THANK REPS FOR SUPPORTING THE MASS CULTURAL COUNCIL
BOSTON (4/10/24) - Earlier today, the House Ways and Means Committee publicly announced their proposed spending plan for FY25 and included $25,895,000 for the Mass Cultural Council (line item 0640-0300). The House Ways and Means Budget proposes a 2% increase over Gov. Healey’s proposed $25.5 million in her H.2 Budget and represents a 3.58% increase over last year’s historic investment of $25 million in FY24.
In March, the Mass Cultural Council testified to the Joint Committees on Ways and Means sharing their support of Gov. Healey’s H.2 spending plan for the agency. In their testimony, they urged House and Senate members to also adopt $25.5 million in FY25. MASSCreative has joined the Mass Cultural Council in urging the Legislature to adopt $25.5 million for their grants and operating budget in FY25.
This additional increase from the House is worth celebrating - especially at a time when state revenue collections are below projections, legislators are warning of a lean FY25 Budget, and the Healey-Driscoll Administration is instituting hiring controls.
ADVOCACY WORKS
Unified and consistent advocacy - from individual artists to our friends at the Mass Cultural Council - make it possible for us to celebrate increased public investments for the creative sector, even during a challenging revenue period.
But this isn’t a done deal! The House will begin their budget debates on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 and there are steps we need to take to thank legislators for supporting creativity now and in the future.
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Call or email your state representative and let them know that you appreciate the House’s proposed increase for the Mass Cultural Council in FY25.
Need to look up your state representative? You can look them up here.
If you’re calling your state representative, you can use this outline:
Hi, Rep. XX. My name is [NAME] and I am a constituent in your district. I live at [ADDRESS].
I am calling today to say thank you for your role in supporting the creative community. Thank you to House Ways and Means for including $25.9 million for the Mass Cultural Council in the FY25 Budget.
Share with them what the budget increase means to you.
Share a sentence about your relationship to the creative sector.
Share a sentence about the role that arts and culture plays in your community.
Thank them for their time. Repeat your name, include your phone number, and email address if you want them to respond by email.
If you’re emailing your state representative, you can use this outline:
Subject Line: Thank you for supporting creativity in FY25
Email:
Dear Rep. XX,
Include a greeting
State your address and that you are a constituent.
State why you are contacting them:
Thank you to House Ways and Means for proposing $25.9 million for the Mass Cultural Council in FY25.
Thank your state representative for their role in advocating for the Mass Cultural Council with House leadership.
Share a sentence about your relationship to the creative sector.
Share a sentence about the role that arts and culture plays in your community.
Thank them for their time and support for creativity.
In your signature, include your name, address, and phone number (optional).
Remember: your elected officials want to hear directly from you, in your own words. Make sure to personalize your message!
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Amplify MASSCreative’s social media posts about the House Budget and tag your state representative thanking them for supporting a creative Massachusetts! Let your followers, staff, and board members know how our advocacy is producing results for the sector.
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Remember that the House still has to vote on their budget and that process doesn’t start until April 24th. Keep up with MASSCreative’s emails for ways to advocate through the House Budget and the Senate Budget in May.
We’ll talk about all of this during our April Policy & Advocacy Webinar on Friday, April 12th at 9:30 AM. Register today to attend the webinar and receive full updates.
