|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Updated August 31, 2010
Advocacy-Public Policy Update Eastern Region By Rachel LaForest, National Public Policy Director
Central Region Update Western Region Update
New York State Health Insurance Up-date - From the desk of Governor Patterson My Fellow New Yorkers, I am writing to you today to let you know about a new temporary statewide insurance option for uninsured legal residents who have medical conditions. This new plan, called the NY Bridge Plan, is New York's version of the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan that was created under federal health care reform. The NY Bridge Plan is a valuable product of health care reform in that it provides health insurance coverage at a lower price than other options currently available in the individual market. Through the NY Bridge Plan, premiums will be $362/month for residents of upstate counties and $421/month for residents of downstate counties. A list of upstate and downstate counties is available in the NY Bridge Plan brochure. Health insurance coverage is essential to having access to care. Through this program, more New Yorkers who need medical care will be able to receive it. The NY Bridge Plan covers a broad range of services, including primary and specialty care, inpatient and outpatient hospital care, and prescription drugs, as well as assistance from professional nurses and caseworkers to help members manage chronic conditions and maintain overall health. Coverage for a pre-existing condition begins right away, with no waiting period. Eligibility for this program is not based on income. To be eligible to apply, individuals must:
Applications are available now. Enrollment is on a first-come, first-served basis. If the NY Bridge Plan reaches capacity, a waiting list will be established. Coverage will be effective October 1, 2010, and will be available until January 2014, when more health insurance coverage options become available through a new Health Insurance Exchange. More information on the NY Bridge Plan, including the application and brochure, is available through www.healthcarereform.ny.gov. I encourage you to apply for this program if you are eligible, and to also help us spread the word about this new health insurance option to your uninsured family and friends. Best,
David A. Paterson
New Unemployment Insurance Bill in New York Equity members should Take Action! There is a new bill in New York State, S8423, sponsored by Senator George Onorato, to amend the labor law in relation to unemployment insurance benefits. There are several components to the bill. Click here to read the bill in its entirety: Most notable is the recommendation to amend Labor Law 590 to establish a minimum Unemployment Insurance benefit rate of $75 weekly, and to establish a new maximum benefit rate as follows:
This will be an incredible benefit to Equity members in New York who rely on Unemployment Insurance to make ends meet during periods of slow work or no work. We need to speak out and make sure this bill gets passed! What You Can Do Visit www.nysenate.gov to locate your Senator. Make sure she or he is aware of the bill and is supporting it. You can also visit www.assembly.state.ny.us to speak to your Assemblymember and make sure they plan to vote YES on the bill when it comes to the floor of the state Assembly.
SENATE PASSES NEA INCREASE Thanks to your efforts… …on Wednesday, August 18, 2010 the U.S. Senate passed the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, which provides $161.3 million in funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), a $1.3 million increase over last year's funding! Earlier this year, the House passed a version of the bill H.R.2996 with a $170 million appropriation for the NEA. The bill now goes into conference committee to reconcile the differences between the two Chambers.
Stay tuned for future Take Actions to ensure that the NEA receives the most adequate funding possible.
New York State Budget Passed $10 million of $16.5 million cut restored to NYSCA! The completed New York State budget was passed on the evening of Tuesday, July 3rd, making it one of the latest state budgets in history, 125 days late. The budget is projected to be $136.5 billion, a spending increase of 2.4% over last year. The budget was passed piecemeal and the restoration to NYSCA was included in the Education Bill which was passed by the Legislature several weeks earlier, bringing the NYSCA local assistance budget to $35.1 million. This is a good time to thank your legislators for their support of the NYSCA budget. Given the severe cuts around the State, NYSCA fared very well in this budget negotiation. Equity thanks all of the members who stood up to communicate to their elected officials the need for strong arts organizations and institutions in our communities. Stay tuned for information on where you can review the finalized budget in its entirety.
Philadelphia Culture budget cut by 35% On July 14, 2010, Mayor Nutter announced the latest round of cuts to the city budget. Nutter's revised budget for 2010-11 includes substantial cuts to the police and fire overtime budgets, as well as reductions to most other city departments. The latest cuts come after a bumpy budget season in which Nutter and City Council couldn't agree on how to balance the books. In May, Mayor Nutter announced $20 million in cuts after Council passed a $3.7 billion budget that excluded his proposed soda tax. A few weeks later, Nutter officials said they were looking to cut an additional 2 to 4 percent due to weak tax revenues. Those plans combine for a total of $47 million in cuts. The cuts include: $1 million from the city's community-college payment, $1.8 million from the Department of Parks and Recreation, $1.1 million (35%) from the cultural fund and $1.8 million from the Department of Human Services.
