madam chairman , i yield myself such time as i may consume . 
madam chairman , i rise to offer an amendment that will redress a grievous act that was perpetrated , without our knowledge , on a majority of this great body . 
last year , with a resounding vote of 241 members , the house voted an increase for our federal arts agency that we knew would pay us back many times over , both in hard dollars and in ways that are simply incalculable for the people we represent . 
the actual amounts were small , an increase of $ 10 million for the national endowment for the arts and $ 3.5 million for the national endowment for the humanities . 
but the loss was great . 
after conferees met for the omnibus funding bill , nea , incredibly , received just several hundred thousand dollars , and neh received less than $ 3 million . 
not only was the will of this great body thwarted , but also the creative activities of our artistic constituents in every congressional district in this country were stifled . 
grants were not made and those grants were not matched . 
works were not created . 
performances did not happen . 
audiences did not gather . 
minds were not enlightened , souls were not fed ; and the small businesses that depend on the nonprofit arts community did not profit . 
finally , the funds that should have been returned to the federal treasury in the form of tax receipts , many times over the original amounts , never arrived . 
it was a lose-lose situation for everyone involved : the artists , the audiences , our communities , and our small businesses , as well as our local , state , and federal treasuries . 
by all rights , i should be standing here asking my colleagues not just to restore the moneys that we voted for last year , but to double them . 
if our federal deficit were not so huge and our budgets so tight , believe me , i would be doing just that . 
instead , i ask you simply to put these federal art agencies back in business where we funded them last year , with an increase of $ 10 million for nea and $ 5 million for neh . 
the president 's own budget request for nea was telling . 
in it , even as he suggested level funding for the agency , he asked that american masterpieces , a majestic program that emphasizes the best of american art , should be increased by $ 6.5 million . 
president bush was rightfully enthusiastic about that program . 
it is an increase that i personally applaud . 
but unless we provide an overall increase for nea , the money is slated to come from challenge america , a highly popular program that supported artists in more than 99 percent of our congressional districts last year . 
that is not a good idea . 
challenge america grants go to the towns and hamlets of this sprawling country , where big touring companies will rarely go , and major actors , actresses , writers and artists may never appear in person . 
for example , last year challenge american grants went to aliceville , alabama and to bainbridge island , washington ; to red wing , minnesota and lucas , kansas . 
they energized audiences in texarkana , texas and locust grove , arkansas , and spellbound art-hungry folks in albany , georgia and billings , montana . 
we can and should do both : increase american masterpieces as the president wishes , and continue to challenge the artists and their audiences in our congressional districts by funding challenge america . 
madam chairman , $ 10 million will ensure that the program will prosper and grow , with chairman gioia using up to 10 percent of the money to ensure effective administration of this fine program . 
and $ 5 million will enhance neh 's we the people , which promotes the teaching and understanding of american history . 
but let me remind my colleagues , even with these increases , we are far from providing the agencies with the funds they received in the mid-1990s . 
as you see from the first chart , nea is currently funded at $ 121 million , but received $ 176 million in 1992 . 
and neh is funded at $ 138 million , while it received $ 175.5 million in 1994 . 
why is it so important to rebuild the funding for these agencies ? 
well , every year i stand here and remind you what an economic powerhouse the nonprofit arts industry has become in american . 
as this second chart proves , it produces over $ 134 billion annually . 
i do not know of any other investment we make that does that . 
please note it returns $ 10.5 billion to the federal treasury . 
in these difficult financial times for so many of our districts , as our local leaders strive to balance their budgets by cutting services , we would be irresponsible not to invest in the arts . 
while other industries have suffered , the nonprofit arts world continues to build in strength while it encourages the growth of innumerable small businesses on its periphery , thereby creating more jobs . 
this third chart may surprise members . 
it demonstrates the financial muscle of the arts industry , which has produced far more jobs than all of america 's farmers , programmers , doctors , lawyers , or accountants . 
this is an amazing chart . 
in fact , while the national economy has grown at a rate of 3.8 percent , the arts have far out-distanced that number by expanding at a rate of 5.5 percent . 
and all of that said , i also stand before you at this time , every year , to remind us all of the stunning gifts american artists make to our daily lives . 
their creative force not only helps our children learn but also makes them smarter . 
it brightens the life of each one of us , bringing us joy and comfort , enlightenment and understanding , in ways impossible to find otherwise . 
the arts and artists of america are our national treasure , which this great nation needs , deserves , and must support as other nations do . 
for these reasons , i urge members to vote for the slaughter/shays/dicks/leach/price amendment , and thank my colleagues who have joined me today . 
madam chairman , i reserve the balance of my time . 
