Two Pieces of Good Arts News from Washington DC: New STAR Act and NEA Funding Update
Two pieces of good news for the arts have come from Washington DC recently, and one of them is because of a North Carolina Representative. Congresswoman Alma Adams (D, NC-12) has introduced the STAR Act which would remove a recent, sweeping prohibition placed on the use of federal funds to support costs associated with incorporating art into transit projects.
Also, the U.S House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee strongly rejected President Trump’s budget request to eliminate both the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) by appropriating $167.5 million in funding each for FY2020! This is an increase for both agencies of $12.5 million over the FY 2019 funding level of $155 million and could match 2010, the highest appropriation for the NEA and NEH in the last 25 years!
About the STAR Act: Before December 2015, federal law allowed the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to support project costs associated with art (typically 1-2% of the project’s capital budget). Funds could be used to support the employment of an artist as a member of a design team, provided that the artistic elements were integrated into the facility or served a functional transit-related purposes.
In December 2015, Congress passed the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, which established a new prohibition on the use of FTA funds. These funds could no longer be used for the “incremental costs of incorporating art into facilities,” including employing an artist on the design team. Unfortunately, this blanket prohibition on art applies to all FTA programs and grants, including all programs through which FTA serves as the grant making agency.
In addition, once FTA funds are utilized for any part of a transportation project, the local funds face the same federal restrictions and probations, severely limiting the ability of local funding to go towards incorporating art into transit projects.
Transit agencies and communities benefit from integrating art into transportation projects. For thirty years in cities and towns small and large across America, transit agencies have employed artists to enhance their transit projects. Artists aid in transit design, improve safety and security, increase ridership, reduce vandalism, facilitate communication and community pride, and boost economic activity through tourism.
An example in North Carolina of a project that is currently in jeopardy is the Charlotte Area Transit System, which integrates art into most major projects, including stations and surrounding areas, park and ride lots, transportation centers maintenance facilities, and passenger amenities to provide efficient, cost-effective public transportation that creates vibrant and well-utilized mass transit commuter and passenger options.
The STAR Act would reinstate flexibility and allow transit authorities to incorporate art into federally-funded transit projects and facilities. It removes a recent, sweeping prohibition placed on the use of federal funds to support costs associated with incorporating art into transit projects.
About the NEA and NEH funding for FY2020: This is the third year in a row that President Trump has proposed a termination of both the NEA and the NEH in his budget proposal to the U.S. Congress. The past two years, Congress has rejected this request and moderately increased funding for the cultural agencies. This year, the House Interior Subcommittee is sending an even stronger message of the importance of arts funding by increasing the appropriation by $12.5 million.
We expect that the full U.S. House Appropriations Committee will consider this bill in the coming weeks and action on the House floor will take place sometime in June. We are hopeful that the full U.S. House and then the U.S. Senate will follow the Subcommittee’s lead in expanding funding for the NEA and NEH.
Funding Status of Key Federally Funded Arts Agencies and Programs (as of 05/15/19)
| Key Federally Funded Arts Program/Agency (In $ millions) |
Final FY 2019 Funding |
Pres. Trump’s FY 2020 Budget Proposal |
U.S. House Appropriations Interiour Subcommittee Proposal |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) | $155.0 | Termination | $167.5 |
| National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) | $155.0 | Termination | $167.5 |
| Smithsonian Institution | $1,043.0 | $978.0 | $1,070.0 |
| John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts | $41.3 | $40.0 | $43.5 |
| National Gallery of Art | $168.4 | $154.0 | $181.6 |
| Save America’s Treasures | $13.0 | $0 | $16.0 |
| Commission of Fine Arts | $2.8 | $3.0 | $3.28 |
| National Capital Arts & Cultural Affairs | $2.75 | $0 | $5.0 |