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Contested cuts to Cultural and Aesthetic grants draw large testimony; sponsor defends amendments
Summary
House Bill 9 funds Cultural and Aesthetic grants. Committee amendments reduced or zeroed awards for applicants that did not appear for committee testimony; many organizations and students testified against the amendments and the Montana Arts Council apologized for advising applicants that testimony was optional.
Representative John Fitzpatrick presented House Bill 9, the Cultural and Aesthetic Grant Program appropriations. He said the program originated with coal-severance allocations beginning in 1979 and that the Montana Arts Council now administers the grants. The Arts Council recommended funding for 75 applicants; Fitzpatrick described two committee amendments: (1) reduce awards for 10 applicants who submitted written testimony only to $2,000 and (2) set awards to $0 for 17 applicants who did not appear for testimony or submit supporting material. Fitzpatrick said the committee voted on the…
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