The Power of A

Of the many professional benefits to attending American Associations Day, one of the most important for association professionals is the ability to create relationships with members of Congress and their staff from your state.  The meetings that an attendee has with lawmakers and their staff can be the beginning of an important partnership between offices to work on mutual issues of interest, both association management issues and your own association’s issues.

However, the fly-in is particularly advantageous to associations located in smaller states as it allows them more time to create a relationship with their Congressional delegation.  Susan Bitter Smith, CAE, is the Executive Director of the Arizona- New Mexico Cable Telecommunications Association and an annual fly-in attendee.  When she was asked why she values attending American Associations Day, this was her response:

I am a veteran of the ASAE DC Fly-In.  I continue to come because it truly is vitally important for a Member of Congress and Congressional staff to put faces to the names that sign e-mails and letters to them on issues     Arizona and New Mexico do not have a large numbers in their Congressional delegation so I may actually get an opportunity to see the elected Member when they are back home. The people I don’t get to see at home are the members of the Washington staff and they are truly key in getting our concerns across. In this day of instant communication via technology (certainly important to my Association members!) I still believe eye to eye communication has the most value!  The only way to do that is to take time out and make the trip to D.C.!

Association executives, staff, and volunteer leaders can make those important connections at American Associations Day, March 23-24 2010.  Please take a moment to register for the event and apply for a scholarship, view the schedule of events, and even download a guide to why you should attend the event.

Last year, ASAE launched the “Power of A” campaign, an interactive campaign designed not only to educate the public and lawmakers about how associations are social and economic drivers, but to engage the association community in a discussion about how individual associations show the Power of A.  The Power of A campaign will continue in the new year, and we are happy to introduce some new features.

The first is the addition of information and content on the upcoming American Associations Day 2010, March 23-24 2010.  American Associations Day has traditionally been the event for association leaders from across the country to visit their Congressional delegation and share how their associations benefit society, as well as advocate of important association management issues such as health care, tax reform, and association meetings.  This year’s event will incorporate the Power of A message, and participants will see a new format and emphasis on the Power of A on both days of the event.  ASAE is currently planning these changes, and we will continually update this site with information on changes and improvements to the event.  Additionally, we plan on including new links and information about American Associations Day on this site and will announce when the site changes are complete.

ASAE will also announce new features on this site that will in many ways help associations show how valuable our profession is to both society and the economy.  While some of steps are in the final planning stage and others will be unveiled throughout the year, the Power of A site will continue to be your hub for association information and statistics that ANY association can use to show their value.

However, we want to hear from you: what would YOU like to see from the Power of A in 2010? Respond in the comment section below or add the hashtag #pwra to a Tweet with your suggestion.  You can also contact the ASAE Public Policy Department at (202) 626-2703 or publicpolicy@asaenet.org.

The Power of A and ASAE will begin its holiday hours next week and as such the site will only be updated if there is a major story or issue breaking.  However, check back with us in the new year for new content and the continuation of the Power of A campaign, including items like:

• Announcements on the AAA and Summit Award winners
• More stories on how associations are improving society
• Updates on American Associations Day
• Analysis of legislative and regulatory issues that affect the association profession.

As always please contact the Public Policy Department with questions or suggestion at (202) 626-2703 or publicpolicy@asaenet.org.

This Friday is the deadline for associations to submit their programs for the ASAE & The Center Associations Advance America (AAA) Awards. Don’t lose out on your opportunity to have your association recognized for the good work it does for society!

The Power of A often posts examples of programs that benefit society, but we want your associations to receive more than a post on this site: we want your association to be honored for its work and receive recognition from the entire association community.

That is the purpose of the ASAE Associations Advance America (AAA) Awards: recognition of association programs that propel American forward - with innovative projects in skills training and development; ethical, technical or professional standards; economic development; business and social innovation; information and knowledge creation; public education and information; civic and community volunteer activities; and citizenship and democracy enhancement.

