Just got this in an email: HOUSE VOTES $10 MILLION FUNDING INCREASE FOR NEA The House of Representatives voted 234-192 to add $10 million to President Bush's budget request of $116 million for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), bringing the total arts endowment funding to $126 million in 2003. This is close to a 10 percent increase above the 2002 level of $115 million. The $10 million in new funding approved by the House would go to the arts endowment's Challenge America program. The president had asked Congress to add $1 million to the NEA's budget next year for rent and mandated administrative expense increases.... Almost half the legislators targeted by NASAA for special advocacy attention -- mostly moderate Republicans and conservative Democrats whose support was essential to passage -- voted in favor of the arts funding increase. This is just an excerpt, full story below: http://www.nasaa-arts.org/nasaanews/house_funding.shtml