Funding for the Arts

Organizations such as the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) bring critical federal dollars to artists, cultural institutions, and State Arts agencies. These dollars, in the form of grants, help to promote the education, innovation and preservation of Connecticut’s rich artistic and cultural history. The arts are important to the first district, where we have a total of 1,354 arts-related businesses employing 8,579 people.

I have strongly supported funding increases for the NEA and NEH. On June 27, 2007, I voted in favor of the House passed Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2008 (H.R. 2643), which included $160 million in funding for the NEA and the NEH. Under H.R. 2643, NEA funds increased by $35 million and NEH funds increased by $19 million compared to the President’s fiscal year 2008 budget request.   Continued funding for the arts is vital to promoting artistic and cultural innovation in Connecticut, and I will continue to work to ensure that programs like the NEH and NEA get the funding they need.

Information from the Library of Congress

• Arts in Education: Background and Legislation

Helpful Links

• National Endowment for the Arts
• National Endowment for the Humanities

Amistad

On June 21, 2007, the Freedom Schooner Amistad’s 14-month Atlantic Freedom Tour departed from New Haven, Connecticut. The Atlantic Freedom Tour commemorates the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the Atlantic slave trade in the former British Empire (1807) and the United States (1808). A diverse group of high school students will live on board the Amistad and document their experience on the Internet. I am proud to be an original cosponsor of H.Res.522, which would recognize the historical and educational significance of the Freedom Schooner Amistad’s 14-month Atlantic Freedom Tour. The resolution would also express the sense of the House of Representatives that preserving the legacy of the Amistad story is important in promoting multi-cultural dialogue, education, and cooperation. As a former history teacher and a father of three children, the lessons of the prisoners’ struggles aboard the Amistad serve as an important way to promote awareness and understanding about this Nation’s history. 

Helpful Links

Atlantic Freedom Tour (AMISTAD America, Inc.) 
Amistad—Seeking Freedom in Connecticut (National Park Service)

Press Releases

6/27/07 - CT Delegation Honors Freedom Schooner Amistad’s 14-month 2007 Atlantic Freedom Tour 

History of the House

The first bill I was able to pass into law was the History of the House Awareness and Preservation Act (P.L. 106-99).  This bill authorized the Library of Congress to commission eminent historians to assemble a written history of the House of Representatives.  Robert Remini, professor emeritus at the University of Illinois-Chicago, completed the book in 2006.  Learn more about the History of the House bill and Dr. Remini.

Coltsville

Coltsville is a unique regional and international landmark and should be preserved. Read more about Coltsville, and my efforts with Senators Dodd and Lieberman to gain a National Park designation for the area.

Caucus Memberships

Congressional Arts Caucus
The Arts Caucus is a bipartisan organization for Members of Congress who support the arts through federal initiatives. Each year, the Arts Caucus's major objective is to secure adequate funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the Institute for Museums and Library Services (IMLS).

Arts in the First District

Our district is rich with artistic, historic and educational resources. Below is a sample of organizations I encourage you to visit and explore: 

• CT Commission on the Arts
• Connecticut Humanities Council
• Greater Hartford Jazz Festival
• Mark Twain House and Museum
• The Bushnell
• Wadsworth Atheneum
• Old State House
• Connecticut Historical Society
• Real Art Ways
• Hartford Stage
• The Artists Collective

Additional Cosponsorships

H.Con.Res. 72
Recognizing and honoring America's labor movement and supporting the designation of a National Labor History Month.

H.RES.110
Honoring the life and achievements of George C. Springer, Sr., the Northeast regional director and a former vice president of the American Federation of Teachers.

H.RES.120
Recognizing the African American spiritual as a national treasure

H.RES.180
Honoring the life and achievements of Leo T. McCarthy and expressing profound sorrow on his death.

H.RES.194
Apologizing for the enslavement and racial segregation of African-Americans.

H.RES.198
Recognizing the significance of Black History Month as an important time to recognize the contributions of Black Americans in the nation's history.

H.RES.528
Commemorating the 300th anniversary of the Town of New Milford, Connecticut.

H.R.406
Alice Paul Congressional Gold Medal Act
Posthumous presentation of a congressional gold medal in commemoration of Alice Paul, to recognize her role in the women's suffrage movement and in advancing equal rights for women.

H.R. 512
Commission to Study the Potential Creation of a National Museum of the American Latino Community Act of 2007
To study the establishment and maintenance of a National Museum of the American Latino Community in Washington, D.C.

H.R. 634
American Veterans Disabled for Life Commemorative Coin
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of veterans who became disabled for life while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States.

H.R 1154
To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Michael Ellis DeBakey, M.D.

H.R. 634
American Veterans NASA and JPL 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act
To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.