In the current economy individuals and the government are more reliant than ever on nonprofits organizations to perform important social services and advocacy campaigns.  Your association is doing exactly that - why not take a few moments to enter it for a AAA Award?  Six of the AAA Award winners at the end of the year will be recognized as Summit Award winners - the highest honor that can be given to an association program.

Join associations like the Iowa Dental Association, Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, and the School Nutrition Association in submitting your association’s contribution to society for an award.

Click here for the online application; click here for more details.

Quick Hits

Senator Collins (R-ME) makes some suggestions for the health care bill that could potentially win her vote… The Carper amendment that would change the public plan opt-out will be ready to be introduced next week… The Afghan war tax may be off the table, signaling the need for a new way to pay for the war.

Saturday night the House of Representatives passed HR 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, by a vote of 220-215.  Thirty-nine Democrats crossed the aisle to vote with all but one Republican against the bill.

The Wall Street Journal has a breakdown of how the bill will impact different constituencies, and more in-depth information on specific provisions can be found in this previous Power of A post.

The major debate on Saturday afternoon was over the inclusion of the Stupak amendment, one of only two amendments the House Rules Committee allowed to be considered before the final vote.  The Stupak amendment modified the bill’s abortion language to prohibit insurance plans that participated in the exchange from using any funds to cover abortion.  The amendment passed 240-194 with one present vote, and the second amendment, a Republican substitute, was defeated 176-258, with one Republican voting no and one Democrat not voting.

All eyes now turn toward the Senate to see if the House vote will spur renewed action on that chamber’s merged bill.  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) expects the Congressional Budget Office scores of his proposals to be released by the end of the week, but the Democratic leadership is still trying to line up 60 votes to proceed with passage of the bill.  The New York Times has a summary of the potentially key Democratic votes in the debate.

Quick Hits

The Washington Post examines how the economy is hitting trade associations (with ASAE data)… The IRS publishes a new compliance guide for non-501(c)(3) organizations… A profile of the lone Republican health care vote, Rep. Anh Cao (pronounced “Gow”)… The Wall Street Journal profiles the “no” votes in the Democratic caucus… Politico gives a behind-the-scenes look at the debates within the Democratic caucus over the final vote.

Yesterday, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce launched the Campaign for Free Enterprise, a multifaceted effort to drive job creation in the private sector.  Showing the power of an association to be an economic driver, the campaign has a goal of creating 20 million jobs over the next decade, replacing the 7 million lost during the current recession and creating 13 million more needed, according to the Chamber, to spur development in the next decade.  The campaign’s website notes that it aims to spur development in tandem with government efforts at short-term stimulus of the economy.

The campaign is beginning with a major television, radio, and internet ad campaign designed to gain attention and support for the effort.  The Chamber also seeks to gain young professional support through social networking and specific events, plus hold think tank events and seminars to design best economic practices.  For the politically minded, the campaign site has a grassroots list that people can join to support “free enterprise principles.”

Visitors to the campaign site (http://www.freeenterpriseamerica.com/) can participate by signing a Free Enterprise Pledge, uploading videos about their free enterprise experiences, and signing up to attend forums in their community.  The site also has the traditional social networking tools to allow information on the campaign to be spread easily.

“This campaign isn’t about partisan politics–it’s about preserving the American Dream for this and future generations through low taxation, reasonable regulations, a doubling of American exports, and free and vibrant capital markets,” wrote Chamber CEO Tom Donohue in an online editorial.  The campaign has also received coverage in The Hill, Roll Call (subscription), and CNN.

Quick Hits

The White House sends staff to Congressional health care negotiations to represent the president’s views… The Congressional Budget Office discusses the costs and savings of climate change legislation… Some Democrats reconsider health care proposals that would affect insurance companies and threaten to enact tougher policies.

The Senate Finance Committee yesterday continued to debate the list of amendments to its comprehensive health care reform legislation, but conspicuously absent from the discussion were any amendments tied to the major issues being discussed by members of Congress and the media, according to Politico.  At the beginning of yesterday’s hearing, the first amendment discussed was Senator John Kerry’s (D-MA) changes to the tax on “Cadillac” insurance plans.  However, the discussion was quickly ended when Kerry stated his intention to withdraw his amendment, stopping the debate over a major proposal to pay for health care reform.  Instead, it looks like he will reintroduce the amendment on the Senate floor.  Public option alternative amendments by Senators Carper and Snowe, which have been discussed by Senate leadership in recent days as major proposals, are also not scheduled to be debated by the committee.

