Press Releases
Congresswoman Pingree welcomes Mainers testifying before CongressTestimony will focus on support for the arts, preserving environment
Washington, DC,
March 18, 2015
Congresswoman Chellie Pingree is welcoming two Maine residents to Capitol Hill today, where they will testify before the House Appropriations Committee as Congress prepares spending priorities for the next fiscal year. Anita Stewart, Executive & Artistic Director of Portland Stage, will testify during hearings on the budget for the National Endowment for the Arts about how investment in the arts can drive economic development in communities. Stewart says spending by nonprofit arts and culture organizations and theiraudiences in the City of Portland totals nearly $50 million. Bill Durking of Biddeford Pool, President of Friends of Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, will testify about the importance of federal investment in wildlife refuges and land andwater conservation. Pingree, a member of the Appropriations Committee, asked that the two be allowed to testify about the importance offederal investment in the arts and conservation. "It will be great for my colleagues to hear about the good work that these groups are doing in Maine," Pingree said. "We have tough choices to make in setting federal spending and it's important for us to hear first hand about how these decisions affect people in Maine." |