Dear Hecate
Our statewide coalition has taken your advice about our budget campaign since the beginning. We started last fall to brief all the appropriate administration line staff, Administration and Finance and finally the Governor’s staff and the Governor himself. House 2 included a modest increase in one of our line items—(not as much as we need to repair the program, so we’re asking the Legislature for the full amount) - and a new line item that was again, not as much as we needed, so we’ve been lobbying the Legislature to increase that one too.
We’ve built a team of opinion leaders in the House and Senate each of whom met with their Leadership last month to say we are on their list of budget priorities. With all the talk about budget cuts, we’ve been asking all of the Reps and Senators if they would be ready to offer amendments to our line items should they be underfunded, and they’ve all said they would either file an amendment on their own or sign on to somebody else’s amendment. (Except for some folks on the Leadership team, who say they can’t file amendments – what’s that about?)
House Ways and Means is going to report out their version of the budget next week. Have we missed anything? What do we do next?
Determined to Win
Dear Determined
If the HW&M Budget does come out next Wednesday, which is the week before April vacation, by the way, the House, in formal session sometimes that week, will pass a resolution that sets out the rules for offering amendments and the rules for floor debate itself. The House resolution will be quite specific about the form of amendments and the deadline by which the amendment must be filed – traditionally by 5:00 pm on Friday. There are also rules governing how Reps sign on in support of other Reps amendments as well as the deadline for doing that.
For the last couple of years it has gone as follows: the HW&M recommendations come out on the Wed before April vacation and is available on the web at http://www.mass.gov/legis/ by noon. By 4:00 in the afternoon the House Clerks office and House Ways and Means begin to receive and record amendments electronically from individual Reps and have set up a system for receiving and recording the names of Reps supporting each amendment.
You have two jobs during this time.
1. Analyze your line items, help your team of Reps to chose primary sponsors among themselves, and help their staff compose and file correctly worded amendments and file them ON TIME.
2. Direct your statewide network to call their own Reps to ask them to sign on to your amendments and to commit to attending the appropriate budget caucus ( more on budget caucus later) to advocate for your amendment. Please note you will not have a budget number for your amendment. Make up a title that includes the sponsor’s name. “Please sign on to Rep Sweetie’s amendment to establish a court of fairness.”
The House Ways and Means Chairman and staff spend their April vacations sorting out all the amendments by line item, preparing a summary of each amendment including the cost/savings and compiling a report sorted further by department and distributing that report to the Members. That list is available to the public via the House Clerks office and at some point is put on the House Budget website. At some point during April vacation, the HW&M Chair and staff meet with HW&M Members and the Leadership to begin drafting “consolidated amendments” by department or agency which will be presented in a budget caucus (more on budget caucus later ) during the House floor debate.
1. Continue with job two above.
2. Get out the briefing packages you used for meetings with House Ways and Means staff, update them if necessary and drop off the package to your sponsors and to the staff. You probably won’t be able to get into meet with staff during vacation week, but you should make yourself available for any questions.
3. Check out the final amendment list to identify any amendments that you consider dangerous to your program and consult with your supporters to devise a strategy to make sure they do not survive the budget process.
House floor debate will open with a tough times, tough decisions speech by the Chair of Ways and Means, followed by the Minority party moving debate on some specific budget line items and some “off budget” items like tax cuts, spending caps and debate rules. All of that might take up a whole day and a half. Let’s just say attendance drops off a little bit. At some point the presiding officer will announce “Members interested in discussing the consolidated amendment for the Department of (Whatever) will be meeting in 10 minutes in room 342. And the House goes in recess while some of the Members go into room 342 for a budget caucus on this particular agency. Once in budget caucus the HW&M Chair or Vice Chair, W&M staff, often the Chair of the Committee with expertise on the agency reviews the consolidated amendment – often 5 to 10 pages of single spaced text listing the text of some of the amendments filed earlier, and some amendments that were not filed earlier. Reps who are able to find their own amendments in the consolidate amendment are happy, and Reps who are not able to find their amendments are not, and so starts the most important part of the House Budget debate. The budget caucus might last 1 hour, might last two hours, might be recessed for further consultation. The governing rule for budget caucuses is “S/he who pays attention and stays till the end of the caucus wins something.“ Reps confer with each other, confer with the W&M staff, appeal in private conversation with the Chair or Vice Chair, speak up on behalf of their amendment, speak up against the inclusion of another amendment, form mini caucuses outside room 342, leave the caucus to confer with the Leadership, or entreat their colleagues to join them in the caucus and so on. Eventually the Chair declares the close of the caucus and unhappy Reps are permitted to “pull” their amendments for later debate on the floor. These announcements go on every few hours, and yes sometimes there are two caucuses going on at the same time, and the House Chamber itself it quiet.
Your job is to monitor the House session all the time and prepare to jump up when you hear the announcement of the budget caucus dealing with the department/agency funded by the line items affected by your amendments. Call out your supporters from the floor, go to their offices, check out the lunch room, call them on their cell phones, and ask them, beg them to get into the caucus to fight for your amendments. Hand them another set of briefing papers and station yourself at the ropes outside the House Chamber. If you have a phone tree set up this is the time to trigger calls to your network to call their Reps and tell them you are hoping they are in the caucus fighting for our amendments. Meanwhile you are still waiting out on the ropes with about 25 other lobbyists. Sometimes you can recruit a staff person to go in and find out what’s going on, sometimes one of your supporters will come out to ask a question. Sooner or later one of your supporters will come out of the caucus and say we got it, we got part of it, we got promise for a later supplemental, we didn’t get it. Your sponsor might say, I’m going to pull the amendment and debate it on the floor, we won’t win, but it’s important to make a point.
