Contact:
Tania Panczyk-Collins
202-654-4222
tpanczyk@apts.org

Senate-House Budget Agreement Calls for More Public Television Funding

WASHINGTON—May 17, 2007—Association of Public Television Stations (APTS) hailed Senate and House negotiators for reaching a FY 2008 budget agreement that provides for advance funding for the Corporation of Public Broadcasting (CPB) and substantially increases education spending.

“After six years of attempts by the Bush Administration to decimate funding for public broadcasting, the Budget Committees are making a very clear and welcomed statement of strong support for our noncommercial mission,” APTS President and CEO John Lawson said.

Lawson applauded the House and Senate Budget Committee Chairmen, Representative John Spratt (D-SC) and Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND), for allowing Public Television funding to grow. These increases will allow Public Television to better prepare American students as they embark on competing in an increasingly global economy. “Congressman Spratt and Senator Conrad recognize the necessity of two-year advance funding for CPB,” Lawson said. “This decades old practice provides a crucial firewall for Public Television by insulating programming decisions from political influence. Advance funding also allows public broadcasters to leverage the promise of federal dollars to raise state, local and private funds, and have the critical lead-in time needed to plan and produce programs.”

The budget agreement authorizes a $9.5 billion increase above the President’s request in FY 2008 discretionary funding for education, and a $2 billion increase in advance appropriations.

The Budget rejects programmatic cuts and eliminations proposed by the President, including Ready To Teach, which is aimed at enhancing teacher performance in the classroom. Other essential programs that stand to benefit from the budget agreement are Ready To Learn, which provides scientifically based content for student preparation, and Star Schools, which supports distance education projects that encourage improved instruction to underserved students.

The House passed the budget resolution on May 17 and the Senate passed it on May 18. The budget agreement would be used to set spending caps for the Appropriations Committees. The Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittees would then set specific appropriations levels for public broadcasting.

APTS is encouraging Congressional Appropriators to follow these spending recommendations and fully fund public broadcasting’s FY 2008 funding request, which has the support of the 108 Members of Congress who signed the public broadcasting FY 2008 funding request letter circulated by the House Public Broadcasting Caucus.