People attending AAM Annual Meeting in Cleveland: We thought you'd want to know that Rep. Ralph Regula will be participating in a session on Monday morning, April 26, 1999, at 10:30, entitled "Navigating Federal and State Governments for Funds and Influence." Mr. Regula chairs the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, which recommends funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the NEA and NEH, the National Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian Institution, the Holocaust Museum, the National Park Service, and the Bureau of Land Management (I think I got them all!), all of which obviously are of great interest to the museum community. As chair, Mr. Regula gets the first pass at suggesting recommendations to his subcommittee, so his opinion carries great weight. Let me emphasize that we don't want people to attend in order to complain that funding is too low! Rather, we urge people to attend because a healthy attendance will show him that the community cares about what he has to say, and because he will offer valuable insights on what works when you approach elected officials. (And remember, he also has to make recommendations for a host of other very worthy agencies, programs, and causes ranging from the Bureau of Indian Affairs to various mining and energy programs.) Mr. Regula will also make brief comments at the general session that day on his predictions for the future of the cultural agencies. We encourage you to forward this message to other museum-related lists. See you in Cleveland. Andy Finch AAM Government Affairs [log in to unmask] Usual disclaimers apply.