CACO members!
Please lift your voices with us to help Oregon’s arts and culture sector recover strong. Although HB 4040 won’t be moving forward, we do know that legislators have been tasked with crafting a $100 million economic development funding package to help in recovery of the pandemic. We must ensure that the creative economy’s important work is identified in that package, so we are asking that $50 million be set aside for arts & culture recovery.
It is vitally important that you contact the following members of the Ways and. Means Committee to share your needs as soon as possible.
Remember, the pandemic is severely affecting more than 70% of our organizations financially, forcing closures, layoffs, furloughs, and other cost-saving measures. As the first to close and the last to fully reopen, the cultural sector will not fully recover for several years. In Oregon, COVID-19 has devastated creative economy businesses with lost revenue of $1.6 billion. In addition, 64% of all creative workers in our state (43,332 people) were unemployed in July 2020.
To help us regain our footing, we are asking the legislature to invest $50 million to create stability in the arts and cultural sector and allow us to be a part of Oregon’s recovery in rural and urban communities. The pandemic and the significant needs in the sector has united arts and cultural organizations in advocating for critical pandemic relief funding that is inclusive and equitable.
Our lobbyist team and board teamed up with Metro, the Oregon Fairs Association, and the Independent Venue Coalition to send this statement to members of the legislature.
Please send your letters to the following leaders and send a PDF of your letter to CACO.
With gratitude, the CACO board
Working on the Economic Development Package
- Lively (Springfield): Rep.JohnLively@oregonlegislature.gov
- Gomberg (Central Coast): Rep.DavidGomberg@oregonlegislature.gov
- Bynum (Clackamas): Rep.JanelleBynum@oregonlegislature.gov
Transportation and Economic Development Subcommittee
- Co-chair, Sen. Lawrence Spence (Portland): AkashaLawrenceSpence@oregonlegislature.gov
- Co-chair, Rep. Gomberg (Central Coast): DavidGomberg@oregonlegislature.gov
- Hansell (Athena): Sen.BillHansell@oregonlegislature.gov
- Jama (Portland): Sen.KayseJama@oregonlegislature.gov
- Nelson (Portland): Rep.TravisNelson@oregonlegislature.gov
- Scharf (Independence): Rep.AnnaScharf@oregonlegislature.gov
- Sosa (Hillsboro): Rep.NathanSosa@oregonlegislature.gov
- Rep. Zika (Redmond): Rep.JackZika@oregonlegislature.gov