madam chairman , i rise today in strong support of the slaughter-shays-dicks-leach-price amendment , which would provide a much needed increase in funding for the national endowment for the arts and the national endowment for the humanities . 
this additional $ 10 million for the nea and $ 5 million for the neh would help expose our children to american art , history and culture . 
in addition to the enjoyment and life-enrichment that each participant in the arts experiences , the involvement of children in the arts has been shown to improve reading and language development , mathematics skills , fundamental cognitive skills , motivation to learn , and social behavior . 
the arts and humanities not only enhance the lives of our children -- they also keep our economy strong . 
each year , the nonprofit arts industry creates $ 134 billion dollars in economic activity , generating $ 24.4 billion dollars in tax revenue for our local , state and federal governments , and supporting nearly 5 million full-time jobs all across our country . 
in my district alone , nearly 120 , 000 people are employed by the museums , theaters , art galleries and other arts organizations that i am proud to represent . 
in fact , with over 8 , 000 arts-related organizations , including the metropolitan museum of art , the museum of modern art , and the american ballet theater , my district has the third highest number of arts-related business in the country . 
for my constituents , and for all americans , the arts mean business . 
because such a modest increase in funding would bring the arts and jobs to so many people , i strongly support the slaughter-shays-dicks-leach amendment , and i urge my colleagues to do the same . 