After the close of the caucus the amended consolidated amendment is copied for all the Members, distributed on House Floor and after a review of the consolidated amendment by the Chair, Vice Chair or the Committee Chair who presided over the caucus, various Reps stand up to say everything from this is wonderful compromise to I’m really disappointed, but times are tough to I’m really angry and am going to vote no and offer my amendment separately.
Your job is to say thank you for being there and fighting for us whether they won something or not, and to call your network to say the same thing to their own Reps. Now take your copy of the consolidated amendment and go over it carefully to spot any technical errors and share them with your sponsors. This lively caucus process almost guarantees that there will be typos and punctuation mistakes that can be helpful or devastating to your program, and HW&M will be looking for stuff that needs to be fixed in a very last amendment before budget debate ends. Of course thatlast amendment is doomed to have a couple of mistakes that can be only resolved in conference.
PS Re: Leadership not filing amendments. What’s that about?
It’s about the fact that it’s their budget, that’s what it’s about.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Sunday, March 09, 2008
What do we have to do to get our bill to an up or down vote before the budget?
Dear Hecate:
I was really irritated to hear that the Speaker was going to have a an "up or down" vote on the Governor's Casino bill before the House began it's debate on the budget. As I understand it that means the bill will have it's hearing at the Joint Committee on Economic Development & Technical Development, get reported out favorably to House Ways and Means Committe and then get reported out of Ways and Means favorably before it can go to the House Floor for a vote. All in a few weeks.
Now our bill, which by the way, will provide living wages for many more than 30,000 people, has been around for a long time, had it's hearing before the joint committee and was reported favorably to House Ways and Means a month ago. We've had many meetings with the appropriate staff and Members of Ways and Means to brief them on the facts and we have a majority of Reps and Senators committed to vote for us.
I know it's not first come first serve, but please explain.
Irritated
Dear Irritated,
Looks like you're doing your homework, and it is early in a two year session. As for the Governor cutting ahead, there is not much to explain, other than Governors often are granted early consideration as a courtesy.
I was really irritated to hear that the Speaker was going to have a an "up or down" vote on the Governor's Casino bill before the House began it's debate on the budget. As I understand it that means the bill will have it's hearing at the Joint Committee on Economic Development & Technical Development, get reported out favorably to House Ways and Means Committe and then get reported out of Ways and Means favorably before it can go to the House Floor for a vote. All in a few weeks.
Now our bill, which by the way, will provide living wages for many more than 30,000 people, has been around for a long time, had it's hearing before the joint committee and was reported favorably to House Ways and Means a month ago. We've had many meetings with the appropriate staff and Members of Ways and Means to brief them on the facts and we have a majority of Reps and Senators committed to vote for us.
I know it's not first come first serve, but please explain.
Irritated
Dear Irritated,
Looks like you're doing your homework, and it is early in a two year session. As for the Governor cutting ahead, there is not much to explain, other than Governors often are granted early consideration as a courtesy.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
What we want our government to do and how we pay for it.
Dear Hecate:
I just wanted to thank you for advising us to add a "revenue message" as we lobbied our state legislators for our budget line item this winter. The best part was going in with some of our allies who were lobbying their related budget line item and being able to say -- "We are tired of competing with each other for limited resources and asking you to make "tough choices" between us. We know there is a revenue shortfall and we know you and your colleagues will have to find some new revuenues to be able to keep our programs going and we know that may mean additional taxes. We are asking you is to work with your colleagues to make sure that those taxes are fair, adequate and a stable source of income to pay for the kind of government we want. Every single one of the people we talked to said it was about time they heard this message, and wished more advocates were saying the same thing.
Not afraid to talk Taxes
Dear Not Afraid,
You are very welcome. Nice to know it's working. Now all we have to do is get more people on this little straight talk express.
I just wanted to thank you for advising us to add a "revenue message" as we lobbied our state legislators for our budget line item this winter. The best part was going in with some of our allies who were lobbying their related budget line item and being able to say -- "We are tired of competing with each other for limited resources and asking you to make "tough choices" between us. We know there is a revenue shortfall and we know you and your colleagues will have to find some new revuenues to be able to keep our programs going and we know that may mean additional taxes. We are asking you is to work with your colleagues to make sure that those taxes are fair, adequate and a stable source of income to pay for the kind of government we want. Every single one of the people we talked to said it was about time they heard this message, and wished more advocates were saying the same thing.
Not afraid to talk Taxes
Dear Not Afraid,
You are very welcome. Nice to know it's working. Now all we have to do is get more people on this little straight talk express.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Our Earmark in the Budget.
Dear Hecate
Why are budget earmarks a dirty word? Our little program is targeted to a very specific population in our community, and our not-so-very-powerful Rep has been able to protect us every year in the budget by "earmarking" some funds for us in the line item that funds programs like ours. In fact the line item is full of earmarks for other programs like ours from all over the state. We all still go through the RFP process, fill out all the forms and fill out all the reports justifying every single penny. We're all subject to audits, we all must make sure our programs meet state standards and follow regulations. We just don't have to compete with each other. I don't get it.
Good guy provider
Dear Good Guy,
Do not spend another second worrying about what anybody else thinks about earmarks. Get to work with your not so powerful Rep and make sure he gets your earmark in his list of priorites to Chairman DeLeo. As you may already know, the Chairman has sent out a letter to all Reps asking them for a letter listing their individual priorities by Feb 11. The letter also asks each Rep to schedule a meeting with the Chairman to justify the list. Now, stop reading this and star putting together the briefing material for your Rep.
Why are budget earmarks a dirty word? Our little program is targeted to a very specific population in our community, and our not-so-very-powerful Rep has been able to protect us every year in the budget by "earmarking" some funds for us in the line item that funds programs like ours. In fact the line item is full of earmarks for other programs like ours from all over the state. We all still go through the RFP process, fill out all the forms and fill out all the reports justifying every single penny. We're all subject to audits, we all must make sure our programs meet state standards and follow regulations. We just don't have to compete with each other. I don't get it.
