Conference Committee Appointed
04/28/06
Conference Committee Appointed, Wrangling Begins Soon
The House and Senate have appointed their conferees to the committee that will hash out the differences between their versions of SF2734, the bill that would dedicate sales tax revenue to the arts and outdoors. The first conference committee hearing could be as early as Tuesday or Wednesday, so here’s your heads up! We’d love to fill the hearing room with arts people, so watch your email for the notice about the time and place and join us if you can.
Remember that the amount of money designated for the arts in the House version is woefully small ($4 million), and in fact dramatically smaller than the money designated for the arts in the Senate version ($23 million). For this reason, we asking members of the conference committee to accept the Senate version. The five House members listed below will determine the fate of the arts. Because we prefer the Senate version of the bill, we are contacting the House members of the committee and asking them to “Please support the Senate level of arts funding.”
If you are a constituent of one of these five legislators, you are incredibly important! Please use our Desktop Lobbyist, which has been updated with this new message, or call your legislator, and tell them that you’d like them to support the Senate level of arts funding. Make sure to also leave your address so they know you’re a constituent.
Even if you aren’ t a constituent of these legislators, it will be important for everyone to know that we support the Senate version of the bill because there will be another floor vote, so take action at the Desktop Lobbyist and make your voice heard too.
The House members of the committee are:
Rep. Hackbarth (R, 48A, Region 7W) 651-296-2439. He will serve as Chair of the House side. His district is just north of Anoka and is next to DeLaForest’s district (see below). He is the author of the original outdoors bill on the House and worked all session to keep us off the bill, but has now accepted the arts’ presence (with minimal funding) as a ‘compromise’ to get the bill into conference committee. His district covers Bethel, East Bethel, Oak Grove and Elk River. His district includes parts of zip codes 55055, 55011, 55070. 55079, 55092, 55303, 55304, and 55330.
Rep. Cornish (R, 24B, Region 9) 651-296-4240. It’s in Southern Minnesota, west of Albert Lea and south of Mankato. His district covers Amboy, Eagle Lake, Good Thunder, Lake Crystal, Madison Lake, Mankato Twp., Mapleton, Pemberton, Kiester, Janesville, New Richland and Waldorf. His district includes parts of zip codes 56001, 15010, 55013, 55014, 55023-07, 55033-34, 55037, 55048, 55051, 55055, 55062-65, 55068, 55072-73, 55078, 55080, 55088, 55090-91, 55093, 55096-98.
Rep. DeLaForest (R, 49A, Region 11) 651-296-4231. His district is just north of Blaine and Coon Rapids, and is next to Hackbarth’s district. His district covers Andover and Ham Lake. His district includes parts of zip codes 55011, 55025, 55092, 55303, 55304, 55448 and 55449.
Rep. Dill (D, 6A, Region 3) 651-296-2190. He serves the Arrowhead. Our message to him should include “Thanks for your support so far!” His district covers Grand Marais, Grand Portage, Lutsen, Schroeder, Tofte, Beaver Bay, Silver Bay, Two Harbors, Babbitt, Cook, Duluth Twp., Ely, Orr, Tower and Winton. His district includes parts of zip codes 55600-55616, 55700, 55703, 55705, 55706, 55723, 55725, 55731, 55732, 55750, 55771, 55782, 55790, 55796, 55803, 55804, 55669.
Rep. Charron (D, 56A, Region 11) 651-296-4244. His district surrounds Stillwater, north of Hwy. 94. He authored the amendment on the House floor to include the arts in the bill. Our message to him should include “Thanks for your support so far!” His district covers Stillwater, Woodbury, Bayport, Lake Elmo, Lakeland, Lake St. Croix Beach and Oak Park Heights. His district includes parts of zip codes 55001, 55003, 55042, 55043, 55082, 55125, 55128, 55129.
The Senate members of the committee are:
Sen. Sams (Chair)(D-Staples), Cohen (D-St. Paul), Dibble (D- Mpls.), Frederickson (R-New Ulm, Marshall, Redwood Falls) and Saxhaug (D-International Falls). If you are a constituent and want to contact them, the message is the same.
So, how does the bill look now?
Who Benefits Now:
In the Senate, the bill benefits the arts, conservation, parks and clean water. In the arts portion of the bill, the funds would go to the Minnesota State Arts Board and Regional Arts Councils to go out in grants to artists, arts organizations and arts activities statewide. Also listed in the Senate bill are the Minnesota Historical Society, public broadcasting, the MN Science Museum, the MN Humanities Commission, the MN Film Board, the MN Children’s Museum in St. Paul and the Duluth Children’s Museum.
The House bill also now includes sections for the arts, conservation, parks and clean water. In the House bill, however, the list of arts recipients was reduced to include just the Minnesota State Arts Board and public broadcasting, (excluding MPR).
How Much Money Are We Talking About?:
In the Senate, the bill would bring the arts around $23 million per year by FY08, and the House version, now $4 million (less than we have now!). These differences will be hammered out in conference committee. (Current funding to the MSAB and RACs is $8.5M. We had $12M annually before the massive cuts in 2003).
How Is It Paid For?:
Other than the change in beneficiaries, the biggest difference between the two bills now is that the Senate would ask the voters to approve a small additional sales tax (3/8th of 1%, or about 37 cents for each $100 spent). Instead, the House would just designate these funds from “current revenues.” It is this difference between the House and Senate bills that is the most controversial, and which may in the end still keep the bill from passing. In addtion, the House added language that says the legislature can’t raise any taxes or fees for the next seven years. This new language caused a dilemma for some of the arts supporters who then had to vote against the final passage of the bill on the House floor, (although it passed anyway on a vote of 78 to 55). This new language will also be a point of contention in the conference committee.
For further information on the bill, check out the arts alert archive at www.mtn.org/mca.
Things you need to know…
• MCA is funded entirely by the dues of arts advocates like you. Join MCA on-line securely here.
• MCA values your privacy, and will not sell or distribute your personal information to anyone.
• MCA is a nonpartisan statewide arts advocacy organization whose mission is to ensure opportunity for all people to have access to and involvement in the arts. MCA organizes the arts community and lobbies the Minnesota State Legislature and Congress on issues pertaining to the nonprofit arts. If you are interested in learning more about how to advocate for the arts, or how to activate people in your arts organization or community to lobby for the arts, please call us at 651-251-0868 or e-mail mca@mtn.org.
• State arts funding supports access to the arts for all Minnesotans. The state-funded Minnesota State Arts Board and eleven Regional Arts Councils provide grants and services in every Minnesota county for artists, arts organizations, arts projects and school artist residencies. For more information on regional or state grants, go to www.arts.state.mn.us/racs/index.htm
• Minnesota Citizens for the Arts does not discriminate on the basis of disability in admission or access to, or treatment or employment in, its services, programs or activities. Upon request, accommodation will be provided to allow individuals with disabilities to participate in all MCA services, programs and activities. Upon request, any of our information will be made available in alternative formats such as Braille, large print, audio tape and/or computer disk.
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