Louisiana Citizens for the Arts, formerly the Louisiana Partnership for Arts Advocacy, is urging citizens who support arts programs to contact state legislators about planned draconian cuts to the Louisiana Decentralized Arts Funding (DAF) and Statewide Arts Grant (SAG) programs.
The organization is requesting that the Legislature restore both grant programs to their 2009 funding levels by adding $1 million to each program.
As things stand now, the funding levels for these two programs will be reduced by 60 percent from 2009 levels, if a proposed budget passes. The proposal leaves only $1 million for the DAF and another $959,000 for the SAG program.
Consequently, the Louisiana Citizens group is asking arts program supporters to contact members of the Senate Finance Committee twice over the next couple of days. The first occasion is today (Friday, May 18), when Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne testifies before the committee. Public testimony to the committee will follow, on Saturday morning.
To contact legislators, you may go the the Louisiana Citizens for the Arts website and take the following steps:
- Under the Take Action box, click to write your legislators. You will then be taken to an “ALERT” page.
- Under “Louisiana,” click “Take Action.” An action alert will be at the top of the page. Upon scrolling down the page, you should see “MESSAGE” to the members of the Senate Finance Committee.
- Scroll down to see “Sender Information,” and enter information requested, if you have never sent a message through the CapWiz platform. Once this is done, all you need to do hit “send message” and your work will be done.
Image: The Louisiana State Capitol.