[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 102 (Wednesday, July 24, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1327]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 
                                  2003

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 17, 2002

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consdieration the bill (H.R. 5093) making 
     appropriations for the Department of the Interior and related 
     agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2003, and 
     for other purposes:

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the amendment 
to provide an additional $10 million to the National Endowment for the 
Arts (NEA) and $5 million for the National Endowment for the Humanities 
(NEH). I commend the authors for their commitment to the arts and urge 
my colleagues to vote in favor of this amendment.
  This amendment will support the NEA's Challenge America initiative, 
which has been successful in expanding access to the arts for 
underserved communities. To broaden the reach of federal arts funding, 
Challenge America supports arts education, after-school arts programs 
and community arts development initiatives.
  In my state of Minnesota, an NEA grant helped to establish ``Creating 
the Link''--an after-school program for Hmong youth. St. Paul is home 
to the largest concentration of Hmong in the United States. Many Hmong 
children who have grown up in this country have not had opportunities 
to learn about the culture and traditional art of their elders. 
``Creating the Link'' provides the connection between these children 
and traditional Hmong folk art--preserving this cultural richness for 
future generations.
  Through support of programs such as ``Creating the Link,'' the 
National Endowment for the Arts has brought the enrichment of artistic 
experience to communities in every corner of the nation. Art is no 
longer considered a pastime reserved for the elite class, but is widely 
recognized as central to the cultural, social and cognitive development 
of a well-rounded public.
  Further support for the National Endowment for the Arts is an 
important investment for all of our communities. I urge my colleagues 
to support this amendment.

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