MONTH

IMPORTANT EVENT

WHAT YOU CAN DO AS AN INDIVIDUAL

March 2007

ARTS DAY AND
SESSION HEARINGS

* Attend Arts Day!
* Ask your staff and board members to attend Arts Day (special discounts offered for multiple attendees from an organization)
* Urge your board, staff and audience to write to their legislators and the Governor, requesting additional funding for the arts. (If you would like Arts Wisconsin to prepare legislative contact information for your group, please e-mail us with the HOME addresses of the individuals in your organization.)
* Read Arts Wisconsin's Arts Alerts and respond to requests for help
* Pay your organization's Arts Wisconsin's membership dues so we can keep working for you!

April / May 2007

* Urge your board, staff and audience to write to their legislators and the Governor, requesting additional funding for the arts. (If you would like Arts Wisconsin to prepare legislative contact information for your group, please e-mail us with the HOME addresses of the individuals in your organization.)
* Read Arts Wisconsin's Arts Alerts and respond to requests for help
* Share Arts Alerts with your colleagues
* Attend and watch arts hearings wearing your "Arts Build Wisconsin Communities" pin (contact Arts Wisconsin to obtain some for your organization).

May 2007

BUDGET BILL DEBATE CONTINUES

Assembly & Senate each debate (one at a time) and amend the budget. Differences between the Assembly & Senate’s budget bills are worked out by a conference committee made up of members from each house.
* Contact your legislators again to make sure they know your position on issues that are important to you. Once the conference committee members are selected, check to see if any of them are your legislators or ones you have relationships with and, if so, make sure to contact them. Organize numerous others to clearly communicate with legislators about pieces of the budget that you want them to keep, expand or remove.
* Urge your board, staff and audience to write to their legislators and the Governor, requesting an increase in funding for the arts. (If you would like Arts Wisconsin to prepare legislative contact information for your group, please e-mail us with the HOME addresses of the individuals in your organization.)
* Read Arts Wisconsin's Arts Alerts and respond to requests for help
* Share Arts Alerts with your colleagues and peers.

June 2007

BUDGET BILL TO FLOOR
Governor signs/vetoes bill OR
Special Session starts

“Conference Report” (compromise version of the budget from both Assembly & Senate) bill is voted on both by houses – it cannot be amended. After passing both houses, the bill goes to Gov. Doyle for his signature or veto(es). Call or write the Governor and organize others to do the same to urge him to veto or sign the budget.
* Read Arts Wisconsin's Arts Alerts and respond to requests for help
* When budget is signed, send thank-you letters to the Governor and to the legislators .

July 2007

* If the budget is not yet completed: The Legislature can override Governor’s veto(es) with a 2/3 vote. Continue to contact your legislators!
* If the budget is passed: Pay your organization's Arts Wisconsin's membership dues so we can keep working for you!
* Appoint a board member to be an Arts Wisconsin Advocacy Liaison. Put that person in touch with us.

August 2007

MEET WITH/GET TO KNOW YOUR LEGISLATORS while they are home in the district

The 2007-2009 budget process may be over, but the 2009-2011 budget process is just beginning, and advocacy for the arts must continue.

* Write to your legislators & Governor and ask them to support the arts; OR
* Write to your legislators & Governor and thank them for your recent grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board or Dept. of Tourism, or other state agency.
* Invite candidates/legislators to coffee parties-a great way to get to know them!

September 2007

MEET WITH/GET TO KNOW YOUR LEGISLATORS while they are home in the district

* Hold a coffee party for your own legislator in your own house to discuss the arts; OR
* Help Arts Wisconsin put together a coffee party in a targeted district in your area (contact Arts Wisconsin for more details)
* Put Arts Day 2008 on your calendar -- date TBA (early March 2008) in fall 2007

October 2007

CONTINUE TO BE AN ADVOCATE FOR THE ARTS!

* Invite Gov. Doyle or Lt. Governor Lawton to attend a performance, exhibit or activity at your arts organization
* Hold a coffee party for your own legislator in your own house to discuss the arts.
* Join Arts Wisconsin!

November 2007

CONTINUE TO BE AN ADVOCATE FOR THE ARTS!

* Volunteer at Arts Wisconsin; help with creative ideas on how to get more arts advocates involved. Contact us for more information about volunteering and getting involved.

December 2007

CONTINUE TO BE AN ADVOCATE FOR THE ARTS!

*Get to know legislators while they are home in the district.
* Make sure you are signed up on Arts Wisconsin's Legislative Action Center for Action Alerts
* Create your own Arts Alert forward list and make sure you forward all Arts Wisconsin Arts Alerts to your friends
* Have your own legislator's names and contact information at your fingertips so you are ready to take action (find your legislators)
* Help your friends become aware of and build relationships their legislators, too.

The budget process may be over, but advocacy for the arts must continue.

* Get to know legislators while they are home in the district.
* Invite Gov. Doyle or Lt. Governor Lawton to attend a performance, exhibit or activity at your arts organization.

September 2008

2009-2011 STATE AGENCY BUDGETS
SUBMITTED TO GOVERNOR

State agencies submit their budget requests to the Governor and the Department of Administration (DOA).

* Meet with agency reps to discuss issues to be included and problems that might be solved by the state’s budget. Once the agency proposals have been submitted, you can also contact the Governor to let him know of your early support or opposition to items in the agency budgets. * Continue to check Arts Wisconsin's website for helpful summaries of agency budget requests.

October-December 2008

* You can influence what’s ultimately included in the Governor’s budget. Contact the Governor’s office to urge him to support the programs/initiatives you’re most concerned about in his budget proposal.
* Organize a meeting with several other advocates or arts representatives with the Governor’s office to ensure that they’re aware of your issues as they craft their budget. Look for talking points from Arts Wisconsin in early January 2009!
* If you are not already a member...join Arts Wisconsin!

Late January-early February 2009

* Write letters to the editor, contact your legislators, and contact the Governor’s office to comment on pieces of the proposed budget that you hope will be supported or that you hope will be changed/removed. If there are items in the Governor’s budget that you really support or really oppose, think about a more coordinated effort at this point to call attention to those items.