Advocacy Alert – January 6, 2023

In this Alliance Advocacy Alert:

• Register Today: Make Your Voice Heard at Museums Advocacy Day 2023, Feb. 27-28 in Washington, D.C.
• Good News for Museums: FY 2023 omnibus package includes increased funding for museums!
• National NAGPRA Seeks Comments: Share your museum’s NAGPRA work and funding needs by Jan. 17

Register Today: Make Your Voice Heard in Washington, D.C. at Museums Advocacy Day 2023, February 27-28

We look forward to gathering in person with museum advocates in Washington, D.C. for Museums Advocacy Day 2023 on February 27-28. With a new session of Congress getting underway, this will be a critical time to advocate for much-needed funding increases for the Office of Museum Services, continue to urge legislators to support policies that benefit museums, and build important relationships with new and returning members of the 118th Congress.

Museums Advocacy Day is a unique and powerful opportunity to get timely policy updates, expand your own advocacy skills, and join with fellow museum advocates to make the case for museums directly to Congress. Legislators do not know how their decisions affect museums, and the people who work for and with them, unless they hear directly from you–the museums and people they represent.

Register Today

Register by Jan. 20, and book your room in our hotel block at the Washington Plaza Hotel for the best rate. Members save on registration rates for Museums Advocacy Day and the AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo, toolkits, publications, and more. Join or renew today.

Learn more about What to Expect at Museums Advocacy Day 2023, Registration Rates, and the Schedule at a Glance.

Looking for ways to connect with Congress today? See our AAM Guide to Working with a New Congress.

Good News for Museums: FY 2023 omnibus package includes increased funding for museums!

Good news! Your advocacy efforts continue to get results. The IMLS Office of Museum Services (OMS) will get a $8 million increase to $55.5 million in the fiscal year (FY) 2023 Omnibus Appropriations bill signed into law last week – an impressive 15% increase in a package that contained an overall 5.5% increase in non-defense discretionary spending. The funding had been delayed since the fiscal year began on October 1, 2022. This is a historic increase and the first time museum programs have been funded over the $50 million level. IMLS overall will get an additional $5 million (a $1 million increase for Research, Analysis, and Data Collection; and $4 million increase for Program Administration for continuation and expansion of its Information Literacy Taskforce). OMS increases were in the following programs:

• $2.4 million increase for Museums for America up to $30.3 million;
• $1.2 million increase for National Leadership: Museums grants up to $9.3 million;
• $1.5 million increase for Native American/Hawaiian Museum Services up to $3.8 million;
• $769,000 increase for Museum Grants for African American History & Culture up to $6 million; and
• $2 million increase for Museum Grants for American Latino History & Culture up to $6 million.

The National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts will get $207 million each-an increase of $27 million each. Department of Education funding includes $20 million for American History and Civics National Activities grants.

The Omnibus also included $205 million for the Historic Preservation Fund, $32 million above the FY 2022 enacted level. Within this amount, the Omnibus includes $62 million for State and $23 million for Tribal Historic Preservation Offices, $26.5 million for Save America’s Treasures grants, $24 million for the African American Civil Rights Grants, $5 million for History of Equal Rights grants, $1.2 million for grants to underserved communities, $11 million for grants to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and $10 million for the National Park Service’s Semiquincentennial Preservation Grants.

The Omnibus also includes a version of Legacy IRA legislation, advocated for by AAM, that allows seniors to donate tax-free from their IRA accounts. The maximum allowed has been $100,000 since the IRA Rollover law was approved 15 years ago. The new bill indexes that amount to inflation, beginning in 2023.  It also allows a one-time-only gift of up to $50,000 to a “split interest” account, i.e., charitable remainder trust or annuity.

Thank you very much for your steadfast advocacy efforts in 2022. Your advocacy on behalf of museums and museum professionals makes a huge difference. We look forward to continuing advocating together this year, including at Museums Advocacy Day 2023!

National NAGPRA Program Requests Feedback from Museums on Proposed Regulations

The National Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) Program is seeking feedback from museums on specific issues in proposed regulations issued in October, including whether or not the proposal would achieve its stated goals and its impact on museums’ capacity and resources. We encourage interested museums to submit written comments for the Department’s consideration by the January 17 Federal Register deadline. Read the full proposed NAGPRA regulation revisions, including instructions for submitting written comments, and please share a copy of your written comments with AAM’s Government Relations team. In addition, National NAGPRA has scheduled a virtual Public Listening Session on Jan. 13, taking place at 4:00 PM Eastern. To register for this session and upcoming NAGPRA Review Committee meetings, please see NAGPRA Events.

Visit http://www.aam-us.org/advocacy to access all of AAM’s advocacy resources.