[FA Worldmusic] Fw: ARTS Act, NEA Hearings, Changes in Visa Process and Much, Much More

[Marguerite Horberg]

Advocacy Report March 2007
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----- Original Message -----
From: American Arts Alliance
To: Marguerite Horberg
Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2007 10:04 AM
Subject: ARTS Act, NEA Hearings, Changes in Visa Process and Much, Much More



           March 2007


           Feature Article
              ARTS Act Introduced

           News in Brief
              NEA Chair Testifies Before Congress

              Hearing on the Importance of Investing in the Arts

              Education Secretary's Statement in Support of Arts Education

           Advocacy Results
              Performing Arts Advocates Turn Out For Arts Advocacy Day


              Performing Arts Supporters Tell USCIS to Not Raise Fees


              More Time Needed to Implement IRA Rollover

           News You Can Use
              Addresses for Filing Artist Visa Petitions to Change

              NEA Grants Deadlines Approaching

              NEA Grants Workshop in West Chester, PA


              Contact Your Member of Congress


              Join the American Arts Alliance


              The American Arts Alliance is a national network of more than
4,000 members comprising the professional, nonprofit performing arts and
presenting fields. The American Arts Alliance Advocacy Report is a member
service of the American Symphony Orchestra League, Association of Performing
Arts Presenters, Dance/USA, OPERA America and Theatre Communications Group.


     Upfront
            ARTS "Arts Require Timely Service" Act Introduced
            On March 5th, longtime performing arts supporter Rep. Howard
Berman (D-CA-28) introduced The ARTS "Arts Require Timely Service" Act (HR
1312), which would require O and P visa processing within 45 days. This
legislation would address the delays and unpredictability currently suffered
by nonprofit performing arts organizations pursuing artist visas. The bill is
co-sponsored by 4 Democrats [Reps. Berman, Weiner (D-NY-9), Nadler (D-NY-8),
and Schiff (D-CA-29)] and 4 Republicans [Reps. Blackburn (R-TN-7), Coble
(R-NC-6), Chabot (R-OH-1), and Lungren (R-CA-3)]. The bill is similar to the
provision approved by the Senate last year as part of the comprehensive
immigration reform bill. The efforts to improve the visa process for guest
artists is led by the Performing Arts Visa Task Force, which includes the
American Arts Alliance, American Federation of Musicians, American Symphony
Orchestra League, Association of Performing Arts Presenters, Dance/USA, North
American Performing Arts Managers and Agents, OPERA America, and Theatre
Communications Group. We are excited about this development and will keep you
posted regarding strategic advocacy opportunities.


            News in Brief
            NEA Chair Testifies Before Congress
            NEA Chairman Dana Gioia testified before the House Interior
Appropriations Subcommittee on March 20th. For the first time in many years,
the NEA was invited to bring outside witnesses. Craig Hella Johnson, from the
professional chamber choir Conspirare in Austin, Texas, spoke about the
festival of American choral music that they put on with the help of an NEA
American Masterpieces grant. Marie Pyko, a librarian from Topeka, Kansas,
spoke about her experiences being in one of the pilot cities for The Big Read
and the activities that were developed to support the reading of Zora Neale
Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God. Chairman Gioia said that he has five
priorities for any substantial increase in NEA funding. Those priorities are
1) increasing the average grant size to organizations, 2) arts education, 3)
increasing grants to underserved areas and populations, 4) increasing funds
for the states and 5) supporting international exchange. Chairman Gioia said
he would also like to increase honorifics for living artists. Click here to
read Chairman Gioia's written testimony.

                  First Hearing in 12 Years on the Importance of Investing in
the Arts
                  The House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee held a
hearing devoted to federal arts funding on Arts Advocacy Day (March 13, 2007).
Rep. Norm Dicks (D-WA-6), chair of the Subcommittee, scheduled the hearing,
entitled "Role of the Arts in Creativity and Innovation" to spotlight arts
issues on Capitol Hill. He intended the hearing to serve as a powerful and
symbolic statement to his colleagues and the public that he views the arts as
a top priority for his Subcommittee. The witnesses included jazz trumpeter
Wynton Marsalis, CEO of BET Dr. Sheila C. Johnson, CEO of Raisbeck Engineering
James Raisbeck, Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island David Cicilline, Actor Chris
Klein and President and CEO of Americans for the Arts Robert L. Lynch.
                   Secretary of Education Issues Statement In Support of Arts
Education
                  In conjunction with Arts Advocacy Day, Education Secretary
Margaret Spellings issued a statement about the importance of arts education
in the No Child Left Behind Act. She said, "The arts are a unique tool to
stimulate and enrich learning. Not only do the arts encourage our children's
imagination and creativity, but they can also teach lessons of history, math,
and other subjects in a more memorable and profound way. The arts also, as
President George W. Bush has said, '...allow us to explore new worlds and to
view life from another perspective,' a critically important skill for today's
global economy."



