Yesterday I participated in a panel on health insurance reform at the Future of Music Coalition’s DC Policy Day 2010. I was joined by Alex Maiolo from FMC’s HINT program and Renata Molinaro from the AHIRC program at the Actor’s Fund.
The discussion got a little wonky at times, but it also had some good, practical [...]
In the spirit of Hanlon’s Razor, I’d like to remind us all that not every piece of insane legislation that threatens the arts is motivated by culture warrior antipathy.
Exhibit A is Texas House Bill 2649, which passed by unanimous vote this morning. The bill, seemingly out of ignorance, includes language which will make theatrical lighting [...]
An overview of the House-Senate compromise stimulus bill currently being circulated among House Democrats indicates that the $50M in funding for the NEA that was cut from the Senate version will be restored. I’m not clear yet on what this means for the notorious Coburn anti-arts amendment.
Not sure how I missed this one, but last month the US Senate introduced a bill that nearly doubles the standard income tax deduction threshold for performing artists. The bill also:
Allows the $30,000 limit (which is currently $16,000) to be applied on a per-individual rather than per-return basis, which is a boon to households with [...]
Loyal readers know that I’m following the Orphan Works Act that’s currently making its way through Congress. I still haven’t made up my mind whether or not to support the bill, but I’m glad to see that some more reasoned voices are joining the debate.
I was particularly excited to read Lawrence Lessig’s thoughts in [...]
I’ve been tracking the controversial Orphan Works Act of 2008. Today I received a “bill alert” from the Alliance of NY State Arts Organizations that includes some great analysis, which I think comes from Americans for the Arts:
H.R. 5889, the “Orphan Works Act of 2008″ introduced by Representative Howard Berman (D-CA) in [...]
It’s been a while since a bill in Congress has sparked as much panicked hand-wringing in the arts community as the Orphan Works Act of 2008 (pdf).
The Illustrators’ Partnership of America calls it “cultural theft on an unprecedented scale.”
Tom Richmond says it is “a license to steal.”
Mark Simon really goes over the top:
You May Lose [...]
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid wants to deputize the nation’s colleges to fight illegal file sharing on campus.
It’s hard to avoid being cynical about this. The Democratic Party gets a lot of love from Hollywood, which is increasingly panicked about the alleged threat to its business model from peer-to-peer networks. Since college networks [...]
This piece originally appeared as an article in the Fractured Atlas newsletter on April 15, 2006.
The American healthcare system is a spectacular mess, and artists are disproportionately underserved by our current employer-based model. Meanwhile in Washington, Congress is facing a handful of proposals that would radically alter the market for health insurance, especially with respect [...]
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