Nancy L. Johnson: “Government support of the arts has created access to the arts for millions of Americans and has provided tremendous…”

“Government support of the arts has created access to the arts for millions of Americans and has provided tremendous economic and educational benefits to our Nation. Just as the Department of Education embodies our belief that mastering a disciplined body of knowledge is essential to exercising freedom with responsibility, so the NEA embodies our national commitment to the arts and our recognition that creativity is absolutely essential to an entrepreneurial economy in a visionary democracy. It is no surprise that students who have 4 more years of art education have SAT scores that are significantly higher than those that do not. Further, arts moneys have been the most successful economic development program in our great cities. I rise at this time in support of the Ehlers amendment because it significantly restores funding for the arts while the underlying bill slashes funding 90 percent. It also recognizes that there is a need for a Federal role in funding the arts. The Ehlers amendment is therefore better than the underlying bill. However, it is dangerous to make significant changes in any Government agency without hearings and this amendment has some serious problems. It eliminates any significant Federal role in supporting unique museums, theaters, symphonies, and dance troops that are institutions of national significance and value.”