LSA Washington – March 23, 2009

A regular publication from the LSA Public Policy Office

Serve America Act on Senate Floor; Concerns Raised About Two Issues

The Senate is scheduled to consider and vote on S. 277, the Serve America Act, early this week, with a cloture vote scheduled for 6:00 p.m. ET today, which, if passed, would result in the legislation being considered tomorrow, Tuesday. The House passed a similar bill, the GIVE Act, H.R. 1388, last week, which includes provisions of concern to some in the nonprofit community. Senators and their staffs have reported that they are not hearing from constituents on these issues and are not likely to make legislative changes without hearing from constituents. Click here to see if your Senator is a member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. HELP Committee members have considered the legislation in committee and have greater influence on the legislation. The National Senior Corps Association and Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest are asking for advocacy on the following issues:

• changes to three provisions in the Serve America Act regarding Senior Corps; details can be found here
• a provision included in the GIVE Act by Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) which would create constricting prohibitions on participation in national service programs by nonprofit organizations; details can be found here.

If you contact Senate offices, please email Lisa Carr with who you called and their response.

--Lisa Carr

Meetings with the Obama Administration and Other Great Opportunities

The LSA Annual Conference is quickly approaching! We hope that you will join us for meetings with members of the Obama Administration, members of Congress and their staffs, and the Hill reception in the beautiful Russell Caucus Room. Here are details for some of the many great opportunities the LSA Annual Conference affords:

Meetings with the Obama Administration LSA is requesting meetings with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the Domestic Policy Council, the Office of Public Liaison, the Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, the Office of Health Care Reform, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Administration on Children and Families, the Administration on Aging, and the Corporation for National and Community Service. Please email Lisa Carr if you would like to attend one or more of these meetings. They are being scheduled for the afternoons of April 29 and 30. We may not be able to accept all requests, but we look forward to hearing from you.

Meetings with your members of Congress and their staff It is not too late to request meetings. The afternoons of April 29 and 30 are the best time for Hill meetings. To find contact information for your members of Congress, go to www.senate.gov and www.house.gov. If you want to meet with your Senators or Representative(s), contact their scheduler and request an appointment. Most offices still require a meeting request that states the topics you would like to discuss, date and time that you would like to meet, and information about your organization. Members of Congress usually invite their legislative staff to meetings with constituents, so this will be a good opportunity to get meet the congressional staff as well. If you want to meet with the congressional staff only, contact the congressional office and ask for a meeting with the legislative assistant who focuses on the issue that you would like to discuss.

If you are not sure what to talk about in your meetings on Capitol Hill, you can learn about LSA’s priority issues on our website. You may want to attend the public policy teleconferences in April. You may also want to attend the Hill Visit Preparation session on Wednesday, April 29 from 9:45 to 10:45 am and the Issue Briefings on April 29 from 11:00 to noon. If you have questions, would like more information, or have already scheduled meetings, please contact Lisa Hassenstab. If you want to join others in meetings that have already been scheduled, contact Lisa H as well.

Invite your members of Congress to our Reception on the Hill from 5:30 to 7:00 pm on Wednesday, April 29 in Russell Office Building – SR-325. The reception is a great opportunity for members of Congress to make brief comments before LSA member CEOs and staff. Congressional staff members are also invited to attend and meet in a more informal environment with LSA members. If members of Congress or their staff you have invited indicate they will attend the reception, please email Lisa Hassenstab with their name and, if they are staff, what member of Congress they work for.

Not yet registered for the conference? Early bird registration for the 2009 LSA Annual Conference is available until March 25. Register now to receive $30 off your registration fee. Better yet, gather three or more colleagues to attend the LSA Annual Conference, and receive a group rate that will save you $60 per person. Registration is quick and easy online!

--Lisa Carr

Nominate Your Members of Congress for an LSA Congressional Award

LSA will once again give awards to members of Congress who support important legislation and support LSA members in their work of loving and serving neighbors. Six awards will be given to members of Congress at the Congressional Reception Wednesday night. Please send your nomination to the LSA DC office with the word “awards” in the subject line. The deadline for nominations is close of business March 30. Two of the awards will be given by LSA-DN to members of Congress who have made an important contribution to the lives of people with disabilities. If you would like to make a nomination for one of those awards, please e-mail Heather Ansley, LSA-DN's Director of Policy and Advocacy, by March 27.

--Lisa Carr and Heather Ansley

Participate in LSA's Video Campaigns

Participate in LSA’s Video Campaigns. LSA is launching two video campaigns, and you are invited to join in! Choose from one of two options, or do both. Amateurs encouraged! These exciting opportunities are accessible to everyone.

• Answering the Call – 90 second videos that illuminate some aspect of the way in which your organization is answering the call to love and serve our neighbors (feel free to make more than one). These videos will be used during advocacy visits, featured on the LSA website, and other opportunities where we can share the work of LSA organizations through videos.
• Imagine the Future – 90 second videos that interview people (staff, clients, board members, people in congregations or the "man on the street") about what a "society that values generosity, inclusion, justice and mutual care" would look like in action. These videos will be the springboard for work on one of LSA’s new desired outcomes "LSA and its members, in partnership with others, are leading a movement of hope and grace toward a society that values generosity, inclusion, justice and mutual care."

We ask you to post your video(s) on YouTube, and contact Jeanean Merkel with the link to your video so we can add it to LSA’s channel on YouTube.

--Lisa Hassenstab

Community Choice Act to be Reintroduced This Week

This week, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and U.S. Representative Danny Davis (D-IL) will reintroduce the Community Choice Act in the Senate and the House. The Community Choice Act would amend Title XIX of the Social Security Act (Medicaid) to require state Medicaid plans to cover community-based attendant services and supports. The legislation defines community-based attendant services and supports as "attendant services and supports furnished to an individual, as needed, to assist in accomplishing activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living and health-related tasks through hands-on assistance, supervision, or cueing." These services and supports would allow people eligible to receive services in an institutional setting to live in their communities.

For more information about this legislation, please participate in LSA-DN's March public policy conference call. This call will provide an update on this and other legislation important to LSA-DN's public policy priorities. To participate, please register by noon on March 25. You may also register online by visiting www.lsadnadvocacy.org.

--Heather Ansley

Upcoming LSA Public Policy Conference Calls

Please join the LSA public policy team and featured speakers for a series of conference calls on LSA's priority issues. To RSVP for the calls, please e-mail the LSA DC office.