Senate Stimulus Plan Offers Less Generous Benefits to Arts and Social-Service Groups

One casualty in the economic-stimulus spending plan that was approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday: new money for the National Endowment for the Arts.

The House version of the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009” (H.R. 1) proposes $50-million for the federal arts agency, so it can provide grants to struggling arts groups. The Senate version, S. 336, offers no money for the agency.

Americans for the Arts, an advocacy group, is pressing Congress to keep the $50- million appropriation, arguing that it would help cash-starved arts groups save more than 14,000 jobs.

“We have our champions in Congress and we will work with them and their staffs and with [Nancy Pelosi, the House Speaker],” says Liz Bartolomeo, a spokeswoman for the group. The group says every dollar of money from the National Endowment for the Arts generates an additional $7 in state, local, and private contributions.

Among other differences between the House bill and the version approved by the Senate committee:

• The House proposes adding $200-million to the Emergency Food and Shelter Program, which is governed by a board of social-services charities; the Senate proposes $100-million.

• The House proposes $100-million for the Compassion Capital Fund, which provides grants to religious and other charities to provide social services; the Senate included no money for the program.

The House is set to vote on its version of the bill later today.