House and Senate Appropriations Letters Now Circulating (Senate Deadline Friday 3/26) - Ask Your Legislators to Sign On Today!

Representatives Paul Tonko (D-NY), David McKinley (R-WV), Chellie Pingree (D-ME) and Andy Barr (R-KY), and Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Susan Collins (R-ME) are now circulating letters in their respective chambers calling for robust FY 2022 funding for the Office of Museum Services (OMS) at the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The deadline for Senators to join this letter is end-of-day Friday, March 26. The deadline for Representatives to sign is Friday, April 16. See the list of current signers below to determine whether your Senators or Representative has signed on. If so, be sure to thank them.

If not, take a couple of minutes to use our template and ask your Representative and Senators to sign on today. These letters are a key measure of legislators' support for federal funding for museums, and they are especially important now to build on our momentum from Museums Advocacy Day. If you contacted your legislators already but have yet to hear back, please send another round of letters. Securing these signatures sometimes takes several touches, and reaching out again can help make sure your voice is heard.

Please contact your Representative and Senators today!

SBA to Begin Accepting Shuttered Venue Operators Grant Applications April 8

On March 19, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) launched a splash page for the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) application portal in preparation for opening applications for the much-anticipated critical economic relief program on Thursday, April 8, 2021.

Prior to the official SVOG application opening, the SBA will host a national informational webinar to highlight the application process for potential eligible entities from 2:30 to 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 30, 2021. Those interested in participating can register here. You can find Frequently Asked Questions about SVOG, a preliminary application checklist, and other information on the SBA's SVOG site.

Last week the House passed legislation (H.R. 1799), advocated for by the Alliance, extending the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) application deadline to May 31 (from March 31). The Senate is expected to pass the extension this week with President Biden expected to sign it into law shortly thereafter. Nonprofits, including eligible museums, may apply for the PPP prior to applying for an SVO as they await the application. The SBA would then reduce any SVO grant award by the PPP amount received. (See March 12 Alliance Advocacy Alert.)

Current FY 2022 Senate Office of Museum Services Signers (alphabetical by state):

Letter sponsors indicated in bold. Use our Legislator Directory to identify your legislators.

• Diane Feinstein (D-CA)
• Alex Padilla (D-CA)
• Chris Murphy (D-CT)
• Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI)
• Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)
• Richard J. Durbin (D-IL)
• Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
• Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)
• Susan M. Collins (R-ME)
• Angus S. King, Jr. (I-ME)
• Gary C. Peters (D-MI)
• Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
• Tina Smith (D-MN)
• John Tester (D-MT)
• Margaret Wood Hassan (D-NH)
• Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)
• Cory A. Booker (D-NJ)
• Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV)
• Jacky Rosen (D-NV)
• Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
• Jeff Merkley (D-OR)
• Ron Wyden (D-OR)
• Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
• Tim Kaine (D-VA)
• Maria Cantwell (D-WA)

Current FY 2022 House Office of Museum Services Signers (alphabetical by state):

Letter sponsors indicated in bold. Use our Legislator Directory to identify your legislators.

• Don Young (R-AK-01)
• Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-07)
• Julia Brownley (D-CA-26)
• Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24)
• Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA-11)
• John Garamendi (D-CA-03)
• Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-20)
• Jackie Speier (D-CA-14)
• Eric Swalwell (D-CA-15)
• Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC)
• Kathy Castor (D-FL-14)
• Sanford D. Bishop (D-GA-02)
• Lucy McBath (D-GA-06)
• Michael F. Q. San Nicolas (D-Guam)
• Kaiali'i Kahele (D-HI-02)
• Sean Casten (D-IL-06)
• Danny K. Davis (D-IL-07)
• Rodney Davis (R-IL-13)
• Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09)
• Andy Barr (R-KY-06)
• Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA-08)
• Seth Moulton (D-MA-06)
• Richard E. Neal (D-MA-01)
• Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-07)
• Jamie Raskin (D-MD-08)
• Jared Golden (D-ME-02)
• Chellie Pingree (D-ME-01)
• Haley Stevens (D-MI-11)
• Billy Long (R-MO-07)
• Deborah Ross (D-NC-02)
• Chris Pappas (D-NH-01)
• Donald M. Payne, JR (D-NJ-10)
• Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ-02)
• Dina Titus (D-NV-01)
• Antonio Delgado (D-NY-19)
• Joseph Morelle (D-NY-25)
• Elise Stefanik (R-NY-21)
• Paul Tonko (D-NY-20)
• Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-01)
• Madeleine Dean (D-PA-4)
• Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA-05)
• Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon (R-PR-AL)
• David N. Cicilline (D-RI-01)
• Steve Cohen (D-TN-09)
• Jim Cooper (D-TN-05)
• Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX-15)
• Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX-18)
• Marc Veasey (D-TX-33)
• Filemon Vela (D-TX-34)
• Peter Welch (D-VT-01)
• Suzan K. DelBene (D-WA-01)
• Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07)
• Gwen S. Moore (D-WI-04)
• David McKinley (R-WV-01)

Thank you for your continued advocacy for museums. Visit www.aam-us.org/advocacy to access all of AAM's advocacy resources.