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Resource Guide for the Utah Cultural Alliance
2007 General Legislative Session


Utah Cultural Alliance (UCA) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan statewide organization whose members include cultural organizations, supportive businesses, and individuals committed to cultural advocacy--artists, audiences, patrons, administrators and volunteers. UCA is managed by a volunteer board, and staffed by part-time administrative staff.

Contacts:
Legislative Coordinator: Jayceen Craven Walker  801-597-5018
Utah Cultural Alliance Administrator: Robin Pratt 801-718-9020                                      

UCA Values
Foster a sense of community through cultural activities.
Encourage appreciation of the variety of human experiences and expressions.
Promote a dynamic cultural environment, which incorporates the richness of the past, the vitality of the present and the opportunity of the future.
Nurture collaboration between cultural organizations, government, and business.
Advance grassroots involvement of cultural public policy. UCA Goals

  • Promote unity within the cultural community.
  • Expand public awareness, understanding and appreciation of culture.
  • Increase financial support from the public and private sectors.
  • Champion access to cultural activities for all residents and visitors to Utah.
  • Ensure that public policy for culture is inclusive and creates a balance between preservation and creativity.















ISSUES
DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY & CULTURE
PROFESSIONAL OUTREACH PROGRAMS IN SCHOOLS
UTAH HUMANITIES COUNCIL
UTAH STATE HISTORY
UTAH STATE LIBRARY

ARTS & CULTURAL COMMUNITY CONTACTS

RESOURCES

UTAH LEGISLATIVE ARTS AND CULTURAL CAUCUS MEMBERS



Dates to Remember:

Legislative Breakfast
Monday January 22nd - 7:30 - 10:00 a.m.                                  

UCA Legislative Forums
Monday, February 5
Monday, February 26
Monday, March 5 – Legislative Wrap-up

All the UCA forums are held in the new West Wing of the Utah Capitol Complex in Room W140 from noon until about 1:30 pm.

2007 Cultural Legislative Issues

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY & CULTURE (DCC)

Primary funding issues for 2007

  • $1.3m one-time and $500,000 ongoing for the Digitization Initiative (also called "Access to Resources and Collections"),
  • Funding for a research analyst for DCC administration,
  • $200,000 one-time for Creative Communities (a new initiative focusing on community building from Arts and Museums),
  • $750,000 ongoing each for the Olene Walker and Pamela Atkinson funds,
  • $1m one-time for the Pamela Atkinson fund, and
  • $200,000 one-time for Community Library development grants (which are so crucial to smaller, rural libraries).
PROFESSIONAL OUTREACH PROGRAMS IN SCHOOLS (POPS)

POPS (Professional Outreach Programs in the Schools) was bifurcated during the 2006 Utah Legislative Session. At that time the Science organizations became iSEE – “Informal Science Education Enhancement.” With the Enhancement funds granted to iSEE by the 2006 legislature in the amount of $50,000 per organization ($200,000 total) they were able to provide science experiences to every elementary school in the state. We are very proud of their accomplishment.

For 2007, POPS (Ballet West, Children’s Dance Theatre, Repertory Dance Theatre, Ririe Woodbury Dance Company; Utah Shakespearean Festival, Springville Museum of Art, Utah Festival Opera, Utah Opera, and the Utah Symphony) requests similar enhancement funds, $50,000 per organization, or $450,000, be granted in this session.

UTAH HUMANITIES COUNCIL (not a State agency)

Priorities for the 2007 legislative session:
    1. An additional allocation of $35,000 for a total ongoing appropriation of $100,000/year

    • increasing UHC’s fund for small grants to nonprofit organizations all over the state for locally initiated projects, matching federal and private funds while reducing reporting requirements for small grants;
    • supporting Motheread/Fatheread, a family literacy program that builds pre-school learning and reading readiness, working with existing educational programs;
    • expanding access to Utah’s Public Square, a speakers bureau of experts who bring humanities perspectives to public discussion of important contemporary issues
    • enhanced website of resources for teachers of history, literature, philosophy, archaeology, and art history

    2. Intent language for UHC’s funding UHC’s appropriation currently passes through the Utah Arts Council’s grants budget, though UHC is not really a UAC grantee–it is an independent agency that works collaboratively with all of the state’s cultural agencies. Intent language would clarify that UHC’s appropriation is not part of the arts council’s discretionary funds.

UTAH STATE HISTORY

Funding Proposal - Regional Repository Training and Development
The Utah State Historical Records Advisory Board (USHRAB) has the responsibility to assure and coordinate the preservation of Utah’s historical records for both governmental and private historical records. Board members have identified a great need to identify and preserve historical records that are in danger of being lost and unavailable to the public.
  • Requesting one-time funding of $200,000 with non-lapsing authority for three years.
  • $66,000 will be used annually to assist local communities in the identification and preservation of their historical records; $16,000 for regional training and preservation efforts and $50,000 as pass-through funds to assist local agencies.

UTAH STATE LIBRARY

2008 Budget Request
Total Budget Request $8,801,300
Administration Request $1,772,500
Blind $1,575,800
Library Development $1,072,800
Library Resources $4,380,200  

The Utah State Library is requesting $200,000 on-going funding for the Community Library Enhancement Program (CLEP) that provides Certified Utah Public Libraries funding according to a formula so that libraries can meet the needs of state residents.  Strong libraries are essential to life-long learning, economic development, and dynamic communities.  The dollars available through CLEP are used by certified public libraries to purchase information resources, computer technology, and to fund programming for patrons of all ages.  In FY 2007 the USL is beginning a new foundation for evaluating progress through the CLEP by placing emphasis on the impact that CLEP funds have on the ability of Utah libraries to respond to the needs of their patrons through balanced scorecard methodology.  

Other Contacts

Department of Community and Culture, 538-8700
Palmer DePaulis, Director
Allyson Isom, Deputy Director

Utah Arts Council, 236-7555
Margaret Hunt, Director

Utah Division of State History, 533-3515
Phil Notarianni, Director

Utah Division of Library Services, 715-6770
Donna Morris, Director

Utah Humanities Council, 359-9670
Cynthia Buckingham, Director

Utah Office of Museum Services, 533-3589
Dan Burke, Director

Utah Office of Tourism, 538-1370
Leigh von der Esch, Director

Utah Film Commission, 1-800-453-8824
Aaron Lee Syrett, Director

Utah Library Association, 435-615-5605
Linda Tillson, Legislative Committee Chair

Utah State Archives, 538-3188
Patricia Smith Mansfield, Director

Utah Tourism Industry Coalition, 435 425-3997
Nan Anderson, Executive Director

Resources

Utah House of Representatives: 801-538-1029
Utah Senate:  801-538-1035

Partners: Making the Case for State Investment in Culture. This guide to action seeks to illuminate diverse, innovative policy mechanisms that can be adapted by other states.  
http://www.culturalpolicy.org/state-cp/home.htm

State Net Capital Journal - http://www.statenet.com/

Utah Legislative Arts & Cultural Caucus - January 2007

 
Utah Cultural Alliance | P.O. Box 521613 | SLC, UT 84152-1613 |
Beth Branson Jones, Administrative Director |
801 718-9020 | staff@utahculturalalliance.org