If you love culture, history and preservation, we urge you to read this and act:
SAVE THE DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS
ACT NOW
Attend the Legislative Hearing: Monday, April 6, 8 a.m.
To Remove the Department of Cultural Affairs from the Governor’s Cabinet and
make it a function of the Secretary of State’s Office
Dear Supporters of the Department of Cultural Affairs:
During this year’s Legislative Session, the Secretary of State submitted a bill to remove the Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) from the Governor’s Cabinet and take over the four divisions of DCA as part of his many duties. The Bill is AB507 and proposes to:
· Eliminate the Department Director, a mission-directed, full-time advocate for culture in Nevada
· Eliminate the Department as an independent agency, dedicated to arts, culture, preservation, libraries and free access to government information
· Place the Department of Cultural Affairs in a politically elected office
We believe this is an imprudent move because:
· There is no current duplication of efforts between the Department of Cultural Affairs and the Secretary of State
· Cultural Affairs’ strong voice as an independent advocate for preservation, libraries, information management, arts and culture would be endangered
· The potential to jeopardize funding and advocacy for cultural programs could be created
· Creates questions about the ability to accept private donations during certain periods
· There is no clear precedent set by other states as a model to follow for this type of hybrid organization with all these types of divisions included
· The Department was created by a fundamental review of government and has been functioning without issue for more that 15 years which was reaffirmed in 2002
· No documented plan for fiscal saving has been identified
YOUR SUPPORT IS CRUCIAL
We ask for your support to insure that the Department of Cultural Affairs keeps a seat at the Cabinet Level. If you agree, please do one of the following:
Attend the ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS on Monday, April 6, 2009, 8 a.m. in Room 3137. Bills can be taken out of order.
If you can’t attend the hearing, please call or email members of the committee:
* Morse Arberry (Chair) - marberry@asm.state.nv.us, 775-684-8587
* Sheila Leslie (Vice Chair) - sleslie@asm.state.nv.us, 775-684-8845
* Barbara Buckley - bbuckley@asm.state.nv.us, 775-684-8537
* Marcus Conklin - mconklin@asm.state.nv.us, 775-684-8505
* Moises Denis - mdenis@asm.state.nv.us, 775-684-8583
* Joe Hogan - sanjoe@embarqmail.com, 775-684-8541
* Ellen Koivisto - ekoivisto@asm.state.nv.us, 775-684-8597
* Kathy McClain - kmcclain@asm.state.nv.us, 775-684-8835
* John Oceguera - joceguera@asm.state.nv.us, 775-684-8595
* Debbie Smith - dsmith@asm.state.nv.us, 775-684-8841
* Heidi Gansert - hgansert@asm.state.nv.us, 775-684-8837
* Tom Grady - tgrady@asm.state.nv.us, 775-684-8507
* Joseph P. (Joe) Hardy, M.D. - jhardy@asm.state.nv.us, 775-684-8857
* Pete Goicoechea - pgoicoechea@asm.state.nv.us, 775-684-8573
For more information about the activities of the Department of Cultural Affairs, please visit its website at www.NevadaCulture.org<http://www.NevadaCulture.org>
Thank you,
Friends of Libraries, Arts, Museums and Preservation efforts in Nevada