Advocacy Alert – April 1, 2019

Act Now: Urge Your Senators to Support the Office of Museum Services

The process for determining federal funding levels for FY 2020 has already begun in earnest. After a strong showing of 178 bipartisan signatures (see below) on the U.S. House of Representatives’ letter calling for robust funding for the Office of Museum Services (OMS) at the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), U.S. Senators Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-NY) and Susan M. Collins (R-ME) are now circulating a companion letter to their Senate colleagues in support of OMS funding.

Please urge your Senators to sign the Office of Museum Services letter today.

Ask Senators to Sign the Office of Museum Services Letter Today!

These letters are a key measure of legislators’ support, and they are especially important now to build on our momentum. The earlier you can reach out to your Senators the better.

Thank you for your advocacy for museums!

Strong Support in the House of Representatives for Museum Funding

As noted above, museum advocates have once again built a strong foundation of support for funding OMS in FY 2020. Last week, 178 U.S. Representatives joined a bipartisan letter calling for robust funding for the agency. This success is possible in part due to an impressive showing at Museums Advocacy Day 2019, when more than 300 museum supporters made the case for museums in 365 congressional offices spanning nearly all 50 states. Advocates discussed museums’ educational and community value, and also presented critical data about their economic impact and deep public support.

What You Can Do: Thank Legislators on Social Media

Legislators need to know that their actions are noticed and appreciated by the museums they represent. So here’s the best way to thank them:

1. Use our Legislator Directory page to find your Representative and their Twitter and Facebook accounts.
2. Check the list at the bottom of this alert to see if your Representative signed.
3. Say “Thank You!” You can use our sample posts to get started. Be sure to use #museumsadvocacy. Also tag the Alliance (@AAMers) and your legislators in your posts and tweets.

Sample Social Media Posts: 

Twitter – [Your museum] thanks [Rep. _______________ ] for signing on to this year’s OMS letter! Museums are essential. @AAMers #museumsadvocacy

Twitter – Thank you [Rep. _______________ ] for signing on to this year’s OMS letter and supporting [your museum name]! @AAMers #museumsadvocacy

Facebook – Museums are essential! We join the American Alliance of Museums in thanking [Rep. _______________ ] for signing on to this year’s OMS letter and for your support of [your museum]. #museumsadvocacy

Facebook – [Your museum name] is essential in our community. We join the American Alliance of Museums in thanking [Rep. _______________ ] for signing this year’s OMS letter in support of funding for museums. #museumsadvocacy

FY 2020 House Office of Museum Services Letter Signers*

All signers listed alphabetically by state below. Letter leaders in bold.

Find your legislators.

