The budget agreement now being gnawed on at the Capitol contains no specific
line item allocations for the CHC, Arts Commission, Historical Commission
and other organizations and agencies grouped under the still-proposed
Connecticut Commission for Arts, Heritage and Tourism but instead sets a $16
million bottom line for those budgets. Specific appropriation amounts are
evidently to be determined by legislative leadership as part of the "budget
implementer" bill that follows passage of the state budget and spells out
its intentions. Work on that bill will commence as soon as the budget is
passed, and under a best-case scenario will be completed in 10-14 days.

Given the vast herds of newly-gored oxen now trampling through the Capitol,
this is a particularly dangerous scenario for us, as the coming days will
undoubtedly see all manner of attempts to redress through the implementer
damage done in the budget itself, with no pool of funding still
undesignated safe from assault. Our lobbyists are watching our situation
like hawks, and we'll be working with our several legislative supporters as
soon as the budget is passed to ensure that this allocation stays in the
cultural arena and keeps the CHC and the Commission funded as close to
current levels as possible.

We'll keep you posted as this last battle unfolds.