Good guy provider
Dear Good Guy,
Do not spend another second worrying about what anybody else thinks about earmarks. Get to work with your not so powerful Rep and make sure he gets your earmark in his list of priorites to Chairman DeLeo. As you may already know, the Chairman has sent out a letter to all Reps asking them for a letter listing their individual priorities by Feb 11. The letter also asks each Rep to schedule a meeting with the Chairman to justify the list. Now, stop reading this and star putting together the briefing material for your Rep.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
What we want our government to do and how we pay for it.
Dear Hecate
Please explain the recent announcements from the Governor's office about their upcoming budget to be released on the 23rd. The initiatives seem pretty well thought out and reasonable to me (especially the one investing in our state parks), but in the light of a well know $ 1 billion structural imbalance, why doesn't he explain how these new initiatives are going to be paid for? It seems to me that the essential task for concerned citizens is to participate in the debate about what we want our state government to do (like advocating for cleaning up the parks) but also be able to participate in the debate about how we're going to pay for it.
Just Asking
Dear Just Asking
I'm sure you've noticed that every press story about every initiative announcement includes a quote or three from a legislative leader or a "state house observer" asking the same question. And the answer will come to everyone on the 23rd or sooner. Will these new initiatives be funded by going into the state's 2.3 billion dollar rainy day fund, or by cutting other programs somewhere else, or from his revenue proposals (gambling and corporate loophole proposals) even if they haven't passed the legislature yet? You’ll find out soon enough. Let me repeat by the way, it’s perfectly legal and appropriate for the Administration to submit an annual budget estimating income from various sources even if they haven’t passed the legislature yet. Of course such a move might really irritate everyone opposed to those revenue sources, but all they have to do is continue their fight in the legislature.
BTW your description of the essential task for concerned citizens is right, excuse me, perfect.
Please explain the recent announcements from the Governor's office about their upcoming budget to be released on the 23rd. The initiatives seem pretty well thought out and reasonable to me (especially the one investing in our state parks), but in the light of a well know $ 1 billion structural imbalance, why doesn't he explain how these new initiatives are going to be paid for? It seems to me that the essential task for concerned citizens is to participate in the debate about what we want our state government to do (like advocating for cleaning up the parks) but also be able to participate in the debate about how we're going to pay for it.
Just Asking
Dear Just Asking
I'm sure you've noticed that every press story about every initiative announcement includes a quote or three from a legislative leader or a "state house observer" asking the same question. And the answer will come to everyone on the 23rd or sooner. Will these new initiatives be funded by going into the state's 2.3 billion dollar rainy day fund, or by cutting other programs somewhere else, or from his revenue proposals (gambling and corporate loophole proposals) even if they haven't passed the legislature yet? You’ll find out soon enough. Let me repeat by the way, it’s perfectly legal and appropriate for the Administration to submit an annual budget estimating income from various sources even if they haven’t passed the legislature yet. Of course such a move might really irritate everyone opposed to those revenue sources, but all they have to do is continue their fight in the legislature.
BTW your description of the essential task for concerned citizens is right, excuse me, perfect.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
The Massachusetts Budget Process.....What's happening?
Dear Hecate
Our group got the list of budget analysts in the Secretary of Administration and Finance who are developing the Administration's FY 09 Budget from the Public Policy Institute's September Insider Budget Briefing. We've met with a really nice brainiac budget analyst who handles the account that funds our program in November and she told us that we were a priority for the Governor, but warned us that there was a structural budget deficit and it was unlikely we would get what we were asking for. Now we read in the paper every day that the structural deficit is at least 1 billion dollars (on a 30 billion dollar budget) and the Governor may include some revenue options (gaming and closing corporate loopholes) that haven't passed the legislature yet. I thought our state, unlike the federal government had to have a balanced budget?
Baffled in Bridgewater
Dear Baffled,
It really is pretty simple. All of those young brainiacs in the Fiscal affairs Division of the Administration and Finance (who appear younger every year to Hecate) have been burning the midnight oil for weeks doing a fact based analysis of each program and developing a so-called "maintenance" budget for every single state agency.
The Secretary of Administration and Finance adds up all the maintenance budgets and compares that sum to another list of estimated revenues from various taxes and fees submitted by another set of brainiacs and if the total of the maintenance budgets is bigger than the estimated revenues it's called a structural deficit. Now there are a couple of straight forward ways to address a structural deficit that are similar to what every family does, .......cut expenses (maybe not your program, but somebody elses), draw down various "rainey day funds" (your kids college or your retirement savings accounts), or simply plan on some additional revenue streams (a 2nd or 3rd job).
The Governor will be submitting a budget on January 23 that is based on estimated expenses and revenues. First the House and then the Senate will debate the Governor's proposals and come up with their own proposals to solve the structural deficit by either by cutting programs, going into savings or passing the Governor's suggestions for revenue generating measures like gambling, closing corporate loopholes. And yes of course they could come up with their own revenue generating measures. At any rate in the end the Governor has a constitutional obligation to sign a balanced budget.
All of this back and forth can appear to get complex and complicated with at least a dozen ways to explain the same accounting method. You might find it helpful to check out the Mass Budget and Policy Center’s Budget Monitors for straightforward – just - the - facts analysis of the Budget process.
Our group got the list of budget analysts in the Secretary of Administration and Finance who are developing the Administration's FY 09 Budget from the Public Policy Institute's September Insider Budget Briefing. We've met with a really nice brainiac budget analyst who handles the account that funds our program in November and she told us that we were a priority for the Governor, but warned us that there was a structural budget deficit and it was unlikely we would get what we were asking for. Now we read in the paper every day that the structural deficit is at least 1 billion dollars (on a 30 billion dollar budget) and the Governor may include some revenue options (gaming and closing corporate loopholes) that haven't passed the legislature yet. I thought our state, unlike the federal government had to have a balanced budget?
