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Your Voice in Washington
You can take a pro-active stance in your life and your career by giving voice to the values that are important to you. ADVOCACY at all levels of government is the fabric of democracy, and every thread in the fabric is significant. The laws that are passed determine so many of the parameters of your life. It takes a small effort to add your voice in the deliberations. When you get to know your own government REPRESENTATIVES , your opinions and requests take on more significance. Are they your representatives---or are they making choices for you without your input?
Join in the swelling grassroots efforts that with the internet have
amplified the individual citizen’s voice. You can feel great satisfaction
through participation, and strengthen the essence of democracy---for the
people and by the people.
Just click and see. It’s easy to join in the a dynamic process.
Persuasive Findings on the Arts
NAPAMA Organizes an Advocacy Network
Your zipcode gets you to ALL your elected officials!
At the top of this page, just enter your zipcode in the provided box. You’ll get links to select for YOUR elected officials of the U.S., State, and Local government! It is so easy. You can then link to the individual official and send an e-mail right from the site.
ALERT!!! VISA PROCESSING ISSUES
Your help on this vital issue is urgently needed.
VISA PROCESSING ISSUES are mounting for all performing arts that engage
foreign guest artists. Since 9/11 the government has restructured bureaus
and departments and this has resulted in a NEW bureau for handling visas:
BCIS (Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services.) They are NOW revising
the application process. It is CRITICAL that each of your Congressmen
KNOW of the urgency in making appropriate reforms, and that they are AWARE
of the issues, needs, and concerns of the performing arts in these matters.
Your Congressmen MAY be on the House or Senate Judiciary committee, WHICH
HAS LEGISLATIVE JURISDICTION OVER THE BCIS. If so, your communication
with them as a constituent is vitally important.
Message for Congressmen:
O and P visas for foreign guest artists are currently taking up to six
months to process - and current BCIS policy states that visa petitions
may not be filed earlier than six months ahead of employment. Please sign
on to the Hart/Berman letter urging the BCIS to make the following reforms:
* Reduce the processing time for O and P petitions filed by, or on behalf of, nonprofit arts-related organizations to a maximum of 30 days, and specify that failure to comply with this deadline automatically moves the petition to the Premium Processing Service for consideration within 15 calendar days, without an additional fee;
* Permit O and P visa applications to be filed one year before the proposed employment will begin;
* Update the petition form and instructions for O and P visas, which are outdated and inaccurate;
* Implement uniform policies, procedures, and training at BCIS Service Centers for handling all petitions.
View a Copy of the Letter When contacting your Representative, please include a copy of the sign-on letter in your fax communication.
The letter may be downloaded at the link below:
www.symphony.org/govaff/what/pdf/060203letter.pdf
Also, a complete immigration issue brief with background and talking points
is available in PDF format on the League's web site. Please consider sharing
this one-page brief with your Representative.
www.symphony.org/govaff/what/pdf/BCISbrief.pdf
Budget cuts are prevalent everywhere. Let your representatives from local to national know what an amazing economic engine the arts are. See the facts in Persuasive Findings.
Here are the top issues before the federal legislature now.
Detailed information is available at www.americanartsalliance.org
- FY (fiscal year) 2003 Funding for Federal Cultural Agencies
- Federal Support of Arts Education
- Support of Enlightened Tax Policy
- Artists: Fair-Market Value Deduction Bills
- Improving the Visa Approval Process for International Artists
- Transporting Musical Instruments and Cultural Objects by Air
- Emergency Relief for Arts OrganizationsThese professional arts service organizations have active government affairs offices. These links will give you concise and user friendly info on current legislative activities.
www.symphony.org/govaff/
www.artspresenters.org/gov/
www.operaam.org/legadv
www.americanartsalliance.org/
Persuasive Findings on the Arts
On June 10, 2002 Americans for the Arts released the findings from Arts & Economic Prosperity: The Economic Impact of Nonprofit Arts Organizations and Their Audiences. This research project reveals that America's nonprofit arts industry generated $134 billion in economic activity during 2000, including $53.2 billion in spending by nonprofit arts organizations and $80.8 billion in event-related spending by arts audiences.
A real talking point: Not only do the Arts generate $134 Billion in economic activity, the Arts return $10.5 BILLION in federal taxes (FY2000). In turn, the Arts received a mere $100 MILLION in government funds . The NEA was cut 40% in FY96 and has never recovered, receiving only small incremental increases annually. The Arts are seriously underfunded and already have had cuts. It seems that an industry that CONTRIBUTES huge amounts to the economy should be nourished and supported to INCREASE the governmental gains as well.
The project findings are available for download from the website below, along with many other materials that you can use to help make the case for increased public and private sector arts funding in your community.
www.AmericansForTheArts.org/EconomicImpact
NAPAMA ORGANIZES AN ADVOCACY NETWORK
(North American Performing Arts Managers and Agents)
In considering the periodic need for our voice to be heard "on the Hill", the NAPAMA Advocacy Committee Board Members, Mary Ella Collins and Steve Heath, are assembling a Members' Advocacy Network. We will identify a NAPAMA Captain for each state in which we have members. As we receive an Action Alert to contact particular representatives, we will forward this to the appropriate Captain. When there is more than one member in that state, the Captain will contact them to participate, collect the actions taken and responses, and forward that state's results to the NAPAMA Advocacy committee. Most communications are by e-mail and fax.
Generally the alerts are sporadic, and the effort needed is most often a fax. The communication will have a ‘cut and paste’ section on the issue provided by us (through the Arts Alliance network stream). You add the very important personalization of your being a constituent who is affected by the issue, and how it impacts the congressman’s entire constituency.
Your support of this network is sincerely encouraged. EVERY person has an important voice, and sometimes just one vote decides the outcome on a piece of legislation! As everyone is busy, we hope this personalization will help you know when your state is very important on an issue. This will keep you apprised as to when your communication with your congressmen is truly urgently needed. The statement "All politics are local" says it all. Influence is in the hands of the local (voting!) constituents. Please help us!
Your e-mail to Mary Ella (mec@mec-sing.com) or Steve (sgheath719@yahoo.com) with your National district number for Congress will be most helpful to us. Also, note any special interests you have in these areas. Thanks.
E-Mail:
friends@mec-sing.com - Voice: (972) 661-9074 - Fax: (972) 661-9514
5025 Briar Tree Drive - Dallas, TX. 75248-6004