 2728 passes Revenue & Taxation Committee, next stop Appropriations Committee.
The progression of AB 2728 provides numerous examples of why advocacy from the arts field and arts supporters is necessary and valuable to passing legislation that will increase the public’s investment in the arts.
First, the legislative process, i.e. committee testimony, questions from members of the Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee; testimony and answers from the author, Betty Karnette, CAA president Brad Erickson, CAA executive director Lisa Caretto and CAA lobbyist Kathy Lynch.
Second, AB 2728 is being shaped into a bill that has a better chance of passing into law. For example, Assembly Member Calderon, the chair of Rev & Tax asked, “When the General Fund has achieved ongoing structural balance, when would the transfer of the funds to the California Arts Council take place?” The Board of Equalization (BOE) representative came forward and suggested that the BOE could administer the reporting of arts-related sales to be transferred beginning on July 1 following the structural balance of the state budget. The author agreed to amend the bill to include this operative date.
Third, key to any advocacy campaign is building relationships with legislators. Assembly Member Fiona Ma (D-San Francisco) is now a co-author of AB 2728. Assembly Member Ma also sits on the Appropriations Committee, the next stop for AB 2728. Four, providing legislators with accurate and supportive information is a never ending process. Assembly Member Chuck DeVore (R-Irvine) complained during the Rev & Tax hearing about “his tax dollars going to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to pay for putting a statue of Christ in a jar of urine and spreading melted chocolate on a naked woman.” Assembly Member DeVore does not know that this controversial art was exhibited in 1987 when he was 25 years old, and in this century NEA funds reach every community through numerous programs: Challenge America; Learning in the Arts for Children and Youth; Literature, Jazz Masters and National Heritage Fellowships; American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius; The Big Read; Poetry Out Loud; Shakespeare in American Communities and Shakespeare for a New Generation; Jazz Masters; Arts Journalism Institutes and Access to Artistic Excellence. AB 2728 passed out of the Assembly Rev & Tax Committee: Voting YES: Calderon, Arambula, Eng, Feuer, Hayashi, and Ma. Voting NO: De Vore, Plescia and Spitzer.
More than 50 organizations and individuals have registered support letters for AB 2728. This bill needs more supporters to convince the Appropriations Committee to pass it to the Assembly Floor. It is imperative that you and your organization send letters in support of this bill. Please FAX Assembly Member Betty Karnette today (916) 319-2154. The bill goes before committee next week. Click here for a sample letter to place on your desk top and copy and paste when needed. Please also FAX a copy to CAA at (916) 979-1116 and to Appropriations Chair, Mark Leno at (916) 319-2113. Click here to read San Francisco Chronicle article.
2. Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism & Internet Media Committee to hear arts bills.
The following will be heard by the AEST&IM Committee on Tuesday, April 22:
ACR 85, Arts Month Jones (D-Sacramento); SCR 70, Arts Council: Arts Day Scott (D-Altadena); SCR 82 Arts Education Month Maldonado (R-Santa Maria) ; AB 2750, relating to music piracy Krekorian (D-Burbank).
3. Take the California Budget Challenge: How would you spend California’s money?
Next 10, an independent, nonpartisan organization has created the California 2008 Budget Challenge as a public service to engage Californians in the budget process. Tough issues, tough choices: Join 50,000 others and click hereto take the challenge.
4. YouTube wants to know if you support the arts. YouTube Arts Contest, deadline 4/29.
Click here for instructions on how to enter and to view already entered videos. The Tube arts contest is an open call to all artists and writers to help figure out how the arts fit into YouTube.
