1. A Crash Course on the Legislative Process Meredith Dodson| Director of US Poverty Campaigns Crickett Nicovich | Senior Advisor, Global Policy and Government Affairs
Crickett intro

2. Why political advocacy?
Government decisions impact everything!
However, many of us don’t know who works for us in government and will never contact our representatives and hold them accountable for their decisions. Why don’t we engage?
Why don’t we engage?

3. Goals for this session…
Demystify the legislative process
Empowerment
Confidence
Understand where you fit in and the profound impact you can have
Answering any and all questions

4. Congress 2 6 House of Representatives Senate Year Terms 435 Members
Popular
Majorities
Interests of
the State
Legislation must pass in both chambers to eventually become law

5. House of Representatives
435: allocated by population
Speaker of the House
from the majority party
sets policy agenda

6. Senate 100: allocated by state, 2 per state Majority Leader
from the majority party
sets policy agenda

7. Balance of Power

8. Committees: Each party assigns, by resolution, its own members to committees, and each committee distributes its members among subcommittees.
House Foreign Affairs
Committee
Committee Chair: presiding
and maintaining order over
committee
Ranking Member: most senior minority member
Terrorism, Nonproliferation,
& Trade
Asia & the Pacific
Europe, Eurasia, & Emerging Threats
Western Hemisphere
Each party assigns, by resolution, its own members to committees, and each committee distributes its members among subcommittees.
Middle East & North Africa
Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, & International Organizations

9. Important Committees
Appropriations (Head Start and child care funding, WIC, State and Foreign Operations – for global poverty work)
House Ways and Means and Senate Finance (tax policy)
Agriculture (SNAP, formerly Food Stamps)
Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee (authorizing legislation – like Global Partnership for Education Resolution or the Reach Act)

10. how a bill becomes a law...
someone has an idea, brings it to Congress where separate (sometimes identical) bills are drafted for the House and the Senate

11. bill introduced, sometimes on the floor by a representative or senator sponsoring the bill
Sponsors & original cosponsors
S1911 Reach Every Mother and Child of 2015
HR3706 Reach Every Mother and Child Act of 2015

12. goes to the committee with jurisdiction over the issue

13. POTUS signs (or vetoes) the bill!
bill goes to the Senate/House floor- the Majority Leader/Speaker has the sole power to call the bill for a vote
Senate VOTES!
House VOTES!
select members from both chambers form a conference committee to reconcile the differences in the bills
to make them one
House and Senate vote on final bill (“conference report”)
POTUS signs (or vetoes) the bill!

14. Example: U.S. Poverty Targets– Speaker of the House and House Ways and Means
Done
Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) | Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) | Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA)

15. Example: U.S. Poverty Targets– Senate Finance Committee
Done
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) | Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR)

16. Global Poverty Targets – Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee
Chairman Bob Corker Chairman Ed Royce
Ranking Member Ben Cardin Ranking Member Eliot Engel
And the full committee members! or

17. Global Poverty Targets – Senate and House State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Sub-Committee
Chairman Lindsay Graham Chairman Hal Rogers
Ranking Member Patrick Leahy Ranking Member Nita Lowey
And the full appropriations committee members! or

18. “Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made.”
Mobilize resources, Shape policy, Raise the profile

19. Getting Congress to Weigh in
Co-sponsoring Legislation – H.R. or S.
The Reach Every Mother and Child Act
A majority in the House cosponsored with 218 cosponsors, including 79 republicans
Over 1/3 of the Senate cosponsored , with 36 cosponsors
Co-sponsoring Resolutions – H.Res. or S. Res.
Signing Letters
Dear Colleague Sign On Letters – to their peers (Appropriations, leadership)
Letters to the Administration (Global Fund Letter, Letter on policy goals)

20. What can you do as an individual?
RESULTS video

21. KRISTY A lot of positive influence Some influence
Data from Congressional
Management Foundation
A lot of positive influence
Some influence

22. Best Practices: Developing Relationships with Policymakers
Understand what will “reach” decision makers requires research of their interests, background, and past actions
Change happens through relationships, not anonymity
Stories put a face on the issues and reach people at an emotional level
Persistence is key to getting decision makers to take action
Timing is important, so one must understand the legislative process and be proactive on deadlines.

23. Any other questions?

24. Even Messier Than It Sounds
Blown deadlines
October 1 deadline – new fiscal year
Continuing resolution (CR) for temporary funding
No CR, government shuts down (2013)
“Reconciliation”
Deficit reduction tool, expedites mandatory spending and tax legislation (Bush tax cuts, Affordable Care Act, health care bills)
KRISTY