UPDATE 5/8/2019: An additional $10 million was added to IMLS during full House Appropriations Committee consideration on May 8, for a total increase to IMLS of $25 million, including an historic $8 million increase to $42.7 million for OMS.

Advocacy Alert – April 30, 2019

Great news! House Subcommittee approves $15 million increase for IMLS.

The House Labor-HHS-Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee on April 30 passed its Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 bill with $257 million for the Institute of Museum and Library Services – a $15 million increase for the agency overall, which includes the Office of Museum Services (OMS) and the Office of Library Services (OLS). If enacted, this would be one of the largest funding increases in the agency’s history. The subcommittee’s approval of this significant funding increase sharply diverges from the President’s budget request, which proposes to eliminate IMLS and includes $23 million to close down the agency.

“Congratulations museum advocates! This funding increase is the result of our ongoing commitment to advocacy, including a successful Museums Advocacy Day, House and Senate OMS sign-on letter efforts, testifying* before Congress and your response to advocacy alerts,” said Alliance President and CEO Laura Lott. “Let’s keep up the pressure to get this increase through the remaining steps in the House and Senate.”

Detailed funding levels likely will be released next week when the full House Appropriations Committee is expected to consider the bill on Wednesday, May 8. The Senate Labor-HHS-Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee is also expected to consider its version of the bill in the coming weeks.

This is still a very early step in the annual federal appropriations process, with the House Appropriations Committee, the full U.S. House, the Senate Appropriations Committee, and the full U.S. Senate yet to take action. However, the appropriations process so far is moving faster than past years, so be sure to ask your legislators to support the Office of Museum Services.

Ask Congress to Support FY 2020 OMS Funding Now

What You Can Do

We urge you to take a moment right now, using our template, to contact your Representative in support of OMS funding at IMLS. It takes just a few clicks to personalize and send your message.

*A recording of AAM’s April 9, 2019 live witness testimony before Congress in support of the IMLS Office of Museum Services is here at the 1 hr. 36 min. mark.