            Advocacy Results
            Performing Arts Advocates Turn Out for Arts Advocacy Day
            A record number of arts activists heard veteran broadcast
journalist Robert MacNeil deliver the Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public
Policy, attended a full day of advocacy trainings and briefings, and stormed
the Hill for this year's Arts Advocacy Day. Over 400 artists, arts
administrators and arts supporters came to Washington, DC for this annual
gathering of arts advocates. Among the attendees were advocates from the
Baltimore Opera, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Chautauqua Opera (NY),
Virginia Opera, City-Dance Ensemble (DC), Joy of Motion (DC), Seattle
Repertory Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre Company (IL), Contemporary American
Theater Festival (WV), Dance/MetroDC, Dance/NYC, Dance/Philadelphia, and the
Los Angeles Philharmonic. While their colleagues were meeting with their
Representatives and Senators in person, 134 performing arts activists from 33
states responded to a call-to-action and sent letters to their Members of
Congress telling them to support the performing arts in honor of Arts Advocacy
Day.

            The American Arts Alliance, OPERA America, Dance/USA, American
Symphony Orchestra League, Theatre Communications Group and Association of
Performing Arts Presenters are national co-sponsors of Arts Advocacy Day and
participate in the legislative planning committee that constructs the messages
carried by all arts advocates.


                  Hundreds of Performing Arts Supporters Tell USCIS to Not
Raise Fees
                  134 performing arts advocates have sent letters to U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) opposing an increase in visa
processing fees for O and P visas. The USCIS proposal would increase the Form
I-129 filing fee (from $190 to $320) and the Form I-824 filing fee (from $200
to $340). The American Arts Alliance joined with other national performing
arts organizations to submit detailed comments to USCIS stating that regular
processing procedures must be improved before any fee increase is considered.

                  Many advocates took the important step of customizing their
letters with their personal visa processing stories. Elysabeth Kleinhans of
59E59 Theaters in New York City wrote, "The proposed increase in the Form
I-129 and Form I-824 filing fees will be financially burdensome to our small
theater complex. We are a small theater complex run by a private operating
foundation with 501(c)(3) status. We have presented a festival of new British
theatrical works each spring since 2004. We bring in between 7 and 11 small
companies to perform in this festival each year. If we are forced to pay
significantly higher fees for regular processing, it will make the festival
impossible."

                  There is still time to submit comments. Click here to view a
sample letter and take action. The deadline for submitting comments is April
2, 2007.
                   More Time Needed to Educate Donors about IRA Rollover
                  On March 3rd, the American Arts Alliance asked for your help
documenting the value of the recently passed IRA Rollover provision. Initial
responses to the IRA Rollover survey indicate that the performing arts
community needs more time to educate donors about this new incentive for
charitable giving. The survey is still open! Please take a moment to fill out
this brief online survey about your IRA Rollover experiences.

                  Meanwhile, Senators Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and Olympia Snowe
(R-ME) and Representatives Earl Pomeroy (D-ND-AtLarge) and Wally Herger
(R-CA-2) have introduced the Public Good IRA Rollover Act of 2007 (HR
1419).The bill would make the IRA Rollover provision permanent, remove the
current dollar limit on donations per year, make all charities eligible to
receive donations, and provide IRA owners with a planned giving option
starting at age 59=.

                  If you would like to see the IRA Rollover provision
extended, please add your organization to the sign-on letter in support of the
Public Good IRA Rollover Act of 2007. Over 750 nonprofit organizations
including the American Arts Alliance have already signed on.



            News You Can Use
            Addresses for Filing Artist Visa Petitions to Change on April 2
            The locations for filing visa petitions with USCIS will soon
change. Petitions filed on or after April 2 should be mailed to either the
California Service Center or the Vermont Service Center, depending on the
location of the petitioner. Presently, all I-129 and I-539 visa petitions are
mailed directly to the California Service Center for processing. There will be
a short grace period during which petitions filed to the wrong USCIS location
will be forwarded to the appropriate service center. However, after April 17
petitions sent to the incorrect address will be rejected and returned to the
petitioner. For USCIS Service Center Tips and Contact Information visit the
Artists From Abroad website.

                  California Service Center (CSC)
                  Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho,
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana,
Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington,
Wisconsin, Wyoming
                   Vermont Service Center (VSC)
                  Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of
Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland,
Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York,
North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South
Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, U.S. Virgin Islands, West
Virginia



            NEA Grants Deadlines Approaching
            FY 2008 Grants for Arts Projects guidelines are available on the
NEA's website. Please note below the upcoming deadlines:
              a.. Challenge America: Reaching Every Community Fast-Track
Review Grants: June 1, 2007
              b.. Learning in the Arts for Children and Youth: June 11, 2007
              c.. Access to Artistic Excellence, Part Two: August 13, 2007
            NEA Grants Workshop in West Chester, PA
            Rep. Joseph Sestak (D-PA-7) and NEA Chair Dana Gioia are holding a
press conference and grant workshop in West Chester, Pennsylvania on Friday
March 30, 2007. The purpose of the grant workshop is to inform local nonprofit
organizations about the funding opportunities available from the NEA. The
workshop is free and open to the public. The press conference and workshop
will be held at West Chester University. For more information contact Courtney
Mengel, Office of Congressman Joe Sestak, at 610.892.8623.

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