• Don Young (R-AK)
• Ruben Gallego (D-AZ)
• Raul  Grijalva (D-AZ)
• Tom O’Halleran (D-AZ)
• Karen Bass (D-CA)
• Julia Brownley (D-CA)
• Salud  Carbajal (D-CA)
• Tony Cardenas (D-CA)
• Judy Chu (D-CA)
• Gilbert R. Cisneros (D-CA)
• J. Luis Correa (D-CA)
• Susan A. Davis (D-CA)
• Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA)
• Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA)
• John Garamendi (D-CA)
• Jimmy Gomez (D-CA)
• Jared Huffman (D-CA)
• Barbara Lee (D-CA)
• Ted W. Lieu (D-CA)
• Zoe Lofgren (D-CA)
• Alan  Lowenthal (D-CA)
• Doris Matsui (D-CA)
• Jerry McNerney (D-CA)
• Jimmy Panetta (D-CA)
• Scott H. Peters (D-CA)
• Linda T. Sanchez (D-CA)
• Adam B. Schiff (D-CA)
• Jackie Speier (D-CA)
• Eric Swalwell (D-CA)
• Mark Takano (D-CA)
• Mike Thompson (D-CA)
• Jason Crow (D-CO)
• Diana DeGette (D-CO)
• Doug Lamborn (R-C0)
• Ed Perlmutter (D-CO)
• Scott Tipton (R-CO)
• Joe Courtney (D-CT)
• Jahana Hayes (D-CT)
• Jim  Himes (D-CT)
• John B. Larson (D-CT)
• Eleanor H. Norton (D-DC)
• Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE)
• Kathy Castor (D-FL)
• Ted Deutch (D-FL)
• Al Lawson, Jr. (D-FL)
• Stephanie  Murphy (D-FL)
• Darren Soto (D-FL)
• Ted S. Yoho, DVM (R-FL)
• Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-GA)
• Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr. (D-GA)
• John Lewis (D-GA)
• Lucy McBath (D-GA)
• David  Scott (D-GA)
• Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI)
• Abby Finkenauer (D-IA)
• Dave Loebsack (D-IA)
• Cheri Bustos (D-IL)
• Sean Casten (D-IL)
• Rodney Davis (R-IL)
• Danny K. Davis (D-IL)
• Bill Foster (D-IL)
• Jesus Chuy Garcia (D-IL)
• Robin L. Kelly (D-IL)
• Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL)
• Daniel W. Lipinski (D-IL)
• Mike Quigley (D-IL)
• Bobby L. Rush (D-IL)
• Jan Schakowsky (D-IL)
• Bradley S. Schneider (D-IL)
• Andre Carson (D-IN)
• Sharice Davids (D-KS)
• Andy Barr (R-KY)
• Brett Guthrie (R-KY)
• John Yarmuth (D-KY)
• Cedric L. Richmond (D-LA)
• William R. Keating (D-MA)
• Joe Kennedy (D-MA)
• Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA)
• James P. McGovern (D-MA)
• Seth Moulton (D-MA)
• Richard E. Neal (D-MA)
• Ayanna Pressley (D-MA)
• Lori Trahan (D-MA)
• Anthony G. Brown (D-MD)
• Jamie Raskin (D-MD)
• C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD)
• John P. Sarbanes (D-MD)
• David Trone (D-MD)
• Jared Golden (D-ME)
• Chellie Pingree (D-ME)
• Debbie Dingell (D-MI)
• Daniel Kildee (D-MI)
• Elissa Slotkin (D-MI)
• Haley M. Stevens (D-MI)
• Angie Craig (D-MN)
• Collin C. Peterson (D-MN)
• Wm. Lacy Clay (D-MO)
• Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO)
• Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (I-MP)
• Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (D-NC)
• G.K. Butterfield (D-NC)
• Ann McLane Kuster (D-NH)
• Chris Pappas (D-NH)
• Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ)
• Andy Kim (D-NJ)
• Tom Malinowski (D-NJ)
• Donald Norcross (D-NJ)
• Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ)
• Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ)
• Donald M. Payne, Jr. (D-NJ)
• Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ)
• Albio Sires (D-NJ)
• Jeff Van Drew (D-NJ)
• Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM)
• Dina Titus (D-NV)
• Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY)
• Chris Collins (R-NY)
• Antonio Delgado (D-NY)
• Eliot L. Engel (D-NY)
• Adriano Espaillat (D-NY)
• Brian Higgins (D-NY)
• Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY)
• John Katko (R-NY)
• Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY)
• Joseph D. Morelle (D-NY)
• Jerrold Nadler (D-NY)
• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY)
• Kathleen M. Rice (D-NY)
• Elise M. Stefanik (R-NY)
• Thomas R. Suozzi (D-NY)
• Paul D. Tonko (D-NY)
• Nydia M. Velazquez (D-NY)
• Joyce Beatty (D-OH)
• Marcia L. Fudge (D-OH)
• Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH)
• Steve Stivers (R-OH)
• Michael R. Turner (R-OH)
• Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)
• Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR)
• Peter A. DeFazio (D-OR)
• Brendan F. Boyle (D-PA)
• Mike Doyle (D-PA)
• Dwight Evans (D-PA)
• Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA)
• Conor Lamb (D-PA)
• Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA)
• Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon (R-PR)
• David N. Cicilline (D-RI)
• James R. Langevin (D-RI)
• Joe Wilson (R-SC)
• Steve Cohen (D-TN)
• Jim Cooper (D-TN)
• Colin  Allred (D-TX)
• Lloyd Doggett (D-TX)
• Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX)
• Al Green (D-TX)
• Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX)
• Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX)
• Marc Veasey (D-TX)
• Filemon Vela (D-TX)
• Ben McAdams (D-UT)
• Donald S. Beyer, Jr. (D-VA)
• Gerald E. Connolly (D-VA)
• A. Donald McEachin (D-VA)
• Denver Riggleman (D-VA)
• Abigail D. Spanberger (D-VA)
• Jennifer Wexton (D-VA)
• Stacey E. Plaskett (D-VI)
• Peter Welch (D-VT)
• Suzan DelBene (D-WA)
• Denny Heck (D-WA)
• Pramila Jayapal (D-WA)
• Kim Schrier, M.D. (D-WA)
• Adam Smith (D-WA)
• Ron Kind (D-WI)
• Gwen Moore (D-WI)
• David B. McKinley, P.E. (R-WV)
• Alex X. Mooney (R-WV)

*The Alliance is also aware that some legislators send their own letter in support of the Office of Museum Services, or include OMS on a letter listing their priorities. Those efforts are often due directly to advocate outreach to those offices. These individual letters also help our cause and are worthy of thanks on social media! These legislators include Representatives Sean Duffy (R-WI) and Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA). If you are aware that your Representative was sending their own letter in support of the Office of Museum Services, please let us know.

Visit www.aam-us.org/advocacy to learn more about advocating for museums.