Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America, in conjunction with the United States Conference of Mayors, presented the 2007 National Award for Congressional Arts Leadership to U.S. Representative Betty McCollum of Minnesota. The award, which recognizes distinguished service on behalf of the arts, was presented at the 2007 Congressional Arts Breakfast on Capitol Hill.

Representative McCollum was selected for the Congressional Arts Leadership Award for her strong commitment to the arts. In both the 108th and 109th Congresses, she took action in support for the arts at the Congressional level including: voting to increase funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), co-sponsoring legislation allowing artists to claim a fair-market value tax deduction when donating their work to charity, supporting the reauthorization of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and asking for more funding for arts education.  She is also one of three House members appointed to serve on the National Council on the Arts, which advises the NEA Chairman.