ADVOCACY ALERT: Weigh In TODAY to Secure Funding for Arts/Culture/Heritage in HB 4124
Feb. 7, 2024
By: Peggy Moretti
The House Economic Development and Small Business Committee will be holding a public hearing for HB 4124 this Thursday (Feb. 8) at 1 pm. The AHC is joining Restore Oregon to enthusiastically support the passage of this bill. See below on how you can help us support this bill!
We need to show A LOT of overwhelming support for this bill. Part of that includes the House hearing a multitude of testimonies. You can make your voice heard. Click here to submit your letter.
So, what is HB 4124 and why is it important?
HB 4124 proposes $27.4 million in funding for two major categories:
1. $7.8 million for specific capital projects (many are investing in historic preservation).
2. Resiliency funding for Oregon arts/culture/heritage organizations with $13.4 million in grants to organizations and $5.9 million to direct funding to anchor cultural institutions.
The text of HB 4124, as introduced, can be found here.
As qualified cultural nonprofits, both the AHC and Restore Oregon, will be eligible for grant funding that supports the preservation work of our organizations at the local and state level.
It’s Easy to Take Action!
Please take five minutes to submit a letter of support as official testimony.
Follow these steps:
Enter your first name, last name, email address, and city of residence
For “Position on the Measure,” click the arrow in the box for the drop down menu
Select “SUPPORT”
Select “Text Testimony” to open a text box where you can enter your brief testimony, or select “Upload a PDF” if your testimony is saved as a PDF
Select “SUBMIT”
Possible messages to send or weave into your written testimony message:
Simple and direct - I support HB 4124 and urge your support to pass this bill. Arts and culture organizations are important economic and cultural engines in our community.
More detailed support – If you are interested in writing more, there’s more information you can pull from the AHC’s testimony, found here, and from Restore Oregon’s testimony, found here.
Show your support! The system will be open for public testimony from Thursday, February 8th to Saturday, February 10th at 1 pm.
Finally, if your legislative representative is on this Committee, chaired by Rep. Janelle Bynum, please communicate with them as a constituent to let them know you support this bill! The representatives want to hear from their constituents first and foremost.
Show our elected leadership how much support there is for investing in Oregon’s cultural heritage.