Dear Speaker DeLeo, Senate President Rosenberg, Chairman Sanchez, and Chairwoman Spilka:

We respectfully request your support for a veto override to restore funding in the Fiscal Year 2018 budget for the Massachusetts Cultural Council.  Specifically, we ask that the House and the Senate override Governor Baker’s veto that reduced line item 0640-0300 by $1,876,000.

With restoring the funding approved by the Legislature, the Mass Cultural Council draft budget for fiscal year 2018 would allow the agency to continue its programs that help revitalize our downtowns, make art more accessible to everyone, young and old, and build stronger communities. If Governor Baker’s veto stands, the Massachusetts Cultural Council will be forced to slash grants and possibly eliminate programs.

Mass Cultural Council puts creativity to work for the citizens of Massachusetts and makes thousands of grants directly to nonprofit cultural organizations, schools, communities, and artists, through funding programs that use arts, sciences, and humanities to build strong, diverse, livable communities. The beneficiaries of these programs comprise a cross-section of the population and citizens in Massachusetts cities and towns.

Mass Cultural Council supports nearly 400 nonprofit arts, humanities, and science organizations through its Cultural Investment Portfolio. These organizations have a $2 billion total economic impact, support 62,000 jobs, and generate more than $100 million in revenue for the Commonwealth and its cities and towns—supporting other public services that sustain the quality of life in our cities and towns and attract new business and workers. Its operating support grants are a vital source of support for these organizations that leverage private dollars. 

“There are few places in America as rich with culture as Massachusetts,” the letter states. “From Boston to the Berkshires, from Cape Ann to Cape Cod, our state boasts an array of exceptional cultural organizations, beautiful and distinctive communities, and thousands of talented artists and educators. Mass Cultural Council nurtures this cultural life, so it is imperative that we continue to provide the agency with the necessary resources to continue the great work it does in the Commonwealth.

Thank you for your consideration and continued support for these priorities and your efforts to preserve and support the creative economy in Massachusetts.

Sincerely, 

Senator Adam Hinds, Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin, and Hampden
     Senate Chair, Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development 