Baffled in Bridgewater
Dear Baffled,
It really is pretty simple. All of those young brainiacs in the Fiscal affairs Division of the Administration and Finance (who appear younger every year to Hecate) have been burning the midnight oil for weeks doing a fact based analysis of each program and developing a so-called "maintenance" budget for every single state agency.
The Secretary of Administration and Finance adds up all the maintenance budgets and compares that sum to another list of estimated revenues from various taxes and fees submitted by another set of brainiacs and if the total of the maintenance budgets is bigger than the estimated revenues it's called a structural deficit. Now there are a couple of straight forward ways to address a structural deficit that are similar to what every family does, .......cut expenses (maybe not your program, but somebody elses), draw down various "rainey day funds" (your kids college or your retirement savings accounts), or simply plan on some additional revenue streams (a 2nd or 3rd job).
The Governor will be submitting a budget on January 23 that is based on estimated expenses and revenues. First the House and then the Senate will debate the Governor's proposals and come up with their own proposals to solve the structural deficit by either by cutting programs, going into savings or passing the Governor's suggestions for revenue generating measures like gambling, closing corporate loopholes. And yes of course they could come up with their own revenue generating measures. At any rate in the end the Governor has a constitutional obligation to sign a balanced budget.
All of this back and forth can appear to get complex and complicated with at least a dozen ways to explain the same accounting method. You might find it helpful to check out the Mass Budget and Policy Center’s Budget Monitors for straightforward – just - the - facts analysis of the Budget process.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Inside is not the dark side!!!!
Dear Hecate,
You really have to get rid of your attitude about public officials!! There are many of us working as policy analysts or managers of public programs in state and local government who used to be outside advocates representing various special interest groups. And, frankly we honestly feel we have more power to make change than we ever did when we were outside! And we don't have to put up with self rightous purists in our former organizations who are unwilling to say thank you to a public official for an important incremental policy change because they find it "unacceptable" to say thank you for less than the perfect solution. They are their own worst enemy as far as I'm concerned.
Frustrated on Ashburton St.
Dear Frustrated,
Sorry about the attitude. I have always believed that most public officials get into the business because they really want to make a measurable positive change in the the lives of their consitutents. And get credit for it. The identification of and nurturing of inside advocates is one of the most important elements of a winning policy change campaign. Keep at it and thank you in advance.
You really have to get rid of your attitude about public officials!! There are many of us working as policy analysts or managers of public programs in state and local government who used to be outside advocates representing various special interest groups. And, frankly we honestly feel we have more power to make change than we ever did when we were outside! And we don't have to put up with self rightous purists in our former organizations who are unwilling to say thank you to a public official for an important incremental policy change because they find it "unacceptable" to say thank you for less than the perfect solution. They are their own worst enemy as far as I'm concerned.
Frustrated on Ashburton St.
Dear Frustrated,
Sorry about the attitude. I have always believed that most public officials get into the business because they really want to make a measurable positive change in the the lives of their consitutents. And get credit for it. The identification of and nurturing of inside advocates is one of the most important elements of a winning policy change campaign. Keep at it and thank you in advance.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs ............
Dear Hecate:
Our organization has been very grateful for Governor Patrick's public and private support for our programs. We actually got a modest increase in our budget line item, and the administration has been very responsive to a number of our suggestions for improving regulatory policies and streamlining some management practices.
We are now working with budget analysts in the Agency and the Administration and Finance to advocate for some expansion dollars, and we are preparing all of the backup materials to justify the request. (Thanks for your advice on that.)
Now tell us how to respond to some broad hints from our friends in the Administration that they have all been "knee deep" in analyzing the fiscal and human impact of the casino plan, and will be interested in briefing US about that "soon". Our lobbyist is telling us that the casino debate has "sucked the air" out of all the other important policy debates and we should start thinking of reasons to support casinos and even start thinking about earmarking some of the revenues for our programs. YUK!!
Dear Yuk
You know your Runyard Kipling's poem a has some good advice. (Dismiss the gender limiting last line -- Kipling was not the last of the white male imperialists.)
IF
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!
Keep the common touch here, and keep a laser like focus on promoting postive policy change for your constituency, including possibly earmarking casino proceeds to your programs.
The casino debate will be sucking the air out of the State House, but maybe it will also serve to illustrate and illuminate the need for a broader publc debate about all of the revenue streams that fund the governments public programs and infrastructures -- from income taxes to fishing fees to gambling. Been a lot of tax cuts in Massachusetts over the last 15 years or so. And a lot of programs have been slashed because of a shrinking reveues.
Is it time to look at the big picture?
Our organization has been very grateful for Governor Patrick's public and private support for our programs. We actually got a modest increase in our budget line item, and the administration has been very responsive to a number of our suggestions for improving regulatory policies and streamlining some management practices.
We are now working with budget analysts in the Agency and the Administration and Finance to advocate for some expansion dollars, and we are preparing all of the backup materials to justify the request. (Thanks for your advice on that.)
Now tell us how to respond to some broad hints from our friends in the Administration that they have all been "knee deep" in analyzing the fiscal and human impact of the casino plan, and will be interested in briefing US about that "soon". Our lobbyist is telling us that the casino debate has "sucked the air" out of all the other important policy debates and we should start thinking of reasons to support casinos and even start thinking about earmarking some of the revenues for our programs. YUK!!
Dear Yuk
You know your Runyard Kipling's poem a has some good advice. (Dismiss the gender limiting last line -- Kipling was not the last of the white male imperialists.)
IF
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!
Keep the common touch here, and keep a laser like focus on promoting postive policy change for your constituency, including possibly earmarking casino proceeds to your programs.
