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ninch-announce: Alert on NEH

ninch-announce: Alert on NEH

Alert on NEH

David Green (david@cni.org)
Thu, 10 Jul 1997 12:39:40 -0400 

Message-Id: <v0213050cafeabfaf083e@[192.100.21.23]>
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 1997 12:39:40 -0400
To: ninch-announce@cni.org
From: david@cni.org (David Green)
Subject: Alert on NEH

NINCH ANNOUNCEMENT
July 10, 1997

NEA-NEH Merger Proposal

Apologies for cross-posting and to those who don't feel an urgency on this
issue, but I think this report from the National Humanities Alliance is
important enough to distribute on the NINCH-Announce list.

David Green

>From: John Hammer <jhammer@cni.org>
>To: Multiple recipients of list <nha-announce@cni.org>
>Subject: Alert on NEH
>
>                                             9 July 1997
>
>URGENT ALERT
>
>TO:     NHA Members and Friends
>
>FR:     John Hammer
>
>RE:     Regula proposal would merge the NEH and the NEA
>
>As the Interior Appropriations bill for FY-1998 approaches the floor of
>the House of Representatives, rapidly changing perceptions and proposals
>are at hand and the pro- and anti-arts endowment forces are seeking
>combinations that can overcome the opposition.  Over the last 24 hours:
>
>Pro-NEA forces lead by Rick Lazio (R-NY) met with Speaker Gingrich last
>night.  It is believed that Mr. Lazio advised the Speaker that the rule
>governing floor consideration of the Interior bill will be voted down
>unless the Rules Committee produces a rule  that a) protects NEA from
>expulsion from the bill, and b) permits an up-or-down vote on NEA's
>continuation.
>
>Sketchy information suggests that the Speaker and others are seeking
>agreement among pro- and anti-NEA GOPs that can permit the Interior bill
>to go to the floor.  Two GOP ideas which may come up for votes from this
>process are:
>
>     o Vern Ehlers (R-MI), an NEH supporter who has intermittently
>supported NEA, plans to offer an amendment that would block grant most of
>the NEA budget to the states with funding earmarked for education..
>
>     o Ralph Regula is proposing to merge the NEH and NEA into a single
>agency to be called the American Heritage Administration in which $200
>million would be divided evenly between arts and humanities functions
>(i.e., humanities would loose at least $10 million).    The new entity
>would be administered by a single presidentially appointed "Director" who
>would make all grant decisions (and both the NEA and NEH councils would be
>abolished with no replacement).  The description released by Mr. Regula
>also indicates that the arts grants go through a peer review process but
>apparently humanities applications would not.  In addition, there is no
>mention of the grants to individuals.
>
>It is the Regula concept that is of particular concern to the humanities
>community.
>
>COMMENT:  Mr. Regula had earlier entertained similar merger ideas but,
>noting that the merger concept gained little with NEA opponents and
>garnered little enthusiasm with friends, he said in mid-Spring that he
>was discontinuing consideration of the idea.
>
>Today, Mr. Regula's office released a memorandum outlining his merger
>ideas entitled "Cultural Education Enhancement Act" which establishes
>the American Heritage Administration.
>
>  From the point of view of the humanities, merger of NEH with NEA is
>a bad proposition.  Problems include:
>
>     o NEH gets strapped with corrections aimed at perceived NEA
>problems (e.g., loss of grants to individuals which is a major engine
>for work in the humanities).
>
>     o If there are activities supported by the arts side of a merged
>agency that offend, the humanities side is much closer than at present
>and likely to suffer.
>
>     o The likelihood that the presidentially appointed
>director/decision maker would be familiar and knowledgeable about the
>humanities is difficult to assess but most observers believe that arts
>appointees would dominate.
>
>     o The idea of abandoning peer review for humanities grants is
>especially ironic given that even during its most difficult periods, the
>NEH peer review system has been viewed as among the very best among
>granting agencies.