Representative James Arciero, 2^nd Middlesex
Representative Brian M. Ashe, 2^nd Hampden
Representative Bruce J. Ayers, 1^st Norfolk
Representative Ruth B. Balser, 12^th Middlesex
Representative Christine P. Barber, 34^th Middlesex
Representative Jennifer E. Benson, 37^th Middlesex
Representative Paul Brodeur, 32^nd Middlesex
Representative Antonio F.D. Cabral. 13^th Bristol
Representative Daniel F. Cahill, 10^th Essex
Representative Thomas J. Calter, 12^th Plymouth
Representative Linda Dean Campbell, 15^th Essex
Representative James M. Cantwell, 4^th Plymouth
Representative Tackey Chan, 2^nd Norfolk
Representative Nick Collins, 4^th Suffolk
Representative Mike Connolly, 26^th Middlesex
Representative William L. Crocker Jr., 2^nd Barnstable
Representative Claire D. Cronin, 11^th Plymouth
Representative Josh S. Cutler, 6^th Plymouth
Representative Michael S. Day, 31^st Middlesex
Representative Marjorie C. Decker, 25^th Middlesex
Representative Paul J. Donato, 35^th Middlesex
Representative Diana DiZoglio, 14^th Essex
Representative James J. Dwyer, 30^th Middlesex
Representative Carolyn C. Dykema, 8^th Middlesex
Representative Lori A. Ehrlich, 8^th Essex
Representative Tricia Farley-Bouvier, 3^rd Berkshire
Representative Dylan Fernandes, Barnstable, Dukes, and Nantucket
Representative Carole A. Fiola, 6^th Bristol
Representative Sean Garballey, 23^rd Middlesex
Representative William C. Galvin, 6th Norfolk
Representative Denise C. Garlick, 13^th Norfolk
Representative Colleen M. Garry, 36^th Middlesex
Representative Carmine L. Gentile, 13^th Middlesex
Representative Susan Williams Gifford, 2nd Plymouth
Representative Solomon Goldstein-Rose, 3^rd Hampshire
Representative Carlos Gonzalez, 10^th Hampden
Representative Kenneth I. Gordon, 21^st Middlesex
Representative Danielle W. Gregoire, 4^th Middlesex
Representative Sheila C. Harrington, 1^st Middlesex
Representative Stephan Hay, 3^rd Worcester
Representative Jonathan Hecht, 29^th Middlesex
Representative Paul R. Heroux, 2^nd Bristol
Representative Natalie Higgins, 4^th Worcester
Representative Bradford R. Hill, 4^th Essex
Representative Kevin G. Honan, 17^th Suffolk
Representative Steven S. Howitt, 4th Bristol
Representative Louis L. Kafka, 8th Norfolk
Representative Jay R. Kaufman, 15^th Middlesex
Representative Mary S. Keefe, 15^th Worcester
Representative James M. Kelcourse, 1^st Essex
Representative Kay Khan, 11^th Middlesex
Representative Peter V. Kocot, 1^st Hampshire
Representative Robert M. Koczera, 11th Bristol
Representative Kevin J. Kuros, 8^th Worcester
Representative Jack Lewis, 7th Middlesex
Representative David P. Linsky, 5^th Middlesex
Representative Jay D. Livingstone, 8^th Suffolk
Representative Adrian Madaro, 1^st Suffolk
Representative John J. Mahoney, 13^th Worcester
Representative Elizabeth A. Malia, 11^th Suffolk
Representative Paul W. Mark, 2^nd Berkshire
Representative Juana Matias, 16^th Essex
Representative Joan Meschino, 3rd Plymouth
Representative Paul McMurtry, 11^th Norfolk
Representative James R. Miceli, 19^th Middlesex
Representative Frank Moran, 17^th Essex
Representative Mathew Muratore, 1^st Plymouth
Representative James J. O’Day, 14^th Worcester
Representative Jerald A. Parisella, 6^th Essex
Representative Smitty Pignatelli, 4th Berkshire
Representative Elizabeth A. Poirier, 14^th Bristol
Representative Denise Provost, 27^th Middlesex
Representative Angelo Puppolo, Jr., 12^th Hampden
Representative David M. Rogers, 24^th Middlesex
Representative Jeffrey N. Roy, 10th Norfolk
Representative Byron Rushing, 9^th Suffolk
Representative Daniel J. Ryan, 2^nd Middlesex
Representative Paul A. Schmid III, 8^th Bristol
Representative John W. Scibak, 2^nd Hampshire
Representative Frank I. Smizik, 15^th Norfolk
Representative Thomas M. Stanley, 9^th Middlesex
Representative William M. Straus, 10^th Bristol
Representative Jose F. Tosado, 9^th Hampden District
Representative Paul Tucker, 7^th Essex
Representative Steven Ultrino, 33^rd Middlesex
Representative Aaron Vega, 5^th Hampden
Representative David T. Vieira, 3^rd Barnstable
Representative Chris Walsh, 6^th Middlesex
Representative Thomas P. Walsh, 12^th Essex
Representative Timothy R. Whelan, 1^st Barnstable
Representative Bud L. Williams. 11^th Hampden
Representative Donald H. Wong, 9th Essex

Senator Michael Barrett, 3rd Middlesex
Senator William Brownsberger, 2nd Suffolk and Middlesex
Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz, 2nd Suffolk
Senator Cynthia Creem, 1st Middlesex and Norfolk
Senator Julian Cyr, Cape and Islands
Senator Eileen Donoghue, 1st Middlesex
Senator Jamie Eldridge, Middlesex and Worcester
Senator Anne Gobi, Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire and Middlesex
Senator Patricia Jehlen, 2nd Middlesex
Senator Eric Lesser, 1st Hampden and Hampshire
Senator Jason Lewis, 5th Middlesex
Senator Barbara L'Italien, 2nd Essex and Middlesex
Senator Joan Lovely, 2nd Essex
Senator Thomas McGee, 3rd Essex
Senator Michael Moore, 2nd Worcester
Senator Patrick O'Connor, Plymouth and Norfolk
Senator Michael Rush, Norfolk and Suffolk
Senator Walter Timilty, Norfolk, Bristol, and Plymouth