The casino debate will be sucking the air out of the State House, but maybe it will also serve to illustrate and illuminate the need for a broader publc debate about all of the revenue streams that fund the governments public programs and infrastructures -- from income taxes to fishing fees to gambling. Been a lot of tax cuts in Massachusetts over the last 15 years or so. And a lot of programs have been slashed because of a shrinking reveues.
Is it time to look at the big picture?
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Being recruited by the Administration - Don't want to be a sell out.
Dear Hecate
I work for a respected advocacy organization and the new Administration is recruiting me to a farly high level position in the Agency that largly manages the programs we've all been working on to improve for years. Ironically, the position is the one that is responsible for "building positive and productive relationships with outside constituencies"-- the community of providers as well as the community of advocacy organizations and parent consumer groups. The person who used to hold this position was a real jerk with a lot of control issues -- to say the least. Frankly her rudeness gave us all an excuse to go around her to her boss, who would have to meet with us to mend fences. While I can imagine how a friendly, visably concerned sincere person could really help defuse angry advocates, who would want to be "gentle" with a former colleague, I'm really uncomfortable with being used that way. On the other hand it's a lot more money than I make now.
Dear Don't want to sell out.
This ain't going to be easy for someone with principles. On one hand you might be able to be the vehicle for genuine input for outside advocates and experienced providers who have really good suggestions. On the other hand you might be setting yourself up to be a flak in charge of bringing in those same people for a cuppa coffee in order to help them try and understand the difficult choices that your boss has to make sometimes. Have an honest conversation with your prospective boss about your worries, and set up an internal process for measuring your own abilities to absorb the inevitable compromises you'll have to accept. Can you keep taking that big paycheck if you have to explain away only three stupid decisions out of ten. Five out of ten? You can sell out at any price you choose.
I work for a respected advocacy organization and the new Administration is recruiting me to a farly high level position in the Agency that largly manages the programs we've all been working on to improve for years. Ironically, the position is the one that is responsible for "building positive and productive relationships with outside constituencies"-- the community of providers as well as the community of advocacy organizations and parent consumer groups. The person who used to hold this position was a real jerk with a lot of control issues -- to say the least. Frankly her rudeness gave us all an excuse to go around her to her boss, who would have to meet with us to mend fences. While I can imagine how a friendly, visably concerned sincere person could really help defuse angry advocates, who would want to be "gentle" with a former colleague, I'm really uncomfortable with being used that way. On the other hand it's a lot more money than I make now.
Dear Don't want to sell out.
This ain't going to be easy for someone with principles. On one hand you might be able to be the vehicle for genuine input for outside advocates and experienced providers who have really good suggestions. On the other hand you might be setting yourself up to be a flak in charge of bringing in those same people for a cuppa coffee in order to help them try and understand the difficult choices that your boss has to make sometimes. Have an honest conversation with your prospective boss about your worries, and set up an internal process for measuring your own abilities to absorb the inevitable compromises you'll have to accept. Can you keep taking that big paycheck if you have to explain away only three stupid decisions out of ten. Five out of ten? You can sell out at any price you choose.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Keep your own counsel, pay no attention to what you see and hear
Dear Hecate:
Well, the session is over for the summer, and our line item that had been vetoed by the governor was NOT over-ridden by the Legislature. In fact they did not take up any of the vetoes, even after we did all the stuff you told us too. We got one theory from our so-called champions in the House and Senate, another theory from our so-called friends in the administration, another theory from our contract lobbyist, and still another theory from a reporter from the State House News Service we ran into in the coffee shop. As a matter of fact, the reporter's theory made the most sense. She said "Don't pay any attention to what you hear from any of them. they are all making excuses --- think of it as a big circle of potential heroes all pointing fingers at the other guy for "not doing his or her part." NOT helpful. How do I figure hout what really happened?
Confused and Bewildered
Hecate says:
Maybe you have heard the wonderful advice from Frank Mankiewicz, Press Secretary to Robert Kennedy's Presidential campaign. Keep your own counsel. Pay no attention to what you see and hear. In practice that means you soak it all in - listen to every insider's theory -- no matter how goofy or cockamamie and file away every single factoid in your head. Assuming you have a reasonable amount of judgement and common sense, there will come a moment when one of the insiders will give you one piece of gossip that will set off bells and whistles and all the odd pieces of information will fall into place. HA! That's what the SOB's were doing! Then keep it to your self and act on it strategically. None of the other insiders have to know you figured it out.
Well, the session is over for the summer, and our line item that had been vetoed by the governor was NOT over-ridden by the Legislature. In fact they did not take up any of the vetoes, even after we did all the stuff you told us too. We got one theory from our so-called champions in the House and Senate, another theory from our so-called friends in the administration, another theory from our contract lobbyist, and still another theory from a reporter from the State House News Service we ran into in the coffee shop. As a matter of fact, the reporter's theory made the most sense. She said "Don't pay any attention to what you hear from any of them. they are all making excuses --- think of it as a big circle of potential heroes all pointing fingers at the other guy for "not doing his or her part." NOT helpful. How do I figure hout what really happened?
Confused and Bewildered
Hecate says:
Maybe you have heard the wonderful advice from Frank Mankiewicz, Press Secretary to Robert Kennedy's Presidential campaign. Keep your own counsel. Pay no attention to what you see and hear. In practice that means you soak it all in - listen to every insider's theory -- no matter how goofy or cockamamie and file away every single factoid in your head. Assuming you have a reasonable amount of judgement and common sense, there will come a moment when one of the insiders will give you one piece of gossip that will set off bells and whistles and all the odd pieces of information will fall into place. HA! That's what the SOB's were doing! Then keep it to your self and act on it strategically. None of the other insiders have to know you figured it out.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Time to take your patience pills!!
Dear Hecate:
I am so mad I could spit. Our little program got vetoed by the Governor and like your previous writer, we were told not to worry by the Governor's office but unlike your previous writer who was told the Administration would find the money to fund the program from a more approriate department, we were told that the Legislature would be certain to over-ride our veto, like they have for the last 3 years.
