Let's Keep Making Noise!
Negotiations continue between Congress and the White House on the next COVID-19 package and your members of Congress need to hear from you again to ensure that public venues are included. IAVM is asking Congress to:
Expand the existing Paycheck Protection Program and Main Street Lending Programs to include publicly owned venues
Include the RESTART Act to provide additional grants for small businesses but expand eligibility to include publicly owned venues (it currently doesn’t)
Increase state and local funding under the CARES Act but add flexibility to how those funds can be spent to cover public venues expenses
Include a grant program created by the SAVE OUR STAGES Act, S. 4258 to cover Performing Arts Centers
We know you’ve reached out to your members of Congress already, but they need to hear from you again to ensure that public venues remain top of mind. There are many competing industries seeking to be covered, and not enough funds to cover every sector so we need to be LOUD!
Call and email your U.S. representatives and senators urging them to support your venues in the next COVID-19 package. You can use this template for your emails and these lists of Senate Letter Email Contacts and House of Representatives Letter Email Contacts.
Use Social Media. Continue to engage with your representatives and senators on Twitter and Instagram. IAVM’s toolkit includes a list of congressional twitter handles and sample tweets. You can find an image to use in your social media pushes by clicking here.
Try to get a letter to the editor or Op-ed placed in your local newspaper. Here is a sample template you can use.
We can’t win this fight without you so please don’t delay! Make some noise.
Join us for an Advocacy ZOOMcast on Monday, August 10, at 2:30 PM EST (1:30 PM CST, 12:30 PM MST, 11:30 AM PST). On this 30 Minute ZOOMcast we will update you, our IAVM Members, on the the necessary call to action for our industry right now. Click here to register.