>
>     o The chair of the NEH has a useful "bully pulpit" to speak out on
>questions of interest to the humanities community.  While experience
>shows that this is a two edged sword, it is nonetheless useful to have a
>position from which humanities issues can be highlighted.
>
>WHAT IS URGENTLY NEEDED:
>
>Every Congressional office needs to receive telephone calls in the next
>36 hours with the message that the merger proposal of Mr. Regula is a
>most unfair deal for the NEH -- We all greatly respect the arts endowment
>and have worked hard for its survival but, it is unfair in the extreme
>to make NEH pay this price to save the NEA.
>
>While the merger idea is emerging within the GOP discussions, it is not at
>all clear that Democrats who support NEH would reject such a merger -- It
>is fair to say that probably most of the legislators of both parties are
>tired of the NEA issue and would be happy to park it somewhere off the
>front burner.
>
>MESSAGE:  Please vote for full funding for NEH and NEA and, if it is
>offered, reject proposals to merge the agencies.
>
>All House of Representatives offices can be reached by telephoning the
>U.S.Capitol Switchboard at 202/224-3141.
>
>For your information, I attach a list of "swing voters" on the NEA issue.
>Those offices could especially use numerous calls expressing opposition
>to merging the agencies:
>
>
>ALABAMA
>
>Bud Cramer, Jr. (D-5th)       225-4801
>
>ARKANSAS
>
>Marion Berry (D-1st)          225-4076
>
>ARIZONA
>
>Jim Kolbe (R-5th)             225-2542
>
>CALIFORNIA
>
>Frank Riggs (R-1st)           225-3311
>Tom Campbell (R-15th)         225-2631
>James Rogan (R-27th)          225-4176
>Jerry Lewis (R-40th)          225-5861
>
>COLORADO
>
>Scott McInnis (R-3rd)         225-4761
>
>FLORIDA
>
>Tillie Fowler (R-4th)         225-2501
>CW (Bill) Young (R-10th)      225-5961
>Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-18th)  225-3931
>Robert Wexler (D-19th)        225-3001
>
>IOWA
>
>Greg Ganske (R-4th)           225-4426
>
>IDAHO
>
>Michael Crapo (R-2nd)         225-5531
>
>ILLINOIS
>
>John Porter (R-10th)          225-4835
>Harris Fawell (R-13th)        225-3515
>Thomas Ewing (R-15th)         225-2371
>Ray LaHood (R-18th)           225-6201
>
>KANSAS
>
>Jerry Moran (R-1st)           225-2715
>
>KENTUCKY
>
>Edward Whitfield (R-1st)     225-3115
>Anne Northrup (R-3rd)        225-5401
>Harold Rogers (R-5th)        225-4601
>
>LOUISIANA
>
>Bob Livingston (R-1st)       225-3015
>Chris John (D-7th)           225-2031
>
>MICHIGAN
>
>Vernon Ehlers (R-3rd)        225-3831
>Dave Camp (R-4th)            225-3561
>James Barcia (D-5th)         225-8171
>Frederick Upton (R-6th)      225-3761
>Joseph Knollenberg (R-11th)  225-5802
>
>MISSOURI
>
>Jo Ann Emerson (R-8th)       225-4404
>
>NORTH CAROLINA
>
>Mike McIntyre (D-7th)        225-2731
>Cass Ballenger (R-10th)      225-2576
>
>NEW HAMPSHIRE
>
>John Sununu (R-1st)          225-5456
>Charles Bass (R-2nd)         225-5206
>
>NEW JERSEY
>
>Jim Saxton (R-3rd)           225-4765
>Mike Pappas (R-12th)         225-5801
>
>NEVADA
>
>John Ensign (R-1st)          225-5965
>John Gibbons (R-2nd)         225-6155
>
>NEW YORK
>
>Susan Molinari (R-13th)      225-3371
>
>OHIO
>
>Rob Portman (R-2nd)          225-3164
>David Hobson (R-7th)         225-4324
>Ralph Regula (R-16th)        225-3876
>James Traficant (D-17th)     225-5261
>Steven LaTourette (R-19th)   225-5731
>
>PENNSYLVANIA
>
>Tim Holden (D-6th)           225-5546
>Curt Weldon (R-7th)          225-2011
>Joseph McDade (R-10th)       225-3731
>Phil English (R-21st)        225-5406
>
>SOUTH DAKOTA
>
>John Thune (R-At large)      225-2801
>
>TENNESSEE
>
>Bob Clement (D-5th)          225-4311
>Bart Gordon (D-6th)          225-4231
>John Tanner (D-8th)          225-4714
>
>TEXAS
>
>Max Sandlin (D-1st)          225-3035
>Pete Sessions (R-5th)        225-2231
>Kay Granger (R-12th)         225-5071
>Silvestre Reyes (D-16th)     225-4831
>Charles Stenholm (D-17th)    225-6605
>
>VIRGINIA
>
>Herbert Bateman (R-1st)      225-4261
>Virgil Goode (D-5th)         225-4711
>Frank Wolf (R-10th)          225-5136
>
>WASHINGTON
>
>Jennifer Dunn (R-8th)        225-7761

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