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Advocacy
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News & Alerts
OPERA America represents the interests of the opera community before Congress, the White House and federal agencies. As a founding member of the Performing Arts Alliance, OPERA America works with the performing arts field to advocate for the development of national policies that recognize and strengthen the contributions that the arts make to America.
For more information on OPERA America’s advocacy activities, please contact OPERA America’s Government Affairs Office at 202-375-7523.
Latest Headlines
Monday, March 08, 2010
Honorable Joseph P. Riley, Jr. to Speak at Arts Advocacy Day
As part of the Arts Advocacy Day activities in April, the Honorable Joseph P. Riley, Jr. will be giving the Nancy Hanks Lecture at the Kennedy Center. Held on Monday, April 12, Riley is the mayor of Charleston, South Carolina and is considered a leader in the field of urban design. In 2009, he received the National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama and is the founder of the Mayor’s Institute on City Design. The Nancy Hanks Lecture is free and seating is limited.
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Monday, March 08, 2010
Art patrons fear loss of funding
A hawk, an opera singer and arts advocates filled the Legislative Office Building's Van Buren Hearing Room on Feb. 23, asking members of the Legislature to continue supporting state arts grants to the tune of $41.6 million.
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Thursday, February 25, 2010
Arts Advocacy Day in Washington DC, April 12 & 13
OPERA America is a proud co-sponsor of National Arts Advocacy Day. Held in Washington DC every spring, hundreds of arts advocates from countless disciplines participate in legislative workshops, advocacy training and conduct legislative visits on Capitol Hill.
If you are interested in attending Arts Advocacy Day, please contact OPERA America's Government Affairs Director, Amy Fitterer, at afitterer@operaamerica.org.
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Thursday, February 25, 2010
President's FY 2011 Budget Proposes $161.3 million for NEA
The President’s budget proposes $161.3 million for the NEA, a $6 million decrease from the $167.5 million passed by Congress for FY10. In addition to the decrease, the NEA says that $5 million will be allocated toward Chairman Landesman’s new initiative, "Our Town."
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Friday, February 05, 2010
Nonprofits Make the List of Top Problems for the IRS—But Barely!
Each year, the national taxpayer advocate submits an annual report to Congress listing the most serious problems encountered by taxpayers. This year's report, released December 31, 2009, and available on the IRS Web site, identifies, analyzes, and offers recommendations for resolving 21 problems, and only 1—listed as #20 out of the total of 21—is related to tax-exempt entities.
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Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Proposed Cap on Itemized Deductions Returns
President Obama renewed his proposal to limit the value of charitable deductions for wealthy taxpapers in the fiscal 2011 budget plan... The proposal would limit to 28 percent the tax break couples earning $250,000 (or individuals earning $200,000) could get for their itemized deductions, including gifts to charity.
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Tuesday, January 26, 2010
FCC Adopts Rule to Clear Wireless Microphones From 700 MHz Band
On January 15, the FCC adopted rules to clear the 700 MHz band of all wireless microphones and associated equipment. All wireless audio devices must cease operation in the 700 MHz band no later than June 12, 2010. If your organization owns wireless audio equipement contact your equipment manufacturer immediately. Visit the FCC website dedicated to wireless microphones for important information: www.fcc.gov/cgb/wirelessmicrophones
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Friday, January 08, 2010
IRS Updates, January 2010: Return Due Dates & Governance Check Sheet
The IRS has published tables of the due dates for Form 990 and other returns nonprofits must file, released the governance check sheet that agents will use in exempt organization examinations, and announced the schedule for its spring workshops for 501(c)(3) organizations.
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Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Tax Extender Package Introduced
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D-NY) introduced December 7 the Tax Extenders Act of 2009 (H.R.4213), which includes the IRA Charitable Rollover Provision. The bill is expected to go to the House floor December 9. The package would extend for one year the IRA charitable rollover, which allows individuals age 70½ and older to donate up to $100,000 from their IRAs tax-free.
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Tuesday, December 08, 2009
New Congressional Research Report on Nonprofits
The Congressional Research Service released a report in late November 2009 that provides a detailed overview of the size and scope of the nonprofit sector; the financing of charities and their revenue structures; and the charitable sector's relationship with government, attempting to assess the cost of the nonprofit sector to the federal and state and local governments. The report, which was prepared at the request of Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN), also analyzes a number of policy proposals that could address issues raised in the report. http://independentsector.org/programs/gr/CRS_nonprofit_nov2009.pdf
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Tuesday, December 08, 2009
President Nominates Ann Stock of the Kennedy Center to the State Department
President Obama announced Friday December 4 his intent to nominate Ann Stock as the Assistant Secretary at the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Department of State. If approved by the Senate, this could bode well for the Cultural Programs Division at State. Ann Stock is currently the Vice President of Institutional Affairs at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. From 1993-1997, Ms. Stock was Deputy Assistant to former President Clinton and the Social Secretary at The White House. Ms. Stock was also Deputy Press Secretary to Vice President Walter F. Mondale during the 1980 Presidential election campaign.
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Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Coming Up Taller Awards, Nominations Due January 29, 2010
The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH) is inviting nominations for the 2010 Coming Up Taller Awards. In partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the Coming Up Taller Awards recognize the accomplishments of exceptional arts and humanities after-school and out-of-school programs. Coming Up Taller finalists receive a $10,000 award, an award plaque, and an invitation to attend the Coming Up Taller Leadership Enhancement Conference in Washington, DC. In addition, the Coming Up Taller awards ceremony is traditionally held in the Fall at the White House, with the awards bestowed by the President’s Committee’s Honorary Chairman, First Lady Michelle Obama.
