Res 1393-2017

By Council Members Van Bramer, Levin, Dromm, Cohen, Koslowitz, Salamanca, Menchaca, Koo and Kallos Whereas, As president-elect, Donald Trump announced a plan to reduce federal spending by $10.5 trillion over ten years; and Whereas, President Donald Trump is now considering eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and privatizing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) in effort to reduce domestic spending; and Whereas, The NEA, established by Congress in 1965, is an independent federal agency dedicated to expanding equal access to the arts, promoting arts education, and affirming and celebrating America's rich and diverse cultural heritage; and Whereas, The NEA accomplishes this goal by grant making and local partnerships that support thousands of organizations, performances and activities in every congressional district; and Whereas, Forty percent of all NEA program funds are distributed through state arts agencies and, with millions in state appropriations, more than 23,000 grants in 5,000 communities across the United States (U.S.) were funded in 2017; and Whereas, Thirty-six percent of grants are awarded to organizations that reach underserved populations such as people with disabilities and veterans, 33% serve low-income audiences, and 40% of NEA-supported activities take place in high-poverty neighborhoods; and Whereas, The NEH, also established by Congress in 1965, is an independent federal agency dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation and public programs in the humanities through grant making and partnerships with 56 state and territory humanities councils to strengthen local programs; and Whereas, The NEH typically awards grants to cultural institutions, including museums, archives, libraries, institutions of higher education, public television and radio stations, and to individual scholars, for "scholarly and cultural activity in order to achieve a better understanding of the past, a better analysis of the present, and a better view of the future;" and Whereas, The NEH supports community lectures, book festivals, family literacy programs, town hall discussions and traveling exhibitions; the creation of museum and library exhibitions and the preservation of valuable heritage collections; and Whereas, The CPB, established by Congress in 1967, is a private, nonprofit corporation that acts as the steward of the federal government's investment in public broadcasting and the largest single source of funding for public radio and television, including National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), and related online and mobile services; and Whereas, The CPB's mission is "to ensure universal access to non-commercial, high-quality content and telecommunications services" and it does so by "[supporting] diverse programs and services that inform, education, enlighten and enrich the public;" and Whereas, The CPB distributes more than 70% of its funding to 580 grantees representing 1,489 locally-owned public radio and television stations; and Whereas, The CPB also funds technological innovations to make content more accessible on platforms beyond radio and television stations, such as NPR's mobile apps, which provide access to programming from hundreds of public radio stations across the country, and PBS LearningMedia, a resource that aggregates quality educational content aligned with common core state standards for educators; and Whereas, Each month, over 170 million Americans watch, listen to, or access online public media; and Whereas, Annually, 89% of U.S. households watch public television and 82% of American children ages 2 through 8 watch PBS stations; and Whereas, Together, the budgets for the NEA, the NEH and the CPB account for only $741 million, less than one-tenth of one percent of the $4 trillion that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects the federal government will spend in 2017; and Whereas, The Republican Study Committee's report, "A Balanced Budget for a Stronger America," recommends eliminating the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS); and Whereas, The IMLS, established by Congress in 1996, is an independent federal agency that provides support to further empower museums and libraries to support civic life; and Whereas, The IMLS is also responsible for conducting policy research, analysis and data collection to extend and improve museum, library and information services across the country as well as developing interagency collaborations to achieve national policy; and Whereas, The IMLS is the primary federal support for an estimated 35,000 museums of all disciplines, including aquariums, botanic gardens, children's museums, history, science and technology centers and zoos, and 123,000 libraries of all types, including academic, public, research and tribal; and Whereas, In 2016, the IMLS received appropriations totaling $230 million, which accounts for almost 0.006 percent of the $4 trillion that the CBO projects that the federal government will spend in 2017; and Whereas, New York City (NYC), home to a wealth of cultural amenities, including art galleries, museums and theaters, is an important center for film, dance, literature, music, opera, theater and the visual arts, making it the global cultural capital it is today; and Whereas, According to the Alliance for the Arts, arts-motivated visitors are one of the strongest factors in NYC's growing tourism market; and Whereas, According to a 2015 Center for an Urban Future (CUF) Report, NYC's creative industries have outpaced traditional indicators, such as finance, insurance and legal services, to become one of the fastest growing segments of its economy; and Whereas, The CUF also reports that of NYC's 20 largest industries, the creative sector comprises the largest share of the nation's total jobs, accounting for 8.6% of national jobs in 2013, up from 7.1% in 2003; and Whereas, Library services in NYC are provided three independent systems which collectively operate four research library centers in Manhattan and 217 local library branches across the five boroughs; and Whereas, NYC libraries are also multipurpose community and information centers, safe havens for children after school; and Whereas, According to the IMLS' website, in fiscal year 2016 three grants totaling $564,980 were awarded to NYC libraries, including the New York Public Library, which received $295,010 to "develop and deliver a blended learning early literacy staff training in partnership with the NYC Early Childhood Professional Development Institute at the City University of New York;" and Whereas, Museums, cultural institutions, libraries and public media are relevant and vital institutions that connect, education, engage and inform; they can bring history to life, they celebrate art, culture and heritage, and promote better understanding as well as encourage curiosity, dialogue and self-reflection, all of which are especially vital given the current contentious political climate; and Whereas, Elimination or diminishment of any of these agencies would seriously stymie creative expression, cultural diversity, enrichment and equity; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon President Donald Trump to fully fund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, and not to eliminate or diminish any of these agencies in any form. LS #10146 3/3/2017 CGR