THE CREATIVE SECTOR’S LETTER TO THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE COMMITTEE

Written By Kelsey Rode

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(7/29/24) - The House and Senate recently voted on their Economic Development Bond Bills (Mass Leads Act) and each contains important cultural policy provisions:

  • Both House and Senate versions include $50 million for the Cultural Facilities Fund

  • The House Bill includes a Live Theater Tax Credit

  • The Senate Bill includes the Downtown Vitality Amendment

The House and Senate have since appointed a six-person Conference Committee to negotiate the differences between the bills and make a final recommendation. They have until the end of July to enact a final report.

On July 18th, the MASSCreative Action Network opened a sign-on letter to members of the creative sector to share unified support for these policies to the Conference Committee. Within one week, 513 individuals, cultural nonprofits, and creative businesses signed onto the letter urging the Conference Committee to include $50 million for the Cultural Facilities Fund, the Live Theater Tax Credit, and the Downtown Vitality Amendment in this session’s Economic Development Bond Bill.

You can read the letter that advocates sent to the Conference Committee using the link below.

 
 
Resources
A Guide To Hearing And Giving Testimony

An important part of the governing process is public hearings. These occur on all levels of government (Federal, State, and Local). Understanding the hearing process and how you can participate will make you a more effective advocate for a more equitable and inclusive creative sector.

INSIDE THE STATE BUDGETING PROCESS

Maintaining and increasing public investment in the creative community requires constant and broad grassroots activism throughout the annual budget process.

NonProfit Organizations & Advocacy

There is a lot of misinformation on what a nonprofit can and cannot do when it comes to advocating for its interests and the needs of the communities they serve. Check out our Nonprofits and Advocacy Resource on how your organization effectively and confidently advocate for a more equitable and inclusive creative sector of all residents in the Commonwealth.

6/19/20 - POLICY & ACTION UPDATE WEBINAR

In this webinar, we took time to honor Juneteenth and Pride Month, and talked about the status of arts education funding and voting protections.

6/12/20 - POLICY & ACTION UPDATE WEBINAR

In this webinar, we discussed mapping our roles in a social change ecosystem, talked about proposed legislation to address COVID-19 voting options, the 2020 Census, and reviewed federal and state supports for the creative sector.

6/5/20 - policy & action update webinars

In this webinar, we had a community conversation about mapping our social change roles during times of crisis.

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Kelsey Rode
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PAST ACTION: CONTACT YOUR STATE SENATOR ABOUT sector priorities in the economic development bill