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MSAC BUDGET CUTS IMPACT - TAKE ACTION

MARYLAND CITIZENS FOR THE ARTS ADVOCATES TO ELIMINATE BRFA CUTS
AND MAINTAIN FULL FUNDING FOR THE FY2010 MSAC BUDGET

Still recovering from a 14% cut to the FY2009 budget in October, the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) received a further blow when the FY2010 budget figures and accompanying bills were introduced. The MSAC budget could be reduced by 36% in FY2010 if the proposed cut through the Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act (also known as BRFA) is passed. In response, Maryland Citizens for the Arts has launched a vigorous campaign to convince legislators to reject the BRFA cuts and maintain full funding for the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) budget provided in the Annual Budget Bill.

For FY2010, the Maryland State Arts Council budget was set at $16.6 million, due to mandated increases. However, a $6 million contingent reduction- from $16.6 to $10.6 million- is proposed through the Budget Reconciliation and Financing Act (also known as BRFA). This would be the largest cut ever made to the MSAC budget- a 36% reduction. The BRFA also contains restrictive language freezing the budget at pre-set levels for FY2011, 2012, and 2013, virtually guaranteeing that recovery for arts organizations would be hampered for years. This disproportionately large cut, coming at a time when all other revenue sources for arts organizations have taken a significant hit because of the recession, has the potential to cripple or shut down arts institutions in every part of the state.

The Maryland State Arts Council General Operating Support Grants, which often represent the largest single recurring source of annual support for arts organizations, have dropped from 8.1% to 7.1% in FY2009 due to the October cut of $2.3 million. If the MSAC budget is reduced by $6 million in FY2010, the maximum percent level will drop to 5%, the lowest grant since 1993.

The Arts Funding Stabilization Law was enacted in 1994 precisely to avoid deep reductions to the arts in times of economic recession. Recognizing that the arts are particularly vulnerable in these times, this law seeks to provide stable state support. If the BRFA language is adopted, arts organizations will be subject again to severe swings in state funding that hamper our ability to provide service to our communities, particularly when that service is desperately needed.

Maryland Citizens for the Arts (MCA) wants legislators to reject the $6 million cut to the Maryland State Arts Council Budget in the BRFA and eliminate the pre-set budget levels for FY 2011, 2012, and 2013. Furthermore, we are advocating to maintain the full funding level ($16.6 million) in the FY2010 Annual Budget Bill.

NEW ADDITIONS! SEND A CUSTOM EMAIL MESSAGE OR THE MCA MONA LISA ADVOCACY POSTCARD
TO THE SENATOR OR DELEGATE OF YOUR CHOICE.

Be sure to include your name and return address when sending an email to state legislators.

SEND A POSTCARD

Click here to copy the Front and Back of the Mona Lisa advocacy postcard onto your own cardstock for mailing.

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