CAA News Today

At press time, the fiscal year 2004 budgets for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) had not been finalized. In mid-July the Congress-ional Arts Caucus introduced an amendment, sponsored by Representatives Louise Slaughter (D-NY), Chris Shays (R-CT), Norm Dicks (D-WA), and Jim Leach (R-IA), to increase funding for the NEH by an additional $5 million over the House Appropriations Committee’s mark of $137 million (for a total of $142 million). The amendment also sought to increase funding for the NEA by $10 million above the committee’s mark of $117 million (for a total of $127.5 million). Thirty-five Republicans joined Democrats in passing the Congressional Arts Caucus amendment a few days after it was introduced.