House Appropriations subcommittee approves funding increase for CPB

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A House Appropriations subcommittee approved a bill Tuesday that would increase CPB’s funding to $495 million in fiscal year 2022, a $50 million increase from the prior year.

The bill also includes $20 million for public media interconnection and infrastructure in fiscal year 2020, level with interconnection funding for FY2019.

Patrick Butler, CEO of America’s Public Television Stations, said in a press release that APTS is “appreciative” of the recommendation by the subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies.

“The broad support for public media funding among both Republicans and Democrats in Congress reflects the overwhelming support of the American people for our service in communities across the country, and we couldn’t be more proud of this vote of confidence in our work,” Butler said.

Butler said in February that lawmakers had encouraged APTS to seek the $50 million funding increase.

The proposed funding amount for Ready To Learn is usually disclosed in the full House Appropriations Committee report posted the day before committee markup, according to APTS spokesperson Stacey Karp. Butler said APTS is “hopeful that Ready To Learn’s essential work will continue to be supported through full funding.”

APTS expects the full appropriations committee to consider the legislation next week, according to Karp.  

President Trump proposed ending funding for public broadcasting in his draft budget released in March.

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly said that the bill does not include funding for Ready To Learn. RTL funding is usually disclosed in the full House Appropriations Committee report. An earlier version of this article also incorrectly referred to APTS as the Association of Public Television Stations. It is America’s Public Television Stations.

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