Legislative Update 2009
Legislature Adjourns - NAC Budget Cuts Sustained
The Nevada State Legislature adjourned just after midnight on Tuesday, June 2. That morning the Reno Gazette-Journal published a summary of what succeeded and what failed. “Perhaps the hardest hit area in the state’s budget woes,” wrote the RGJ, “was the Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA)…even after add-backs in the legislature’s budget…”
The Nevada Arts Council (NAC) sustained a large and disproportionate cut to its budget, amounting to a nearly 43% reduction from FY09’s base budget. Nevada now ranks 42nd nationwide for per capita arts funding at 43 cents per citizen.
These cuts hit deep at the heart of our state’s arts industry and arts education. Most FY10 grant amounts will be reduced to nearly 33 cents for each dollar requested. A number of grant categories and programs that routinely serve Nevada's communities, large and small, will be suspended during the biennium. Those that continue will be significantly diminished. To stay informed of NAC changes during the upcoming weeks and months visit www.nevadaculture.org/nac.
The following is Arts Council’s base budget for the next two years, as approved by the FY09 Nevada State Legislature:
FY10 - $1,934,197 ($1,102,406 state funds; $747,300 federal dollars; $85,491 anticipated license plate/publication sales and other outside revenue)
FY11 - $1,943,403 ($1,110,612 state funds; $747,300 federal dollars; $85,491 anticipated license plate/publication sales and other outside revenue)
During the legislative session, DCA/NAC staff met with various configurations of the Senate and Assembly finance committees for a total of seven times, an unprecedented number. Thanks go to the many committed arts advocates who attended these hearings and to those who spoke passionately about the value of arts and arts education. Thanks to the hundreds more who made personal visits to lawmakers during a very successful Arts Advocacy Day sponsored by the Nevada Arts Advocates, and emailed and phoned legislators when prompted by Arts4Nevada Alerts.
Communication between arts advocates and key legislators continued in the final days and even hours of the legislative session. The final Action Alert from Arts4Nevada urged lawmakers to ‘locate and allocate” additional resources for the NAC.
The budget outcome of 2009 once again proves the absolute necessity for 24/7 strategic advocacy. Nevada’s arts advocates - north, south, east and west - must strive for a stronger, unified and undeniable movement to ensure that Nevada’s leadership and citizenry recognizes that now, more than ever, Nevada’s arts industry can and will transform our economic crisis into a catalyst for change. Please watch for new advocacy approaches in the months ahead.
In July, please watch for the announcement of FY10 SNAP Grant awards. A one-time funding initiative, SNAP (Sustaining Nevada’s Arts Programs) Grants have been made possible by federal stimulus money ($250,500) through the National Endowment for the Arts.
Legislative News Cont.
During many budget hearings throughout the session, legislators voiced strong support for the work of the Nevada Arts Council (NAC) and presented a clear understanding of the value of the arts industry for the state. However, even with a legislative add-back of approximately $225,000 per year from the Governor's Proposed Budget, the NAC FY10-11 budget still reflects almost a 53% reduction from the previous biennium, which included a 'one-shot' appropriation of $425,000, - a result of a strong grassroots advocacy movement. Remove the value of the 'one-shot' and the cut for FY10-11 still remains at nearly 43%. Understanding that all state agencies must endure deep cuts during this unprecedented economic crisis, the cuts to NAC hit deep at the heart of the arts industry, reducing grant amounts to almost 33 cents for each dollar requested and suspending some grant categories and ongoing programs that routinely serve communities, large and small, throughout the state. To see the affects of the budget cut on grant funding levels for FY10, visit the NAC website at www.nevadaculture.org/nac.
Should additional revenues be available through the tax package, arts advocates must be ready to respond quickly - urging lawmakers to help reverse the very serious budget damage to Nevada's arts industry – the very people who are prepared to bring creative solutions to meet our state's economic challenges – by restoring additional dollars to support the NAC grants budget.
Summaries of 2009 hearings before the Joint Senate Finance Assembly Ways and Means Subcommittee on General Government and Accountability in Carson City.
The Governor's Executive budget recommended a cut of more than 50% in state dollars for the Nevada Arts Council (NAC). This translates to more than $1 million in reductions to agency grants, programs, services and staff positions.
The Joint Senate Finance/Assembly Ways and Means Committee met to continue closing deliberations on the budgets of the Department of Cultural Affairs and therefore the Nevada Arts Council.
Sen. Joyce Woodhouse spoke strongly in support of reinstating the Community Arts Development Associate (Rossi Todorova) and Administrative Assistant (Rennie Brode) and restoring the Grants Program Coordinator (Mary Vargas) to full-time; and adding slightly more than $100,000 per year to support the agency’s grant allocations —thus reversing the Committee’s vote on April 23.
The Nevada Arts Council staff thus remains intact and ready to serve constituents throughout the state—albeit with a greatly reduced budget in support of the agency’s grants, programs and services. The NAC is faced with approximately 43% less funding for these activities in the biennium ahead. Without the one-shot funds from the successful Arts4Nevada advocacy effort in 2007, the shortfall is actually 53%. (That shortfall became especially apparent during recent NAC grants panel hearings, as the Council tentatively awarded an average of 33 cents on applicants’ requested dollars.)
