HOW TO TALK TO CONGRESS 101 National Council of Urban Indian Health Salt Lake City May 20, 2015

HOUSES OF CONGRESS U.S. House of Representatives  435 Members of Congress  Elected by district for 2 year terms U.S. Senate  100 Members – 2 members from each state  Elected at-large by state for 6 year terms

CONGRESSIONAL STRUCTURE Textbook StructureReality

EDUCATE and OUTREACH? BUT WHY?  Give voice to your community  Inform Congress on the issues crucial to your community and program  Advocate to those Members of Congress who may be able to help you  If you are not engaged, your community’s issues may never be considered

WHERE CAN YOU ADVOCATE?

WHO SHOULD YOU BE TALKING TO?

CONTACT YOUR SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVES  Establish good relationships with Senators and Representatives from your area  Invite them to attend a cultural event or on a site visit to make them fully aware of the successes and challenges faced by those they represent  Know your District Representatives and their staff in your area and work with local offices to arrange meetings  Visit or to find your representativeshttp://

HOUSE DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP Minority Leader Nancy PelosiMinority Whip Steny Hoyer

HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP House Speaker John Boehner Majority Leather Kevin McCarthy Majority Whip Steve Scalise

SENATE LEADERSHIP Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Majority Whip John Cornyn Minority Leader Harry Reid Minority Whip Richard Durbin

IMPORTANT HOUSE REPRESENTATIVES Congressman Ken Calvert (CA-42) Chairman of Interior Subcommittee Congresswoman Betty McCollum (MN-04) Ranking Member of Interior Subcommittee and NA Caucus Co-Chair Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) NA Caucus Co-Chair Congressman Don Young (AK-AL) Chair of Subcommittee for American Indian and Alaska Native Affairs

IMPORTANT SENATE REPRESENTATIVES Maria Cantwell (WA) Member of Senate Committee on Indian Affairs John Barrasso (WY) Chair Senate Committee on Indian Affairs John Tester (MT) Vice Chair Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Lisa Murkowski (AK) Chair Interior Appropriations Tom Udall (AZ) Ranking Member Interior Appropriations

HOW TO SELECT THE RIGHT MEMBER Member of Congress you want to talk to are:  Supporters of your community  Members of a Native American Caucus  Representative Districts and States with urban Indian communities  House or Senate Leadership, Committee Chair, Subcommittee Chair, or members on relevant Committees: Appropriations, Interior Subcommittee, House of Natural Resources Subcommittee, or Indian and Alaska Native affairs and Senate Committee on Indian Affairs

HOW TO SPEAK TO CONGRESS

WHEN SPEAKING TO CONGRESS:  Arrive on time  Know your Members: who they are, when they were elected, what committees/subcommittees they are members of, their position in those committees, what types of political positions they take  Introduce yourself: who you are, why you are talking to them, what is your agenda, whose behalf you are talking on  Get to the point: you only have approximately 2-3 minutes to present your case  Be prepared to answer questions or offer assistance to provide more information and bring some materials to leave with the Members

WHEN SPEAKING TO CONGRESS: (cont.)  Assume the Member of Congress you talk to has no knowledge about American Indians and Alaska Natives  Make your remarks personal; provide examples of struggles that directly impact your community  Have knowledge of who in Congress is also working on the issues you are presenting: direct the Member to that person  Follow up with a thank you

IF YOU CANNOT SPEAK – WRITE!!!!  If you cannot get a meeting with a Congressional Member, write a letter on behalf of your urban program  is the most efficient way to send the letter to the person who handles the issues you are addressing  Organize a letter- writing campaign and involve your urban Indian community  Write a letter to the editor in your local paper or get media coverage

NCUIH LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES  Full funding of the Indian Health Service at billion dollars  100% Federal Medical Assistance Percentage for Urban Indian Health Programs  Federal Tort Claim Act Coverage for Urban Indian Health Programs  Alignment of Definition of “Indian” in the Affordable Care Act

WHEN TO TALK TO CONGRESS – LEGISLATIVE CALENDAR  Early February – Presidential Budget release  Late Winter- Early Spring  Appropriation advocacy is extremely crucial during that period as it is the time to testify before appropriate committees and it is the time to have a meeting with Congressional staff.  Summer – Bills are being discussed/amended  August – Recess  September – October – final decisions on bills are being made  November – December – Bills are being passed

LEGISLATIVE CALENDAR

ADMINISTRATION: WHO MAKES REGULATORY DECISIONS

SO WHAT IS THE ISSUE?  Regulatory Bureaucracy There are over 20,000 pages of Affordable Care Act related regulations

LET YOUR OPINION BE HEARD

TRIBAL CONSULTATIONS & URBAN CONFERRING  Tribal Consultations and Urban Conferring Sessions are crucial opportunities to have your voice heard as it is an important chance to talk about your community’s concerns or needs directly to government officials.

REMEMBER  It is crucial to talk to Congress to make them aware of changes that have to be done  Do not work alone – get your community involved  Work with all branches of Government

Thank You! Questions?  Ask Rudy Soto Policy Analyst, NCUIH