U.S. House bill would bolster arts funding

Legislation backed by Leger Fernández, Luján includes $300 million over 2 years to support projects and performances

U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández and two California congressmen introduced legislation Thursday aimed at supporting the nation’s creative workforce and expanding access to the arts across the nation.

The proposed Creative Workforce Investment Act includes $300 million worth of funding that would be disseminated through a competitive grant program over the next two years, according to a news release.

U.S. Sens. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., and Alex Padilla, D-Calif., introduced a companion bill in the Senate.

The legislation would authorize the U.S. Department of Labor — in consultation with the National Endowment for the Arts — to award competitive grants to be used to fund public art or arts programming and employ local people, according to a summary of the proposed legislation. Eligible programs could include outdoor events like concerts, street fairs, murals or live performances as well as projects involving poetry, photography, theater or dance. Projects that aim to bring art into schools and to artistically document the history of the United States and “illuminate marginalized narratives” also could be funded under the proposal.

Leger Fernández said in a phone interview Thursday she was inspired to propose the legislation in part by the Works Progress Administration projects of the Depression era, including one that involved the collection of traditional stories from around the state.

“I believe this bill is a step toward regenerating that commitment to public participation, to public connectivity,” she said. “Art touches an emotional place that is so key to who we are as human beings as members of a nation, as members of the planet we share.”

Arts funding is particularly important in New Mexico, she said.

“We’re very proud in New Mexico about our culture and artistic essence, she said. “One in 10 paychecks in New Mexico comes from the creative economy.

“In the U.S. we don’t invest in public art to the degree we should,” she added, noting the federal government spends about 63 cents per person annually on arts funding and about $812 per person on

transportation.

“Roads are important, and planes and trains are important, but [arts funding] should be a little more than 63 cents,” she said.

No more than 5% of the funds appropriated through the proposed legislation could be used for administrative costs, according to the summary.

Leger Fernández said the next step is to attempt to have the bill prioritized for a vote or included in another larger piece of legislation.

“At the end of the year, we’ll know if we’ve been able to move it,” she said. “Once you get something going, then you keep trying to get it funded.”

Even if the legislation is not successful, she said, the introduction of such initiatives sparks conversations about the role of art in public life.

“I introduced a slightly different bill last congress [which prompted] significant conversations about the arts and arts funding,” she said, adding Congress had increased public art funding from about $167 million a year to about $207 million since she’s been in the House.