Well, the Legislature is NOT going to over ride our veto because they are sooooo pissed at the Governor for making a press announcement one day about cutting the Legislature's budget while at the same time reassuring advocates that they would fund their programs anyway or confidently predicting that the Legislature was certain to over ride.
Now I'm getting a lot of geewizzeswethoughtforsure from the Goveror's office and a lot of shrugs from the Legislature.
I did get some advice today that the Speaker may be open to a last minute appeal if a program could prove it would really really fall apart with out a veto override. I also heard the Speaker would be open to a last minute appeal from the Governor himself--- a sort of geewizzireallydidn'tmeantovetothatone.
What should we do?
Hecate says
Get your bookkeeper up to the State House to show the Speaker and the Senate President your books, and ask them for some of their patience pills, if they have any left. You'll need them for any future dealings with the Administration. While you'e up there go into the Governor's office and .... never mind just go back to your office and hand out the patience pills.
I am so mad I could spit. Our little program got vetoed by the Governor and like your previous writer, we were told not to worry by the Governor's office but unlike your previous writer who was told the Administration would find the money to fund the program from a more approriate department, we were told that the Legislature would be certain to over-ride our veto, like they have for the last 3 years.
Well, the Legislature is NOT going to over ride our veto because they are sooooo pissed at the Governor for making a press announcement one day about cutting the Legislature's budget while at the same time reassuring advocates that they would fund their programs anyway or confidently predicting that the Legislature was certain to over ride.
Now I'm getting a lot of geewizzeswethoughtforsure from the Goveror's office and a lot of shrugs from the Legislature.
I did get some advice today that the Speaker may be open to a last minute appeal if a program could prove it would really really fall apart with out a veto override. I also heard the Speaker would be open to a last minute appeal from the Governor himself--- a sort of geewizzireallydidn'tmeantovetothatone.
What should we do?
Hecate says
Get your bookkeeper up to the State House to show the Speaker and the Senate President your books, and ask them for some of their patience pills, if they have any left. You'll need them for any future dealings with the Administration. While you'e up there go into the Governor's office and .... never mind just go back to your office and hand out the patience pills.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Aristotle on the Barbarians: Full of spirit, but lacking in intelligence and skill.
Dear Hecate,
I've been a professional lobbyist for over 30 years and I really get annoyed at all these noisey disruptive tactics by some of these new special interest groups that come up to the state house with hundreds of people to sing and chant about an obscure bill that hasn't even had a hearing yet, and then march into the Governor's office with a petition signed by hundreds of folks who probably aren't even registered to vote. Only to turn around at 2:00 in the afternoon and march to their busses and go home. I've spent a lifetime building personal relationships with individual legislators by consistently offering them accurate information about my clients bills, writing small personal checks to their re-election campaigns and I have a pretty good track record. I am reminded of a comment Aristotle made about the people to the North of Greece in what is now Europe. He pointed out that they were full of spirit by lacking in intelligence and skill. What do you think?
Hecate says:
Aristotle was always a bit of a snob. As for those barbarians they sure showed Greece and then Rome didn't they?
Insider lobbyists who would rather spend their time talking to each other on the endless round of fundraisers should never underestimate the power any special interest group with the capacity for mobilizing hundreds of people to sing and chant and collect hundreds of signatures. You may find yourself facing them on the other side of an issue one day. Not fun.
I've been a professional lobbyist for over 30 years and I really get annoyed at all these noisey disruptive tactics by some of these new special interest groups that come up to the state house with hundreds of people to sing and chant about an obscure bill that hasn't even had a hearing yet, and then march into the Governor's office with a petition signed by hundreds of folks who probably aren't even registered to vote. Only to turn around at 2:00 in the afternoon and march to their busses and go home. I've spent a lifetime building personal relationships with individual legislators by consistently offering them accurate information about my clients bills, writing small personal checks to their re-election campaigns and I have a pretty good track record. I am reminded of a comment Aristotle made about the people to the North of Greece in what is now Europe. He pointed out that they were full of spirit by lacking in intelligence and skill. What do you think?
Hecate says:
Aristotle was always a bit of a snob. As for those barbarians they sure showed Greece and then Rome didn't they?
Insider lobbyists who would rather spend their time talking to each other on the endless round of fundraisers should never underestimate the power any special interest group with the capacity for mobilizing hundreds of people to sing and chant and collect hundreds of signatures. You may find yourself facing them on the other side of an issue one day. Not fun.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Life Sentence on the Installment Plan
Dear Hecate:
So, the Governor vetoed our little earmark, and now we have to put together yet another lobbying campaign to make sure the veto is taken up and over-ridden. We worked so hard!! What's your advice?
Hecate says:
In Massachusettes, much of the power rests in the office of the Speaker, because a veto message is always returned to the branch in which the bill originated, and the budget bill originated in the House.
In the next couple of weeks, the Speaker will be listening carefully to his own Members, to the Members of the Senate, through the office of the President, and of course to various special interest groups who will all be asking him to take up THEIR vetoed earmarks. After sharing the House priority list with the Senate President to make sure she has the support of her Senate members to over ride the House list and reviewing the Senate President's priority list to make sure he has the support of his House Members to over ride the Senate list, the Speaker and the Senate President will set a fews days before the end of July to take up some of the vetoes, and put off others till the fall. (You have till the end of the calendar year to get your earmark overridden.)
So, your job is to get a critical mass of House Members and Senate Members to add your vetoed earmark to their branch's priority list.
Now when you start your calls you may hear from some the House and Senate sponsors of your earmark that they have talked to the the Governor's office and the Governor has promised your sponsors that he will make sure your program will be funded anyway out of the correct line item or out of some "discretionary" funds.
