Alert to All Alliance Members on Welfare Reform

From: Carmen Delgado Votaw, Senior Vice President, Public Policy

1. CONTACT YOUR GOVERNORS: As the welfare reauthorization debate heats up, it’s time for everyone to contact their governors. A recent survey http://www.aphsa.org/reauthor/ngaaphsasurvey.asp of the state leaders showed that many of them believe that the current proposals being offered by the Administration and the House Ways and Means Committee are too inflexible, too stringent and lacking in sufficient resources. Many governors and state leaders have been speaking out, but we need to ask them to continue to be vocal, courageous and insistent that the new welfare law reflects the realities of the needs of poor families. Even more so, the reauthorization must address your agency’s, city’s and state’s ability to meet -- if not solve -- those needs with compassion and honorable results.

The House has pretty much finished its hearings on welfare and its version of a reauthorization bill will most likely resemble the Administration proposal and could be passed by the whole body as early as June or July. The Senate bill is still in the formative stages with competing factions and may not be finalized until just before the September 30 reauthorization deadline. You, your governor and your state have the potential for influencing your Senators and the future of the welfare reauthorization, but ONLY IF YOU SPEAK LOUDLY AND OFTEN.

To find the address for your governor, go to http://www.nga.org/governors/1,1169,,00.html or to your state’s website (most often the state’s 2 initials, then dot us, ie http://www.ak.us). You should mail and fax your letter and send a copy of it to the state human resources director, your local state legislators, your local newspaper, coalition partners and to the Alliance public policy office (fax: 202-331-7476 or email: policy@alliance1.org).

All of you need to contact your governors now, even if you just wrote to them in March. For those of you in the following states, it is IMPERATIVE that you let these key governors know how important they are to keeping the welfare discussions focused on addressing the needs, breaking down the barriers and providing the support systems for moving families from welfare to real economic stability. We have attached the Alliance analysis of the Administration’s welfare proposal and an analysis of the House bill is available from the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities: http://www.cbpp.org/4-10-02wel.pdf

Alaska Tony Knowles (907) 465-3539
Arkansas Mike Huckabee (501) 682-3597
California Gray Davis (916) 445-4633
Georgia Roy E. Barnes (404) 657-7332
Idaho Dirk Kempthorne (208) 334-3454
Indiana Frank O’Bannon (317) 232-3443
Iowa Tom Vilsack (515) 281-6611
Kentucky Paul Patton (502) 564-2517
Louisiana Mike Foster (225) 342-7099
Maryland Parris Glendening (410) 974-3275
Michigan John Engler ( 517) 335-6863
Mississippi Ronnie Musgrove (601) 359-3741
Missouri Bob Holden (573) 751-1495
N Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen (603) 271-5686
New Jersey James McGreevey (609) 292-3454
New York George Pataki
N Carolina Michael Easley (919) 715-3175
Ohio Robert Taft (614) 466-9354)
Oregon John Kitzhaber (503) 378-4863
Tennessee Don Sundquist (615) 532-1353
Utah Mike Leavitt (801) 538-1528
Vermont Howard Dean (802) 828-3339
Washington Gary Locke (360) 753-4110
W Virginia Robert Wise (304) 342-7025

During the week of April 15, and after you’ve sent the letter to your Governor, call the local offices of your Senators and Representatives and ask to speak with the staff person who handles children's, families', women's, welfare, housing, transportation, drug and alcohol abuse, and/or juvenile justice issues (this is often the same person). Pick any or all of the above, especially the ones that you and your agency know, care about or need help with. The phone number of the Congressperson’s district office near you should be in your phone book, but you can go to your member's website and look it up: http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW.html for the House and http://www.senate.gov/senators/senator_by_state.cfm for the Senate. You can always call the Washington, D.C. offices by calling the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

It is important that your Congressional representatives and their staff know about your program, your clients, your stellar place in the community and your ability to provide real faces and success stories to bolster your requests for their support.

Many of you already know the key state and local Congressional staffers and some of you know your Senators and Representatives personally, but it is important that we all get in contact with these offices on a regular basis and stay in contact. Sometimes we need to call or visit when we DON'T have any problems or requests, and sometimes we need instant access in an emergency. Having the staff people and Member of Congress recognizing our names and agencies is half the battle.

Invite them to visit your agency or clinics or shelters. If they have been good to you, give them an award or salute them at your fundraising dinner or event. They will want to come if there is a picture or news opportunity and especially if your Board and donors are leading members of your community/region/state. Pick your battles where you can. Sometimes the most hard to reach politician will have a soft spot for kids or stopping hunger or curing a disease. They all want to be liked, at least by 51% of us, so let's make our children and families and our issues and causes one of their concerns. That way we all win.