Campaign Unavailable

Campaign Unavailable

We're sorry, this alert is no longer available. If you would like to learn more about ways you can take action, please visit Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance.

The short explanation of this alert was:

7/9/09 UPDATE: On Wednesday night, House Democratic leadership and the Governor shifted their position, and announced yet another plan to cut an additional $1.7 billion from the $27.3 billion Senate-approved budget (SB 850). This proposal would abandon the Governor's recommendation for an increase in the personal income tax.

UPDATE: In order to close the state's ballooning deficit, Governor Rendell proposed an increase to the state's Personal Income Tax, and an additional $500 million in cuts to his original budget proposal in February.  The good news? The $14 million for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts will remain.  The bad news?  The administrative line item at the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts was cut by 12.1%, the state's library subsidy was cut by $7.5 million, and funding for grants through the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission was completely eliminated.

In May, the Senate introduced their version of the FY10 state budget (SB 850), which zeroed out all funding for arts and cultural agencies in Pennsylvania that support nonprofit organizations across the state. The budget also slashed funding for many other state agencies and programs, and does not rely on the state's "rainy day" funding. On May 6, SB 850 was passed along party lines.

The House Appropriations Committee examined SB 850 and thanks to considerable backlash from advocates and constituents, failed to move out of committee. It is now up to Governor Ed Rendell to introduce a new budget for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to consider.

If you would like to view details on this alert, please visit here.