All you can do is ask your sponsors to get something in writing from the Governor, and if you get it, put it in a safe place and stop asking for the over-ride. If your sponsors tell you that they and you must take the Governor's private word,you still have to stop asking for an over-ride. And start working with the Governor's personal staff and the appropriate Administration officals to tell them in writing that you expect the Governor to keep his private word. You'll find out soon enough whether it's worth anything at all.
So, the Governor vetoed our little earmark, and now we have to put together yet another lobbying campaign to make sure the veto is taken up and over-ridden. We worked so hard!! What's your advice?
Hecate says:
In Massachusettes, much of the power rests in the office of the Speaker, because a veto message is always returned to the branch in which the bill originated, and the budget bill originated in the House.
In the next couple of weeks, the Speaker will be listening carefully to his own Members, to the Members of the Senate, through the office of the President, and of course to various special interest groups who will all be asking him to take up THEIR vetoed earmarks. After sharing the House priority list with the Senate President to make sure she has the support of her Senate members to over ride the House list and reviewing the Senate President's priority list to make sure he has the support of his House Members to over ride the Senate list, the Speaker and the Senate President will set a fews days before the end of July to take up some of the vetoes, and put off others till the fall. (You have till the end of the calendar year to get your earmark overridden.)
So, your job is to get a critical mass of House Members and Senate Members to add your vetoed earmark to their branch's priority list.
Now when you start your calls you may hear from some the House and Senate sponsors of your earmark that they have talked to the the Governor's office and the Governor has promised your sponsors that he will make sure your program will be funded anyway out of the correct line item or out of some "discretionary" funds.
All you can do is ask your sponsors to get something in writing from the Governor, and if you get it, put it in a safe place and stop asking for the over-ride. If your sponsors tell you that they and you must take the Governor's private word,you still have to stop asking for an over-ride. And start working with the Governor's personal staff and the appropriate Administration officals to tell them in writing that you expect the Governor to keep his private word. You'll find out soon enough whether it's worth anything at all.
Sunday, July 08, 2007
She Hangs a Good Wash
Dear Hecate,
I read in my local South Shore paper that Senator Murray said that the so- called "earmarks" in the state budget are necessary because the more experienced Legislature knows more than the new Governor about each line item and where the funds in each should be directed. Sounds pretty disrespectful to me.
Hecate says:
First of all remember that it is the Legislative branch's constitutional right and obligation to appropriate funds for the budget submitted to them by the Administrative branch. And I guess there may be no more than 10 or 12 people in the whole state who know where every dollar in every line item goes and why and while Senator Murray is one of them, the new Governor is not.......yet.
Senator Murray is like the good victorian ladies on washday with worn clothes and limited lines who knew how to hang up the socks and the sheets with the same pins, keep the torn underwear hidden in the middle and hang the new shirts on the side facing the street.
BTW I recall her also saying that she assumed that once this new Governor had been around awhile she might think about giving him a little room to make some of his own spending priorities. Meanwhile as the constitution says, the Governor proposes, the Legislature disposes.
I read in my local South Shore paper that Senator Murray said that the so- called "earmarks" in the state budget are necessary because the more experienced Legislature knows more than the new Governor about each line item and where the funds in each should be directed. Sounds pretty disrespectful to me.
Hecate says:
First of all remember that it is the Legislative branch's constitutional right and obligation to appropriate funds for the budget submitted to them by the Administrative branch. And I guess there may be no more than 10 or 12 people in the whole state who know where every dollar in every line item goes and why and while Senator Murray is one of them, the new Governor is not.......yet.
Senator Murray is like the good victorian ladies on washday with worn clothes and limited lines who knew how to hang up the socks and the sheets with the same pins, keep the torn underwear hidden in the middle and hang the new shirts on the side facing the street.
BTW I recall her also saying that she assumed that once this new Governor had been around awhile she might think about giving him a little room to make some of his own spending priorities. Meanwhile as the constitution says, the Governor proposes, the Legislature disposes.
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Forced to Beg Borrow or Steal
Dear Hecate:
Beg Borrow or Steal. That's what we have to do in our city because of 2 1/2. We beg private foundations and donors to fund our innovative education or job training programs for our youth and then can't raise the necessary funds from the property tax to sustain them. We borrow from our own children's future by not being able to raise the taxes to support smaller classes, early education and afterschool programs. We steal from other city programs like garbage pick upand recycling programs, or pothole repair or senior citizen transportation programs when we tell the Mayor that public education is a higher priority. I'm sick of it. Frankly I think my property tax bill of $2,000 a year is a bargain since it includes education for my 5 kids, a police and fire department, garbage pick up, snow plowing, sewerage disposal and clean water, just to name a few city services we use. I would be happy to pay another $250 a year to know that all the kids in the city had modern text books and fully equiped labs and the garbage was picked up twice a week in my neighborhood.
Hecate says
You have a choice. Get used to it, or do something about it. First of all you are not alone. More and more folks in small towns and big cities are beginning to make the connection between what they pay in taxes and what they get for it. And once they do the consumer in them realizes "What a bargain." Too many candidates for public office run with one leg on a no new taxes platform and the other leg on cleaning up government (better garbage pick up, better snow removal, better schools.)If they win they find themselves split in half because guess what!! Cleaning up government and making the schools and the public works department better and more efficient and effective costs more money and that, folks means more taxes.
Imagine what your city could do if everyone in your city was willing to pay another %10 increase in their property tax.
Beg Borrow or Steal. That's what we have to do in our city because of 2 1/2. We beg private foundations and donors to fund our innovative education or job training programs for our youth and then can't raise the necessary funds from the property tax to sustain them. We borrow from our own children's future by not being able to raise the taxes to support smaller classes, early education and afterschool programs. We steal from other city programs like garbage pick upand recycling programs, or pothole repair or senior citizen transportation programs when we tell the Mayor that public education is a higher priority. I'm sick of it. Frankly I think my property tax bill of $2,000 a year is a bargain since it includes education for my 5 kids, a police and fire department, garbage pick up, snow plowing, sewerage disposal and clean water, just to name a few city services we use. I would be happy to pay another $250 a year to know that all the kids in the city had modern text books and fully equiped labs and the garbage was picked up twice a week in my neighborhood.
