Advocacy-Public Policy Update

Western Region

By Rachel LaForest, National Public Policy Director

SB 810 (Single Payer Health Care) on the agenda for Wednesday's Assembly Appropriations Hearing

California Equity members should Take Action!

Take a moment to send an important message in support of a Single Payer system in California. Thanks to your efforts in June, SB 810 successfully passed the Assembly Health Committee. Now, at 9:00AM Wednesday, Aug. 4, the Assembly Appropriations Committee is scheduled to hear SB 810 in Room 4202 in the Capitol.

Despite the new healthcare reforms recently passed in Washington, it is imperative that Californians send a message to their state representatives that a single-payer, Medicare for All-type program for California is THE BEST solution to our healthcare crisis.

Click here to email the members of the California State Assembly Appropriations Committee and urge them to vote in favor of SB 810 on the 4th.

The final round of votes will be made on the full Assembly floor, and there will be another Take Action alert posted before that vote occurs.

Meanwhile, tell your family and friends to contact their Assemblymember TODAY as well! Keep up the pressure and let them know that we can't live with a broken health insurance system any longer.

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:

Support an increase in funding to the NEA!

Equity members should Take Action to keep the pressure on!

On July 22nd, the U.S. House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, which sets the initial funding level for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), approved a $2.5 million increase for the NEA in its FY 2011 spending bill.

Chairman Jim Moran (D-VA), a longtime champion of arts and culture, presided over his first Interior spending bill as chairman of the subcommittee. It is significant that Chairman Moran has proposed an increase for the agency in light of a spending freeze on federal discretionary funds and a lower budget request by the administration.

Currently funded at $167.5 million, this increase would bring the NEA's budget to $170 million. In his statement, Chairman Moran acknowledged that, "the increase recognizes the value we place, as a nation, on our artistic and cultural heritage."

On Arts Advocacy Day 2010, joined by hundreds of arts organizations, including Actors' Equity Association, Americans for the Arts presented a panel of witnesses before Chairman Moran's Appropriations Subcommittee calling for a significant increase in funding for the NEA. This diverse group of witnesses included Terri Aldrich, Executive Director, Minot Area Council of the Arts; Brig. Gen. Nolen V. Bivens, U.S. Army (ret.); Jeff Daniels, Golden Globe-nominated film and stage actor; Kyle MacLachlan, Emmy-nominated TV, film, and stage actor; Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter; Charles Segars, CEO, Ovation; and Robert L. Lynch, President and CEO, Americans for the Arts.

That presentation and your emails to Congress have clearly made an impact but the fight is not over yet!

What You Can Do:

Send a message to your members of Congress telling them to support the funding increase that Chairman Moran made in subcommittee!

You can find your representative by calling the Capitol Operator at: 1-888-854-1978 CALL NOW!

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.

Read more...

CA SB 810

THANKS TO YOU!

The California Assembly Health Committee Voted YES for Single Payer SB 810!

On Tuesday, June 29th, by a "super majority" vote, the 19-member Health Committee delivered 13 YES votes versus 6 NO votes to pass Senator Mark Leno's Senate Bill 810.

The full passage of SB810 would mean the establishment of a Single Payer health care system in the state of California.

This landmark health care reform legislation, twice vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger, now proceeds to the Assembly Appropriations Committee for a hearing and vote in July or early August.

Pending a successful Appropriations Committee vote, the bill will be heard by the full Assembly and if approved will once again be presented to the governor for signature.

Thanks to you all for writing Assembly members and Committee members urging these YES votes.

Stay tuned for up-dates and activities that you can be a part of.

California Arts Plates

“One Million Plates for the Arts” fundraising campaign

The California Arts Council has launched a new initiative to raise money for the arts during tough economic times. Their Promoting the Arts License Plate program has a goal to sell one million license plates to California business owners, which would provide $40 million for the arts in California (Arts Plate fees may be considered charitable contributions to the California Arts Council under IRS regulations).

The Arts License Plate funds and promotion of the plate to California drivers are seen as key to keeping arts programs alive in the state. California is currently the lowest in per capita funding in the arts nationwide, at just about 12 cents per person. And given the state's fiscal crisis, obtaining General Fund monies seems next to impossible any time soon.

Are you a business owner interested in putting California Arts License Plates on your fleet? Contact Mary Beth Barber at mbarber@cac.ca.gov or 916-322-6588 for more information.