This Monday, September 26th, the Senate Commerce Committee will hear two bills that will further the arts and health field in New Jersey.

S1601, the Music Therapists Licensing Act, and S2159/A2477, the Drama Therapists and Dance/Movement Therapists Act, advance the professionalism and the availability of creative therapies, and ensure that the therapeutic value of the arts is recognized and promoted.

What can YOU do?

You can attend the hearing and sign in as a supporter for S1601, the Music Therapist Licensing Act, and S2159/A2477, the Drama Therapists and Dance/Movement Therapists Act.

WHERE: Committee Room 6, First Floor, State House Annex, Trenton, NJ
WHEN: Monday, September 26, 2016 at 1 pm

When you enter the committee room, you will find a small table where you sign in and indicate that you are there for S1601, the Music Therapist Licensing Act, and S2159/A2477, the Drama Therapists and Dance/Movement Therapists Act. Check the box for SUPPORT and the box NO NEED TO TESTIFY or similar message.

Bills are heard in order of bill number.

The New Jersey State Task Force of the Mid-Atlantic Region of the American Music Therapy Association will present three testimonies, and others will be heard as well, including a brief testimony from ArtPride in support of both bills. The committee will vote at the end of testimony and committee questions. The goal is for a majority of affirmative votes to release the bill from the committee.

You will find directions and parking information HERE.

You can also learn more about the legislators on the Senate Commerce Committee HERE.

A large presence in support of any bill is often noted and recognized by legislators. You can make a difference just by being present and signing the log in support of these efforts. We understand that this is very short notice but this first Senate hearing will set the tone for the rest of the Senate process.

For more information, visit ArtPrideNj.com/AAHNJ

If you contacted your state Senator recently regarding S2090, thank you!

Almost 400 emails were sent as a result of Tuesday’s action alert, and S2090 passed with a unanimous vote. It’s important for you to thank your Senator for this support, and for voting to raise the minimum levels of appropriations for state arts, history and tourism funding, dedicated through the NJ Hotel/Motel Occupancy Fee. This fee was enacted in 2003 to provide a dedicated and sustainable revenue source for New Jersey’s arts, history, and tourism communities but, despite revenue growth, funding for these communities has been frozen for nearly a decade.

What’s next?
The companion bill, A3555, needs to be heard in committee and then voted upon by the NJ Assembly. Please take a moment now to urge your Representatives to encourage Speaker Prieto to schedule the bill for a hearing by the Assembly Tourism, Gaming and the Arts Committee.

ArtPride NJ wishes to thank over 3,000 people who signed our online petition regarding the discontinuation of New Jersey arts coverage in a dedicated Metro Section of the New York Times. More than 800 emails were also sent to the editors, and we are grateful to all of you for taking time to voice concern about the loss of theater reviews, calendar listings and feature stories on cultural events happening throughout our state.

If you read the Metro Section this past weekend, no doubt you witnessed this loss first hand. Over the past month, ArtPride has joined with colleagues in Westchester and Connecticut to express concern and frustration over the NYT’s decision. This week ArtPride contacted NYT editors directly with an explicit request to meet for the purpose of delivering the petition and to begin a dialogue regarding future coverage and how NYT plans to serve you – the readership base that values this content. If the meeting request is not granted, ArtPride is prepared to continue to advocate for a satisfactory resolution of this matter.

ArtPride will be sure to inform you of the outcomes of any meetings that result from these efforts, and thank you once again for voicing your support for New Jersey’s dynamic cultural community and the host of opportunities that exist to engage in Jersey arts.