AP –HAWAII MAYOR ADDS VOICE TO FIGHT IN SUPPORT OF ARTS FUNDING

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HONOLULU (AP) — Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann is joining with some Hollywood celebrities to oppose cuts in arts funding by the Bush administration.

Hannemann and others told a congressional hearing in Washington recently that funding should be restored to its 1992 level of $176 million.

The Bush administration is proposing to spend to just over $128 million, about $17 million less than this year.

Actors Robert Redford and Kerry Washington, as well as musician John Legend, also testified.

Hannemann said culture and the arts are an integral part of daily life in Hawaii.

He said arts help the country remain competitive in the global economy and should be considered a need-to-have program, not just nice to have.