Recent Policy Updates

Get Involved

You can lend your voice to our collective advocacy efforts by getting involved as an advocate in your community.

Vote for the Arts

Local, state, and national elections are consequential for the vibrancy of the opera community and the arts sector. When you fulfill your civic responsibility each year, vote for candidates who support the arts. Visit the U.S. Election Assistance Commission or Vote.org to check your registration, register to vote, and learn about your voting options.

Contact Your Elected Officials

Your elected officials at all levels of government and their staff need to hear from you about your support of opera. By regularly writing letters, making phone calls, sending emails, and engaging them on social media, you can make sure the arts and the policies that affect the sector remain among their priorities.

Take action on current action alerts:

• Urge Congress to Increase Federal Incentives for Charitable Giving
• Increased federal support for the arts and cultural sector – FY2023 Appropriations
• Reinstate the ERTC Program

Sign Up for Action Alerts

Meet Your Elected Officials

Taking the time to forge relationships with your elected officials and their staff pays dividends in securing their support. In a meeting, you can share personal stories about the impact of the arts and advocate for specific policies that affect opera in your community.

OPERA America can help you schedule a meeting with your congresspeople, provide you with talking points, and accompany you to your meetings in a supportive role. 

Find Your Elected Officials   

For assistance, contact us at Advocacy@operaamerica.org or 646.699.5238.

Key Policy Issues

Below is a list of key policy issues of interest to the opera community and the overall arts and cultural sector. These policy issues can be addressed in various ways, including via legislation and/or regulation. Please utilize these issue briefs in your engagement with your elected and regulatory officials at all levels of government.

• National Endowment for the Arts (NEA): Promoting Creativity and Public Access to the Arts 
• Charitable Giving Policy: Encouraging Charitable Giving and Supporting Public Access to the Arts 
• Tax Fairness for Artists and Writers: Strengthening the Creative Sector and Providing Public Access to America’s Artistic Heritage 
• Improving the Visa Process for Foreign Guest Artists
• Cultural Exchanges Through the U.S. Department of State: Strengthening Ties Between the United States and the World
• Equitable Access to Elementary and Secondary Arts Education: Helping Children Achieve in School, Work, and Life
• Boosting the Creative Economy: Supporting Artists, Entrepreneurs, and Small Business
• Protecting Wireless Technology for the Arts at the Federal Communications Commission 

Additional Policy Issues

• Fair Compensation for Music Creators: Supporting All Artists’ Right to Earn Fair Compensation on Terrestrial Radio
• Institute of Museum and Library Services: Office of Museum Services Funding
• Corporation for Public Broadcasting: Supporting Public Broadcasting as Part of Our National Arts Infrastructure
• Strengthening the Arts in Higher Education: Putting Students on a Path for an Affordable Future
• Arts and Health: Improving Health Through the Arts
• The Arts and Juvenile Justice
• Arts and the Military: Improving the Health of Active Military and Veterans Through the Arts 
• Arts in Infrastructure: Supporting Arts in Public Transit, Infrastructure, and Digital Equity Projects
• Net Neutrality: Preserving an Open Internet