The result is that the Finance Committee markup will be completed by the end of the week, allowing for the merging of the Finance and HELP Committee legislation.  Senate Majority Leader Reid yesterday told reporters he was cancelling the Columbus Day recess, setting aside that time for a floor debate on health care.  It seems likely that it is during that debate that we will see (depending on the content of the merged bill) debates on a version of the public option (or a trigger for the public option) as well as ways to pay for the Senate legislation.

Debate yesterday instead focused mostly on social issues, including abortion and immigration.  A list of all amendments and the votes can be found at the America’s Health Insurance Plans website, but some amendments of note include:

-          The Ensign/Carper amendment that would allow employers to adjust health care premiums based on the workers’ healthy or unhealthy behavior (Passed 19-3).

-          A Grassley amendment to remove the $6 billion fee on insurance companies (Failed 10-13).

-          A Nelson amendment to allow seniors to claim a tax deduction if their catastrophic insurance costs exceeds 7.5% of their income (Passed 14-9).

Quick Hits

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce urges its members to oppose Wyden amendment C-1 that requires large employers to offer at least two health care plans to employees…  CBO failed to include an exemption for hospitals in the Finance bill’s Medicare cost-cutting commission, skewing the score (subscription)… The White House tax reform panel holds its first public hearing yesterday and hears from some associations… Senators Kerry and Boxer introduce the Senate climate change legislation… The Washington Post tries to define a “Cadillac” plan.

Kris Cook, CAE, is the Executive Director of the National Affordable Housing Management Association (NAHMA) and the 2008-2009 Chair of the ASAE Public Policy Committee.

1.      As chair of ASAE’s Public Policy Committee, what are some of the most important legislative or regulatory issues at the federal level for the association community?

ASAE regularly surveys its members to track their top issues of concern, and the number one issue has been, and will likely continue to be, health care reform. I think there is so much riding on the current federal policy debate that almost every American, every business, every association, will want to follow the process and perhaps weigh in with their thoughts and questions. I think most Americans agree that health care reform is needed - but that’s where the consensus seems to end. As the process moves forward, I’m hopeful that it is focused on informed discussion aimed at tackling some of the key health care challenges, such as cost and availability - and that it doesn’t devolve into dueling sound bites and scare-tactic rhetoric aimed more at next year’s mid-term election outcomes than meaningful reform.

Other key federal issues impacting the association community are the Congressional focus on nonprofit governance reform, restrictions on lobbying issued by the Obama administration related to implementation of the Recovery Act, compliance with the new IRS Form 990, bills or other initiatives that would negatively affect the business travel industry, possible reduction of the charitable tax deduction for donors whose income exceeds $250,000, campaign finance reform, and postal reforms. ASAE regularly posts policy updates on these issues at www.asaecenter.org/advocacy.

2.      From your perspective as the Executive Director of NAHMA, what is the key to the country’s economic recovery?

I think two areas are very important - and are related - the housing industry, and employment opportunities. NAHMA and other advocates for multifamily (apartment) housing for years have talked about the need for a balanced national housing policy. We believe that the over-emphasis in the previous six to eight years on the “ownership society” and owning your own home helped propel some Americans into purchasing their own homes - some with risky financing - when perhaps the best solution for their housing needs at the time was renting. This over-emphasis on home ownership helped fuel the housing bubble, and when the bubble collapsed - well, we all know what’s happened as a result. Economic recovery will need to include restored health to the home-ownership market, but it will also need to include a vibrant and healthy multifamily housing industry - so that Americans have the opportunity to choose quality, affordable homes that meet their financial and lifestyle needs. Unfortunately, the country’s financial meltdown has caused investments in the main program that funds development and preservation of affordable multifamily housing to all but cease. The second key area is unemployment: without work, Americans can’t afford the basic necessities of life - food and clothing, housing, medical care, etc. An economic recovery without jobs for Americans is not a sustainable recovery.

