Friday, March 29, 2019, State Budget Action Update
Email and/or call your legislators now through Tuesday, April 2, to help secure their support during their amendment processes in their respective House and Senate chambers next week to PROTECT and NOT REDUCE what is currently proposed in their respective budgets to fund the Florida Department of State (DOS) Division of Cultural Affairs (DCA) Matching Grants -- see greater details below:
Here is the
latest side-by-side for what is currently recommended for DOS DCA 2019-20 matching grants: see columns D for House & E for Senate.
IMPORTANT: Please
DO NOT ASK now in your emails and calls to your representative and senator for the REVISED ASKS listed in column F.
Please email and/or call (Tallahassee office) your legislators and, if you have time, those that represent your county's interests -- an Excel file for all your county legislators' contact information can be accessed here.
Politely and quickly SHARE and ASK for only ONE thing in your communications with legislators now and please act BEFORE April 3.
Edit to personalize the suggested message below and here are your county infographics:
I and others in (name your county)
appreciate the recommendations that are currently proposed in the
(name the Senate or House budget -- depends upon if you're communicating with a Senator or Representative) to partially fund some of the Florida Department of State (DOS) Division of Cultural Affairs (DCA) well-vetted, recommended 2019-20 matching-grants. I request your support during the amendment process to please PROTECT and DO NOT REDUCE what is currently recommended for these matching grants (budget line items 3201, 3200A, and 3207A).
Florida has gone from a national ranking of 10 to 48 in its annual appropriation investments in these DOS DCA matching grants. These matching grants are vital to leverage millions locally to sustain jobs and create greater access to arts, arts education, and cultural programs and services throughout Florida for more residents and tourists. There is also a $9 to $1 annual return to local and state government treasuries from these state investments made to these qualified, recommended nonprofit arts and culture DOS DCA grant applicants.
Thank you for your time and support of this request.
Your name and contact information
REPEAT REMINDER TO ADVOCATES: PLEASE do not ask to RESTORE or INCREASE DOS DCA grant appropriations in today's communication request. We'll begin the asks for the REVISED and RESTORED DOS DCA appropriation asks the week of April 8, but not now or next week. Thank you for your cooperation.
Both the Senate and House legislators will file their amendments before their respective deadlines on Tuesday, April 2. Once we have access to review the amendments, we'll check as quickly as we can to see if any of them recommend taking money from DOS DCA matching-grant line items to fund other projects or programs in their proposed chamber's State FY 2019-20 budget. FCA will notify you and other advocates if their legislators recommend such transfer of funds so advocates can directly follow up with those specific legislators. FCA is optimistic that no such amendments will be filed next week to reduce DOS DCA appropriation recommendations; HOWEVER, we don't want to take any chances. PLEASE follow through on this request to let our legislators know that we're engaged, paying attention, and appreciate their support and leadership.
Thank you for following through on this action request BEFORE April 3.
