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News From the NEA...
U.S. Senate Passes Tax Bill with Artists’ Charitable Deduction
There was good news for artists and arts institutions last week in the U.S. Senate. On November 17, the Senate passed S. 2020, the Tax Relief Act of 2005, with legislation included to provide artists with a full fair-market value charitable deduction for the donated gifts of their works to museum and library collections. The bill has yet to pass the U.S. House of Representatives,.
Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA), Finance Committee chair and floor manager of the tax bill, agreed to add the artist’s charitable donation provisions as a manager’s amendment without debate or a floor vote.
The artists’ deduction bill has been pending approval in Congress for several years, never making it successfully through both chambers of Congress. The provision must still be accepted by the House when it takes up its tax bill either on the House floor, or, more likely, in the final agreement of a conference committee. The House Ways and Means Committee approved its version of the tax legislation, H.R. 4297, the same day the Senate passed its own tax bill, but without the artists’ deduction provisions included by the Senate.
There is still time to contact representatives to support the artists’ charitable deduction measure. Those most influential in the process will be Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) and Rep. Roy Blunt (R-MO), the acting majority leader in the House, and Rep. Jim Ramstad, sponsor of the companion artists’ charitable deduction bill in the House and a member of the Ways and Means Committee, and other members of the tax-writing committee. For contact information, visit www.congress.org.
Save the Date for Cultural Advocacy Day
On Tuesday morning, Jan. 24, groups will gather at the State Historical Building, 600 E. Locust, Des Moines for the traditional march to the Capitol and an opportunity to meet with their legislators. Tuesday afternoon will give participants an opportunity to attend advocacy workshops and “problem solving meetings” to discuss topics such as smart building codes, health care for cultural workers, arts education and more.
Aging and the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts, the AARP, National Center for Creative Aging and the International Music Products Association have developed recommendations for the 2005 White House Conference on Aging, December 11-14. The conference, which only occurs every 10 years, will guide national aging policy over the next decade to promote dignity, health, independence and economic security of current and future generations of older persons.
The recommendations are as follows:
1. Arts and Health Care: Target existing and identify new federal resources for direct investment in programs and public/private partnerships that capitalize on the vast capacity for expression among older adults by increasing their access to and utilization of participatory arts programs in community-based and healthcare settings.
2. Lifelong Learning and Community: Direct funding to support lifelong learning in the arts that is essential to developing economically vital and diverse communities, increasing quality of life across the lifespan, and reducing costs for health and long-term living.
3. Universal Design: Educate the public, and federal, state and local decision makers about the importance of designing and creating homes, neighborhoods and communities that support choice and livability throughout the lifespan; improve the quality of life for all; and contribute to reduced costs of long-term care by expanding opportunities for aging in place.
Visit www.arts.gov/resources/Accessibility/aa/contents.html for the full report and recommendations.