3.      How is NAHMA using some association best practices to advocate for multifamily property owners and managers?

In ASAE’s Seven Measures of Success, the seven measures are aligned in three categories: Commitment to Purpose, Commitment to Analysis and Feedback, and Commitment to Action. While NAHMA stays focused on the seven measures, we find the three broad categories serve as very helpful benchmarks for all that we do. For example, we are very committed to the strategic planning process, and our current plan is short (just under 3 pages) but very detailed (outlining some 20 key goals across 3 program areas). More than half of the goals are advocacy related - and these goals direct all that we do - and don’t do - on an ongoing basis. While the high-level goals are enumerated, strategies and tactics are not. Instead, ongoing development and implementation of strategies and tactics is left to our committees and staff - which provides an excellent opportunity for continuing analysis and feedback between members, staff and other stakeholders. It also helps us be very flexible in our advocacy approach as external circumstances may alter the environment in which we work (such as a national presidential election). To keep the feedback broad, we publish an online “question of the month” survey to all members on the latest topics of concern, and we always publish the previous month’s answers, as well as use these to help direct our advocacy efforts. All of this dovetails into our commitment to successful action, which we track via a one-page strategic plan dashboard tool, as well as a detailed quarterly report of activities and results.

4.      ASAE talks about associations as “economic drivers”.  How do you see the association community as a whole driving economic recovery?

I believe that virtually every American - whether he or she realizes it or not - is a member of or is affiliated with at least one type of association, charitable organization or professional society. Thus collectively, the association community represents the interests of virtually every American - whether it’s their profession, industry, union, cultural or lifestyle interests, you name it. To me its basic math: the American people are the lifeblood of our country’s economic engine - and associations serve the interests of the American people.

In light of the economic downturn and its connection to the housing market, the high rate of foreclosures and other financial practices, the Obama administration proposed in June a new federal agency to regulate the consumer marketplace in a variety of areas.  As with any federal proposal, associations have weighed in on both sides.

The proposal, which has been introduced in the House as HR 3126, would create an agency called the Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA) that would protect consumers from fraudulent financial practices and provide timely and concise information on best financial practices. The CFPA would have rulemaking authority and would be the primary enforcement authority for consumer protection statutes. It would draw existing authority from numerous agencies, but primarily the FTC. In exchange, the FTC would still be permitted to enforce consumer protection statutes not acted upon by the CFPA and would fall under streamlined regulatory procedures.  You can read a concise outline of some of CFPA’s authority here.

Supporters of the legislation argue that the economic downturn is directly tied to the practices of financial institutions, and more strenuous government oversight is required to check these practices.  The American Association for Justice, the association representing America’s trial lawyers, is a member of the Fair Arbitration Now Coalition, which argues that the “forced arbitration” clauses in many consumer contracts (like credit card bills) makes many financial contracts one-sided and unfairly gives the advantage in disputes to the company, not the consumer.  You can read more about the coalition’s testimony before the Senate Banking Committee here.

Other associations are equally concerned about financial malpractice, but argue that the CFPA would compound, not solve, the problem.  The US Chamber of Commerce and other trade associations sent a letter to the House Financial Services Committee (which is the committee of jurisdiction for HR 3126) arguing that more time and debate is needed to determine the impact of the legislation on business practices.  For example, the letter contends that the legislation gives the agency broad oversight without an adequate check to their rulemaking authority, thus allowing the agency to create new rules without adequate vetting.

Do you think the proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency is a good idea?

Quick Hits

Speaker Pelosi reiterates that she thinks the House health care bill can pass today… but the prospect of passage in the House remains in doubt as negotiations continue… The CBO scores the Medpac proposal as saving $2 billion over ten years, much less than House leaders hoped… CBO also said the Senate HELP bill would drive 9 million people from employer-sponsored to government-sponsored insurance, but employer-sponsored plans would gain 12 million people by 2016… The New York Times has a chart describing the impact of the reform proposals.