Washington State Heritage Caucus

The Heritage Caucus meets regularly while the Washington State Legislature is in session to discuss heritage, arts, and other cultural and recreational issues.

 

Organized in 1990, the Heritage Caucus is a bi-partisan gathering of state legislators and other elected officials; staff from state heritage, arts, and cultural agencies, and nonprofit organizations; and citizens interested in supporting Washington's culture, heritage, and the arts.

 

The Heritage Caucus is co-chaired by Sen. Jim Honeyford (R), 15th District, and Rep. Lynn Kessler (D), 24th District; and co-staffed by the Washington State Historical Society (WSHS) and the Washington State Arts Commission.

 

The Heritage Caucus meets every Wednesday of the legislative session from 7:00 to 8:00 am in Olympia, on the Capitol Campus in Cherberg Building conference room A/B (parking information). The first meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, January 14, 2009. All meetings are open to public.

 

Caucus meetings usually consist of a review of pending legislation followed by one or two short (10-15 minutes) presentations as time allows.

 

Presentation Proposals

Presentations to the Heritage Caucus are scheduled according to their relevance to the following criteria:

• Immediate policy issues; pending legislation; current initiatives
• Relevant or upcoming policy issues; proposed future legislation or initiatives
• Programmatic overviews by state and local cultural agencies and organizations

 

The meeting room includes technological capabilities for DVD, Power Point, computer connections, VCR, and more. If you are interested in presenting to the Caucus, send proposals to heritage@arts.wa.gov; include the topic, who is presenting, contact information, and how the presentation meets the criteria above.

 

Mailing Lists

Heritage Caucus staff send a weekly legislative tracking update and reminders of upcoming meetings - send an email to heritage@arts.wa.gov to be added to the distribution list.

 

Stay informed about the arts in Washington State. Sign up for Washington State Arts Commission's eNews. This free electronic bulletin provides the latest WSAC grant opportunities, program updates, events listings, and resources.

 

AND... stay informed about Washington State Historical Society offerings including the History Museum in Tacoma, National History Day , and more. Sign up for the Washington State History e-Bulletin.

 

For more information send an email to heritage@arts.wa.gov or call Lauren Danner, WSHS, at 360-586-0165 or Mark Gerth, WSAC, at 360-586-8093.