113 Chambers Of Commerce From 46 States Over 33

April 26, 2021The Honorable Nancy Pelosi, SpeakerUnited States House of Representatives1236 Longworth House Office BuildingWashington, D.C. 20510The Honorable Charles Schumer, LeaderUnited States Senate322 Hart Senate Office BuildingWashington, D.C. 20515The Honorable Kevin McCarthy, LeaderUnited States House of Representatives2468 Rayburn House Office BuildingWashington, D.C. 20510The Honorable Mitch McConnell, LeaderUnited States Senate317 Russell Senate Office BuildingWashington, D.C. 20515Dear Speaker Pelosi and Leaders Schumer, McConnell, and McCarthy:Thank you for your leadership and continued work to protect Americans, stabilize the economy, andensure the survival of key institutions and sectors during this challenging time. We represent a groupof 113 chambers of commerce from 46 states collectively working with over 33 millionemployers, employees, and businesses of all sizes and industries to respond to our national publichealth and economic crisis.The 2020 CARES Act and the new American Rescue Plan Act provided much-needed relief to manyof our members, however, there are critical gaps in the aid that fail to meet the needs of the creativeeconomy and cultural infrastructure. A report from the Brookings Institution1 found that thecountry’s 670,000 creative economy businesses (which generate 919.7 billion each year towards theGDP)2 have collectively lost at least 150 billion, and that over half of all workers in the creativesector remain unemployed.Johns Hopkins University and the international Organisation for Economic Cooperation andDevelopment warn3 that the creative sector is among the most impacted industries in the country—with damaging ripple effects to restaurants, tourism, travel, and local businesses. Bureau ofEconomic Analysis data shows that the sector contracted by 59% between the end of 2019 and mid2020—twice the rate of other highly impacted industries—and is rebounding at a slower rate.4We request that the U.S. Congress work swiftly to enact the following provisions within theinfrastructure and recovery package known as the American Jobs Plan. These proposals echothe Put Creative Workers to Work policy platform endorsed by over 2,300 creative businesses andcreative workers in all 50 states.5 Allocate 14 billion to incentivize local, state, and tribal businesses and governments to putcreative workers to work and activate cultural infrastructure, including hiring or tax credits toincentivize businesses and local and state agencies to accelerate hiring, re-hiring, or retentionof creative workers; funds to incentivize financial institutions to invest in small creativebusinesses and creative entrepreneurs; grants to cover restart costs for small creative1Source: Brookings Institution, Lost Art, 2020Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 20203Source: Johns Hopkins University and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development4Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 20205Visit http://www.creativeworkers.net2page 1 of 6

businesses and provide capital for the creation of new creative product to be sold; andsupport for local and state creative workforce programs. Allocate 3 billion to spark an American cultural renaissance via the NEA, NEH, IMLS, andother federal agencies, including through creative jobs, fellowships, residencies, andcommissions designed to drive local economic growth and community cohesion, producefree entertainment to encourage local spending, and incentivize local and state workforcedevelopment and infrastructure programs. Allocate 1 billion in arts and creativity-based education for recovery via the Department ofEducation, including a bridge program to incentivize retention of arts educators withineducation infrastructure. Direct the Federal Reserve to broaden their nonprofit lending facility under the Main StreetLending Program to specifically benefit mid-size nonprofits to those with more than 500employees, and a loan forgiveness option.As we face the road to economic recovery, we must prioritize creative infrastructure and the sector ofcreative and cultural institutions, particularly because they will help drive the recovery of local smallbusinesses and economies of all types. With key investments and funding, cultural institutions canpush the recovery forward across the country.Sincerely,AlabamaMobile Area Chamber, Mobile, ALArkansasGreater Bentonville Area Chamber of Commerce, Bentonville, ARArizonaVisit Tucson, Tucson, AZCaliforniaLos Angeles Area Chamber, Los Angeles, CAOrange County Business Council, Orange County, CAPacific Grove Chamber of Commerce, Pacific Grove, CASanta Monica Chamber of Commerce, Santa Monica, CAColoradoAurora Chamber of Commerce, Aurora, COBoulder Chamber of Commerce, Boulder, COCrested Butte Chamber of Commerce, Crested Butte, COConnecticutCentral Connecticut Chambers of Commerce, Bristol, CTGreater Norwalk Chamber of Commerce, Norwalk, CTMetroHartford Alliance, Hartford, CTpage 2 of 6

FloridaAMPLIFY Clearwater, Clearwater, FLGreater Miami Chamber of Commerce, Miami, FLLakeland Chamber of Commerce, Lakeland, FLGeorgiaMetro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, Atlanta, GAHawaiiChamber of Commerce of Hawaii, Honolulu, HIJapanese Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Hawaii, Honolulu, HIIdahoBoise Metro Chamber, Boise, IDIllinoisJoliet Region Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Joliet, ILOak Lawn Chamber of Commerce, Chicago, ILOak Park - River Forest Chamber of Commerce, Oak Park, ILThe Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce, Springfield, ILIndianaIndy Chamber, Indianapolis, INSouthwest Indiana Chamber of Commerce, Evansville, INIowaDuBuque Area Chamber of Commerce, DuBuque, IAIowa City Area Business Partnership, Iowa City, IAKansasSalina Area Chamber of Commerce, Salina, KSKentuckyGreater Louisville Inc., Louisville, KYLouisianaGreater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce, Shreveport, LAMarylandGaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce, Gaithersburg, MDMassachusettsCape Cod Chamber of Commerce, Cape Cod, MAGreater Boston Chamber of Commerce, Boston, MAMIddlesex West Chamber of Commerce, Acton, MANashoba Valley Chamber of Commerce, Littleton, MASpringfield Regional Chamber of Commerce, Springfield, MAStoneham Chamber of Commerce, Stoneham, MAWorcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, Worcester, MApage 3 of 6

