July 28, 2010 - Members of the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee met July 22 to markup the FY 2011 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies spending bill. The Subcommittee approved funding of $170 million for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), an increase of $2.5 million over the current year (FY 2010), and $9 million above the level requested by the Obama Administration for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2010 (FY 2011). Total funding in the bill is frozen at the FY 2010 level ($32.2 billion), and is $133 million below the Administration's request.
Line-item detail for NEH and other programs in the bill is not expected to be available until the full House Appropriations Committee meets to review the measure. No date has yet been set for a Full Committee markup, and with the summer district work period less than two weeks away, it will take a big push to clear spending measures on the floor before August recess. On the Senate side, Appropriators have started marking up several key spending bills, but have not yet taken up Interior.
In a written statement prepared for the July 22 hearing, Subcommittee Chairman Jim Moran (D/VA) called specific attention to NEH and several other cultural programs in Interior: "I want to mention the investments we propose for the cultural agencies supported by this bill. These increases recognize the value we place, as a Nation, on our artistic and cultural heritage." The Subcommittee approved $170 million for the National Endowment for the Arts (a $2.5 million increase over FY 2010), $797.6 million for the Smithsonian Institution (an increase of $36 million above FY 2010), and $2.8 billion for the National Park Service (an increase of $21 million over FY 2010). The bill also restores several related 'Congressional Priorities' reduced or eliminated in the President's budget, including Save America’s Treasures, Heritage Area Partnerships, and Preserve America. The Woodrow Wilson Center, National Gallery of Art, National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs program, and the Presidio Trust also received boosts over the Administration's request.
The House Appropriations Committee approved 302(b) allocations on July 20, a move that usually happens earlier in the process. These allocations set overall spending limits for each of the twelve fiscal year 2011 spending bills. The 302(b) allocations approved by the House Committee conform to the Budget Enforcement Resolution that the House adopted on July 1, 2010, which calls for a $14.5 billion reduction to the President’s discretionary request. To meet that reduction, all but two appropriations bills – Military Construction/VA and Homeland Security – are cut below the budget request.
Summary tables for the House Interior Subcommittee mark and 302(b) allocations are available on the House web site.
