1. Government Affairs Committee (GAC)
of Advocacy
Government Affairs Committee (GAC)

2. What We’ll Cover “Lobbying” v. “Advocacy” Staying Out of Trouble
Signatures
Moving an Issue Forward
Identifying “Players” & Coalition Partners

3. “Lobbying” v. “Advocacy”
Laws and regulations vary state to state, jurisdiction to jurisdiction, country to country, so consult the law no matter what
It is your responsibility to know what can and can’t be done (see the governing documents) – and to convey the same to your chapter chairs

4. “Lobbying” v. “Advocacy”
In Simplest Terms…
Lobbying
Payment for your time

5. “Lobbying” v. “Advocacy”
In Simplest Terms…
Advocacy
No payment for your time

6. Staying Out of Trouble
It is your responsibility to know what can and can’t be done (see the governing documents) – and to convey the same to your chapter chairs

7. Staying Out of Trouble ROB Section 2.433 MCO Section 2.6 GGAC MOP
GGAC Resource Manual
GGAC Public Policy Priorities

8. Staying Out of Trouble Clearinghouse Technical resource
Appointment (not election) of members to governmental bodies

9. Staying Out of Trouble
No conflicts with official ASHRAE policy, documents, standards, MOUs, etc.
Don’t jeopardize nonprofit [e.g., 501(c)(3)] status

10. Signatures
Signature blocks specific to ASHRAE – region, chapter, section
Separate blocks for ASHRAE and corporate s
No non-ASHRAE designations (save PE) in ASHRAE signatures

11. Signatures
Jeff Gatlin, PE
Director and Regional Chair, ASHRAE Region VII
In Care Of:
Thompson Engineers, Inc.
Etc., Etc.
Jeff Gatlin, PE, LEED AP, CxA Vice President and Co-Owner Thompson Engineers, Inc. Etc., Etc.

12. Moving an Issue Forward
Refer to resources
Policy priorities list
RVCs
Other chapters
Staff liaison
Website

13. Moving an Issue Forward
Identify a chapter “lead” – it may or may not be the chair – to develop a plan of action and communicate it to the RVC

14. Moving an Issue Forward
An RVC may make connections between chapters vis-à-vis regional trends
The staff liaison can assist the RVC regarding trends from a Society-wide perspective

15. Identifying “Players”
Engineering licensure board
Energy efficiency/codes staff in the state energy office
Any engineers in the legislature
Chairs of key committees

16. Identifying Coalition Partners
Be judicious and strategic when deciding who to partner with
ICC
USGBC

17. QUESTIONS?