Norman D. Dicks: “I appreciate the strong commitment of the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) to the National Endowment for the…”

“I appreciate the strong commitment of the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) to the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities. And I do remember, I served on this committee now for 22 years under the leadership of the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Yates) a time when we did have better funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Arts, and frankly, I think the need is out in the country, in Texas, in Washington State, in Ohio, in Illinois, in Oregon. Everywhere in the country there are needs for these resources. I hope, as we get back to a balanced Federal budget, which I think we will achieve at the end of this fiscal year, and as we go to the next Congress, hopefully those of us who return can continue to work to see if we cannot get a more reasonable level of funding. That is certainly my objective. We have had to deal with the realities of balanced budgets, and caps makes it difficult. But certainly, with the better future, with a balanced budget, I hope we can revisit this item, and I appreciate the leadership of the gentlewoman on these important issues.”