[vannrox]

CONGRESS SETS ARTS FUNDING INCREASE FOR 2004

House and Senate conferees on the Interior Appropriations Bill agreed late Monday, October 27, 2003, on a final spending measure to include $122.5 million for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), a $6.8 million increase over the NEA's FY2003 budget of $115.7 million.

The arts appropriations legislation first passed by the House in July added $10 million in grant funds to the NEA's budget above the president's request of $117.5 million. The Senate passed its money bill before the August recess with arts spending at the president's budget figure, which included a small increase for administrative costs.

The House of Representatives is expected to pass the final Interior appropriations measure within a day or two, and the Senate will likely follow soon thereafter.

The additional spending for the NEA represents an important victory for arts advocates, since a similar increase in NEA funds for FY2003 was approved by the House and then eliminated by the House-Senate conference committee last fall. This year, the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee Chair Rep. Charles Taylor (R-NC) prevailed in convincing his fellow legislators that the increase in NEA spending was essential to the final appropriations package.

[hobson]

House and Senate conferees on the Interior Appropriations Bill agreed late Monday, October 27, 2003, on a final spending measure to include $122.5 million for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), a $6.8 million increase over the NEA's FY2003 budget of $115.7 million. The arts appropriations legislation first passed by the House in July added $10 million in grant funds to the NEA's budget above the president's request of $117.5 million.

So, the spending increase was approved last fall? I think you should post this as a thread for all to see.