Sen. Bob Coffin summarized it best, calling for more muscle in support of DCA: “You’ve come back from disaster to just above catastrophe.”
Although he did not serve on the Subcommittee, Sen. Bill Raggio noted the difficulty of the previous discussions on the DCA budget, and lamented that DCA directors and curators are being treated differently than other state employees (these state workers are facing a reduction in their work week from 40 to 32 hours). Assemblywoman Buckley asked that any final decision on pay cuts for state workers not apply to DCA staff affected by this 20% reduction in hours.
Sen. Horsford called the discussions and eventual decisions, “excruciating.”
The NAC Board will discuss the legislative session and FY10-11 funding during its June 10th meeting in Carson City
April 23 Hearing
Today was to mark the closure of the budget for the Nevada Arts Council and therefore the Department of Cultural Affairs. Indeed, the hearing began on time. However, by the time the joint subcommittee (members of Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means) adjourned well past their intended time, the budget of the Nevada Arts Council reflected deep and, we believe, unintended cuts
The discussion was going along well, with strong support on the committee to restore funding to the NAC. However, and despite that support, the focus on closing the NAC budget suddenly veered off into a lengthy discussion of reduction of staff hours in the Division of Museums and History, which appeared to cause confusion to everyone participating in or listening to the hearing. Furthermore the regularly-scheduled Senate and Assembly floor sessions were about to begin at 11 a.m. Ignoring the clock and going into overtime, the committee returned to the NAC budget to hurriedly discuss various levels of restoration to the NAC budget.
In the end, the committee voted on a motion that did restore approximately $210,000 each year of the biennium to support grants programs.
However, the motion also included an $800,000 reduction to the budget of the Nevada Arts Council, including loss of staff positions and deep cuts to programs and services.
Discussions continued in the following days with legislative leadership. On Monday, April 27, it was announced that the NAC budget would be heard for the 5th time—unprecedented in legislative sessions—on April 30.
April 16 Hearing
This is a short report. After nearly three hours of discussion and testimony, the committee ran out of time and adjourned. A hearing on the NAC budget was scheduled in one week.
March 26 Hearing
The committee continued to weigh the effects of the Governor's recommended budget (referred to as Gov rec in hearings) on all state agencies. This committee was interested in the financial impacts of restoring agency budgets at various levels, should additional revenue be found. In general, they were not enamored with accepting the Gov recs for any agency within the Department of Cultural Affairs. That said, and until all restoration requests are submitted and studied, no decisions will be made. Senator Steven Horsford advised all present to 'keep your expectations reasonable." Committee members, especially Assemblyman Mo Denis (Chair), recognized the importance of arts and culture during difficult economic times.
During discussion on the NAC budget, the committee became focused on the NEA stimulus funds and how they might be used to offset reductions in state funding. Susan Boskoff took on the difficult task of explaining the very intricate details of this funding and the strict regulations of NEA funds. Nevertheless, the committee remained focused on stimulus funds and requested further information. This will be provided through the proper protocol from DCA. Post-hearing discussions revealed that stimulus funding is a focus of other committees as well, and they're beginning to understand the short-term effects and strict regulations of this funding.
February 24 hearing
DCA Director Mike Fischer and department heads gave brief overviews of the proposed budget cuts to each department, and the committee members asked questions regarding the various cuts. Susan Boskoff, Nevada Arts Council ED, spoke clearly and honestly about the proposed 50% cut to the NAC. That cut is realistically 59% when staff transfers are accounted for, and our grantees could realize an 80% cut to their grants. (For example, a $30,000 PIE grant would be reduced to $6000.) Susan testified that the proposed cuts "...would devastate the majority of outreach and grant programs" and the 42 years of growing the state's publicly-funded arts infrastructure.
Assemblyman Mo Denis accurately questioned whether the NAC could continue to function under this scenario. Senator (and Chair) Stephen Horsford expressed concern over the "cuts for the sake of cutting," stating that much work remains on the DCA budget, and scheduled a rare second hearing.
Once again, arts advocates from around the state appeared and offered compelling testimony about the importance of maintaining a strong cultural infrastructure in Nevada.
Public testimony was also offered by advocates for museums, libraries, railroads and historic preservation. Chairman Horsford thanked the crowd and, remarking on how harmful the proposed cuts would be, stated his intention to schedule yet another hearing.
February 5 hearing
Over 100 arts advocates attended this first hearing. Legislators expressed general concern about the proposed cuts to all agencies within the Department of Cultural Affairs and indicated that future subcommittees would examine the impacts of these cuts in greater detail--particularly on rural areas and disadvantaged individuals.
- Both Assemblywoman Debbie Smith and Senator Bob Coffin graciously recognized the letters of thanks they receive from NAC grantees. Sen. Coffin was particularly grateful, saying the arts have been the most appreciative of state funding. He closed his statement with "The arts are the soul."
- Sen. Bernice Matthews indicated that the legislature needs to be creative, given the budget challenges they face. Praising the Nevada Historical Society, she asked, "How can we live without culture?"
- Other comments focused on the widespread work of the NAC and other DCA agencies; concern was expressed about limited access (under the proposed budget) to archives, libraries and museums.
