Pete Sessions on Corporation for Public Broadcasting

In July I sent my congressman, Pete Sessions, an email imploring him to vote favorably on the restoration of $100 million in funding to CPB.


Below is the response I received (without comment)

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August 18, 2005

Mr. Terry Groff
(my address deleted)

Dear Mr. Groff:

Thank you for contacting me regarding funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which encompasses both the Public Broadcast System (PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR). I appreciate hearing from you on this matter.

This spring, my colleagues on the House Appropriations Committee decreased federal funding for CPB by $100 million for fiscal year 2006. Each year Congress revisits appropriations funding for allocated programs. When this bill was debated on the house floor, an amendment was added to restore full funding to CPB for FY2006. According to House rules, any attempt to add funding to an appropriations bill would require an offset that takes funding away from another source. Due to the fact that the targeted offset would have decreased important funding for programs vital to the Dallas metroplex, I voted against this amendment. The programs that would receive cuts would be public health care, job training, and education programs.

The amount of CPB funding cut in this year's Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act represents only 3.9 percent of the funding that it receives. The remaining 96.1 percent was raised from non-federal sources. Public broadcasting reported total income of $2.3 billion in FY2003. The largest single income source in FY2003 came from membership. Neither PBS nor NPR receives grants from the CPB for their general operations; only local public broadcasting stations receive these funds.

Corporation for Public Broadcasting Background
The CPB was intended to provide a funding mechanism for individual public broadcasting stations in 1967, but not subject these stations to political influence or favoritism. CPB was also intended to provide a funding mechanism for the creation and operation of program distribution systems interconnecting the individual public broadcast stations.

The CPB's appropriation is allocated through a distribution formula established in its authorizing legislation. It has historically received two-year advanced appropriations. The graph below represents the drastic increase in federal funding between 1969 and 2000. Approximately 89 percent of the funding CPB receives from the federal government is required to be disbursed in grants to stations and grants for programming. The remaining percentage of funds is set aside by the CPB for general system-wide needs that individual stations would have difficulty funding. The graph below represents the drastic increase in Federal Appropriations from 1969 to 2000.

Current Legislation Affecting CPB
My Congressional colleagues and I are reviewing funding for these programs. The Labor, HHS bill, which contains many vital programs for medical research and education, passed the House in the House on June 16, 2005. This version would decrease funding to CPB from $400 million to $300 million. On June 24, 2005 the full House approved the bill with an amendment to restore the full $400 million in funding to CPB. The Senate Appropriations committee also approved the bill.1 Currently, the bill is awaiting a vote in the House-Senate conference planned for September.

If you should have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me or my Legislative Assistant, Bobby Hillert at 202.225.2231 or Robert.Hillert@mail.house.gov.

Sincerely,
Pete Sessions
Member of Congress