MichiganAnn Arbor/Ypsilanti Regional Chamber, Ann Arbor, MIDetroit Regional Chamber, Detroit, MIFlint & Genesee Group, Flint, MISaginaw County Chamber of Commerce, Saginaw, MIMinnesotaMinneapolis Regional Chamber, Minneapolis, MNSt. Paul Area Chamber, St. Paul, MNMississippiMississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce, Gulfport, MSMissouriGreater St. Louis, Inc., St. Louis, MOMontanaBillings Chamber of Commerce, Billings, MTNebraskaKearney Area Chamber of Commerce, Kearney, NENevadaCarson City Chamber of Commerce, Carson City, NVReno Sparks Chamber of Commerce, Reno, NVUrban Chamber of Commerce, Las Vegas, NVNew HampshireGreater Concord Chamber of Commerce, Concord, NHGreater Manchester Chamber, Manchester, NHNew JerseyChamber of Commerce Southern New Jersey, Voorhees, NJGreater Elizabeth Chamber of Commerce, Elizabeth, NJMiddlesex County Regional Chamber of Commerce & Convention & Visitors Bureau, NewBrunswick, NJPhillipsburg Area Chamber of Commerce, Phillipsburg, NJPrinceton Mercer Regional Chamber of Commerce, Princeton, NJSomerset County Business Partnership, Bridgewater, NJSouthern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce, Long Beach Island Region, NJNew YorkTompkins County Chamber of Commerce, Ithaca, NYBrooklyn Chamber of Commerce, Brooklyn, NYCapital Region Chamber, Albany, NYGreater Rochester Chamber of Commerce, Rochester, NYpage 4 of 6

North CarolinaBoone Area Chamber of Commerce, Boone, NCCarolina Foothills Chamber of Commerce, Tryon, NCCarteret County Chamber of Commerce, Morehead City, NCRaleigh Chamber of Commerce, Raleigh, NCThe Chamber, Leading Business in Cabarrus, Concord, NCTyrrell County Chamber of Commerce, Columbia, NCWake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce, Wake Forest, NCOhioCincinnati USA Regional Chamber, Cincinnati, OHOklahomaGreater Oklahoma City Chamber, Oklahoma City, OKOregonPortland Business Alliance, Portland, ORPennsylvaniaAllentown Chamber of Commerce, Allentown, PABethlehem Chamber of Commerce, Bethlehem, PAEast Penn Area Chamber of Commerce, Lehigh Valley, PAEaston Area Chamber of Commerce, Easton, PAEmmaus Main Street Partners, Emmaus, PAErie Regional Chamber & Growth Partnership, Erie, PAGreater Bath Area Chamber of Commerce, Bath, PAGreater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, Lehigh Valley, PAGreater Northern Lehigh Chamber of Commerce, Lehigh Valley, PAGreater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce, Pittsburgh, PAHellertown-Lower Saucon Chamber of Commerce, Hellertown, PANazareth Business Council, Nazareth, PANorthampton Area Chamber of Commerce, Northampton, PASouthern Lehigh Chamber of Commerce, Lehigh Valley, PAWestern Lehigh Chamber of Commerce, Lehigh Valley, PARhode IslandGreater Newport Chamber of Commerce, Newport, RIGreater Providence Chamber of Commerce, Providence, RISouth CarolinaCharleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, North Charleston, SCGreater Columbia Chamber of Commerce, Columbia, SCGreensboro Chamber of Commerce, Greensboro, SCHilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce, Hilton Head, SCTennesseeChattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, Chattanooga, TNpage 5 of 6

TexasGreater Houston Partnership, Houston, TXMcAllen Chamber of Commerce, McAllen, TXRio Grande Valley Partnership, Weslaco, TXSan Antonio Chamber of Commerce, San Antonio, TXUtahCache Valley Chamber of Commerce, Logan, UTVirginiaChamberRVA, Richmond, VANorthern Virginia Chamber of Commerce, Tysons, VAMount Vernon Chamber of Commerce, Mount Vernon, WAWashingtonSeattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, Seattle, WAThurston County Chamber, Olympia, WAWest VirginiaHuntington Regional Chamber of Commerce, Huntington, WVWest Virginia Chamber of Commerce, Charleston, WVWisconsinEnvision Greater Fond du Lac, Fond du Lac, WIFox Cities Chamber of Commerce, Appleton, WIGreater Madison Chamber of Commerce, Madison, WIWyomingGreater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce, Cheyenne, WYpage 6 of 6

Greater Bath Area Chamber of Commerce, Bath, PA Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, Lehigh Valley, PA Greater Northern Lehigh Chamber of Commerce, Lehigh Valley, PA Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce, Pittsburgh, PA He