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Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Estate Tax Passes House
On December 3, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 4154, the Permanent Estate Tax Relief for Families, Farmers, and Small Businesses Act. The legislation would permanently extend the estate tax at 2009 levels ($3.5 million, individual exemption). If not passed by the Senate, the Estate Tax will expire at the end of this year.
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Tuesday, December 08, 2009
President Obama, "Art Strengthens America"
"In times of war and sacrifice, the arts -- and these artists —- remind us to sing and to laugh and to live. In times of plenty, they challenge our conscience and implore us to remember the least among us. In moments of division or doubt, they compel us to see the common values that we share; the ideals to which we aspire, even if we sometimes fall short. In days of hardship, they renew our hope that brighter days are still ahead. So let's never forget that art strengthens America. And that's why we're making sure that America strengthens its arts. It's why we're reenergizing the National Endowment of the Arts. That's why we're helping to sustain jobs in arts communities across the country. It's why we're supporting arts education in our schools, and why Michelle and I have hosted students here at the White House to experience the best of American poetry and music."
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Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Education Secretary Speaks Out for Arts Education
As reported by the AP: “At a dinner during last weekend's Kennedy Center Honors, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said improving arts education will be a key element of his proposed changes in former President George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind law. He said parents, teachers and students all have noticed a "narrowing of the curriculum."
"I'm convinced when students are engaged in the arts, graduation rates go up, dropout rates go down," Duncan said
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Friday, December 04, 2009
Year-End IRA Gifts Are Still Possible
On December 31, 2009, an easy-to-get gift expires, so you've got two to three weeks to encourage your donors who are 71 and over to donate to you through their Individual Retirement Accounts, or IRAs.
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Wednesday, November 11, 2009
NEA Announces New Director of State and Regional Partnerships
The NEA announced on November 5 that Laura A. Scanlan will be stepping into the position of Director of State and Regional Partnerships at the NEA. Ms. Scanlan is the former executive director of the Delaware Division of the Arts and is a principal with the consulting firm Creative Cultural Strategies.
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Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Resource on Tax Withholdings for Foreign Guest Artists
Any opera organization that engages and compensates foreign guest artists must withhold taxes from the artist’s income. This often can be a complicated and confusing process. For assistance, the IRS has a publication that includes brief summaries of the U.S. tax treaties with foreign countries. Click on the headline above to access the IRS publication.
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Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Social Innovation Fund
The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act established three new grant programs including the Social Innovation Fund (SIF). Most of the SIF funds will be awarded to existing intermediary grantmaking institutions through a competitive, peer-reviewed process. These grantmaking institutions will then award subgrants to community nonprofit organizations. Up to 10% of the SIF may go directly to the community nonprofits. Up to 5% of the SIF may be used for research and evaluation.
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Wednesday, November 11, 2009
IRS LAUNCHES FORM 990 VIDEO SERIES
The IRS has launched a new case study and video program to help tax-exempt organizations better understand the new Form 990 return that must be filed beginning with the 2008 tax year. The case study developed by the IRS Exempt Organizations Division focuses on a hypothetical organization and includes a set of facts describing organizational and financial aspects of the hypothetical group, and a completed Form 990 based on those facts. A video series walks practitioners through key reporting issues common to most organizations required to file Form 990.
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Wednesday, November 11, 2009
OPERA America Supports IRA Charitable Rollover
OPERA America signed onto a letter by Independent Sector urging Congress to take action and extend the IRA Charitable Rollover provision before it expires at the end of this year. The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 reinstated the IRA Charitable Rollover Provision through December 2009, allowing individuals age 70 ½ and older to make charitable gifts from their IRAs tax-free, up to a total of $100,000 per year. On March 2, Congressmen Earl Pomeroy (D-SD) and Wally Herger (R-CA) reintroduced the IRA Charitable Rollover Provision (H.R. 1250), which would make the provision permanent, lower the qualifying age to 50 ½ and older, and remove the $100,000 cap. In the Senate, a companion bill was reintroduced on April 22 (S. 864) by Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND).
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Monday, November 02, 2009
NEA receives $12.5 Million Increase
On Tuesday October 27, Congress released an Interior Conference Report with a $12.5 million increase to both the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. The NEA's 2010 fiscal year budget is now $167.5 million, the highest it has been since 1994.
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Monday, October 26, 2009
AT&T, Google Battle Over Web Rules
Google, the powerhouse of Silicon Valley, and AT&T, champion for the old-line phone industry, are marshaling political allies, lobbyists and—in AT&T's case—labor unions for a fight over proposed "net neutrality" rules that could affect tens of billions of dollars in investments needed to upgrade the U.S. broadband network, which lags in speed and affordability compared with some countries.
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Friday, October 09, 2009
Investing in Innovation, Fund Program at the U.S. Dept. of Education (DOE)
As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Department of Education has established the Investing in Innovation fund to support the efforts of local educational agencies(LEAs)and nonprofit organizations that have strong track records of improving student achievement. Secretary Arne Duncan has just released the priorities for this new fund, as can be seen in this link:
http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/proprule/2009-4/100909a.html. Further, in the DOE’s current issue of its newsletter, The Innovator, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Innovation and Improvement Jim Shelton noted, “I also see us looking to our arts and financial-literary programs for opportunities to push the envelope and really craft solutions that drive a different level of academic achievement and school performance.” Final applications for the Investing in Innovation fund will be released early next year and proposals will be due in spring 2010.
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