New law in Massachusetts creating state-sponsored cultural districts - From the Massachusetts Cultural Council On Wednesday, July 28, 2010, Governor Deval Patrick signed a bill into law that allows communities to create state-sponsored cultural districts to stimulate new arts and cultural activity and attract creative businesses. The law directs the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) to create a new program that designates local districts to attract artists and cultural enterprises to a community, encourage business and job development, establish tourist destinations, preserve and reuse historic buildings, enhance property values and foster local cultural development. The legislation includes no new funds for MCC, so the cultural districts program will offer no grants or other financial rewards to communities, at least in its first year. It directs MCC to work with other state government agencies to identify state incentives and resources to enhance cultural districts. The MCC will work over the coming months to create guidelines for the program with input from those agencies, the cultural community, and the broader public. "We've seen many examples of how arts and culture help to revitalize our communities.", said Representative John Keenan of Salem, House Chair of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts, and Cultural Development. A cultural district will be one more tool that cities and towns can employ in these efforts. The Joint Committee's Co-Chair, Sonia Chang-Díaz of Boston, added: "The creative sector is a major source of strength for the Massachusetts economy, and contributes to the vitality of the Boston neighborhoods that I represent. So I'm delighted that we now have one more way to help this sector grow and thrive." Rep. Keenan spearheaded the cultural districts provision in the House with support from Reps. Steve Walsh of Lynn, Ann-Margaret Ferrante of Gloucester, and Kay Khan and Ruth Balser of Newton. It was championed in the Senate by Sens. Stan Rosenberg of Amherst and Chang-Díaz, and Benjamin Downing of Pittsfield. "With cultural districts, MCC will have another tool in its toolbox to help cities and towns develop their cultural assets for the benefit of residents and visitors alike." said Anita Walker, MCC Executive Director. " We thank Governor Patrick, Co-Chairs Chang-Díaz and Keenan, and their colleagues in the Legislature, for recognizing the role of arts and culture in improving the health and well being of our communities." About the Massachusetts Cultural Council: The Massachusetts Cultural Council is a state agency supporting the arts, humanities, and sciences to improve the quality of life in Massachusetts and its communities. The MCC pursues this mission through a combination of grants, services, and advocacy for cultural organizations, schools, communities, and artists. For more go to www.massculturalcouncil.org ( http://masscultural.pmailus.com/pmailweb/ct?d=M6_X9AAOAAEAABtpAAQeeg) .
The U.S. House Designates "Arts in Education" week in September! On Monday, July 26th, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.Con.Res. 275, legislation designating the second week of September as "Arts in Education Week." Authored and introduced by California Representative Jackie Speier (D-CA), this resolution is the first Congressional expression of support celebrating all the disciplines comprising arts education. This is a very positive showing of support for arts education and comes at a key time when Congress is making plans to overhaul federal education policy. The resolution seeks to support the attributes of arts education that are recognized as instrumental to developing a well-rounded education such as creativity, imagination, and cross-cultural understanding. H.Con.Res. 275 also highlights the critical link between those skills and preparing our children for gaining a competitive edge in the global economy. This is an important message for policy makers to acknowledge as they prepare to reauthorize federal education policy. We salute Rep. Speier and the more than 101 original cosponsors for their support of arts education and for this truly special recognition of the value of culture for our country's students. Click here to read a copy of the resolution http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.CON.RES.275:
Casino-Cultural Funding Legislation Passes MA Senate In early July, the Massachusetts State Senate approved an amendment to the casino gambling legislation that could devote a portion of future revenue derived from casinos to the state's cultural sector. The Senate bill has many similarities to the previously passed House bill but is not clear on the percentage of future annual casino revenues that could go toward subsidizing grants to performing arts centers, fees for touring shows or artists and give financial support to the Massachusetts Cultural Council. The House bill does contain a 0.5% allotment to the performing arts centers and touring shows and an additional 0.5% to the MCC. The Senate legislation will now go to a conference committee where differences will be worked out with the bill passed by the House of Representatives.
Maryland Arts Up-date
GOVERNOR O'MALLEY ANNOUNCES $11 MILLION IN ARTS AWARDS On July 19, 2010, Governor Martin O'Malley announced more than $11 million in Maryland State Arts Council grants to Maryland organizations and county arts councils, reaffirming his commitment to the arts in Maryland. "Our investment in the arts organizations in Maryland is another strategy to strengthen small businesses and create and retain jobs in the creative industries," said Governor O'Malley. "Support of the operations of these arts organizations stimulates the economy and contributes greatly to the quality of life we enjoy in our State. In addition, the Arts Council enhances the quality of life for our citizens, helps attract visitors and stimulate tourism, and supports individual artists and arts organizations." The FY2011 Maryland State Arts Council matching grants will be used to support the general operations of 240 arts organizations and ongoing arts programs, as well as the activities of Maryland's 23 official county arts councils and Baltimore City. The latest economic impact report commissioned by the Maryland State Arts Council notes that the organizations receiving grants from the council support more than 11,000 jobs. It shows that the nonprofit arts organizations are active contributors to the business community - they are employers, producers, artists, consumers and key partners in the promotion of their communities.
The new Consumer Information Website, HealthCare.gov, has been launched! The comprehensive web portal required by The Affordable Care Act went up July 1. It replaces existing websites that provided information on the law and its interpretation. Its primary purpose is to help individuals and families navigate health care, e.g., unemployed workers looking for coverage to replace employer coverage that they lost. It contains information on all applicable federal laws, links to state government resources, and a huge amount of information on private health plans (currently 5,100 plans) with pricing information scheduled to be added in October.
|
|
 |
 |
|