Hecate says
You have a choice. Get used to it, or do something about it. First of all you are not alone. More and more folks in small towns and big cities are beginning to make the connection between what they pay in taxes and what they get for it. And once they do the consumer in them realizes "What a bargain." Too many candidates for public office run with one leg on a no new taxes platform and the other leg on cleaning up government (better garbage pick up, better snow removal, better schools.)If they win they find themselves split in half because guess what!! Cleaning up government and making the schools and the public works department better and more efficient and effective costs more money and that, folks means more taxes.
Imagine what your city could do if everyone in your city was willing to pay another %10 increase in their property tax.
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Indecision is the backbone of flexability
Dear Hecate,
Our little non profit is trying to come up with a strategy to get our board more involved in educating our legislative delegation about our mission, our programs and our need to get additional funding to adequately pay our direct service staff. Currently our board is debating whether or not to ask for an "earmark" for our program or to work with other programs like ours to support increased funding for us all. The problem of course is that asking for an earmark gets us a tiny bit at the expense of other programs who need the money too, but if you add up the total amount needed for all the programs like ours it comes to over 30 million dollars! And that's just for a little cost of living for the lowest paid workers! Our legislators tell us there is not that kind of money for us in the state budget. We hate this position of being in competition with other worthy programs for limited funds!!! Some of our board members are urging us to take care of ourselves first, others are saying we must work together to get additional funds for programs like ours. And that might mean finding addtional revenue streams for our state government and that might mean taxes and everybody knows that taxes is a political dirty word!! What's your advice?
Hecate says
Let's see your letter is the 4,578th version of the same question since January. At this rate, you people will beat last years stupid question record of 7,1002.
Stop whining and get your board some budget and tax literacy training from ONE Massachusetts. You will find you have only two choices. More taxes or cut your programs. Let them decide whether or not they want to preside over a fully funded quality program or not.
Our little non profit is trying to come up with a strategy to get our board more involved in educating our legislative delegation about our mission, our programs and our need to get additional funding to adequately pay our direct service staff. Currently our board is debating whether or not to ask for an "earmark" for our program or to work with other programs like ours to support increased funding for us all. The problem of course is that asking for an earmark gets us a tiny bit at the expense of other programs who need the money too, but if you add up the total amount needed for all the programs like ours it comes to over 30 million dollars! And that's just for a little cost of living for the lowest paid workers! Our legislators tell us there is not that kind of money for us in the state budget. We hate this position of being in competition with other worthy programs for limited funds!!! Some of our board members are urging us to take care of ourselves first, others are saying we must work together to get additional funds for programs like ours. And that might mean finding addtional revenue streams for our state government and that might mean taxes and everybody knows that taxes is a political dirty word!! What's your advice?
Hecate says
Let's see your letter is the 4,578th version of the same question since January. At this rate, you people will beat last years stupid question record of 7,1002.
Stop whining and get your board some budget and tax literacy training from ONE Massachusetts. You will find you have only two choices. More taxes or cut your programs. Let them decide whether or not they want to preside over a fully funded quality program or not.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Talking Taxes
Dear Hecate
We are homeowners in a "wealthy suburb" of Western Mass where I work as a school teacher and my husband is a firefighter. We send our kids to the public schools, and we both participate in all the various fundraising activites that support our children's sports and "extra curricular" activities. It's a great school system and our kids are doing very well. We've worked for a 21/2 over ride and willingly paid more property taxes to support our town's current level of public services, including by the way a couple of programs for elderly residents, and a whole new water system. We're worried that eventually we'll be priced out of the town we both work in or we'll lose our jobs to budget cuts. Or both. We know that Governor Patrick is talking about finding ways to reduce local property taxes and support public services at the same time. Any hope?
Hecate says
There's always hope, but hope is not a course of action.
Increasingly, working families in towns and cities all over the state are bumping into the same "problem".........a healthy community includes good schools and safe neighborhoods, a range of public health programs and it all costs money. As Congressman Barney Frank says, you can buy lots of stuff with the money in your pocket, but we all have to pool our money to pay for things we can't do for ourselves. Like schools for the community's children, adequate salaries for trained firefighters and police officers, clean water, accessable roads etc etc.
Pooling your money with other residents in your community is called taxes. And you folks up in Massachusetts are beginning to use the word in a conjunction with the your government's services and structures that your taxes pay for.
Good for the Governor for using the word.
Good for local residents like you who have already made an informed 2 1/2 over ride decision to pay more taxes to keep the services that keep your community healthy.
That's the kind of actions that gives me hope.
We are homeowners in a "wealthy suburb" of Western Mass where I work as a school teacher and my husband is a firefighter. We send our kids to the public schools, and we both participate in all the various fundraising activites that support our children's sports and "extra curricular" activities. It's a great school system and our kids are doing very well. We've worked for a 21/2 over ride and willingly paid more property taxes to support our town's current level of public services, including by the way a couple of programs for elderly residents, and a whole new water system. We're worried that eventually we'll be priced out of the town we both work in or we'll lose our jobs to budget cuts. Or both. We know that Governor Patrick is talking about finding ways to reduce local property taxes and support public services at the same time. Any hope?
Hecate says
There's always hope, but hope is not a course of action.
Increasingly, working families in towns and cities all over the state are bumping into the same "problem".........a healthy community includes good schools and safe neighborhoods, a range of public health programs and it all costs money. As Congressman Barney Frank says, you can buy lots of stuff with the money in your pocket, but we all have to pool our money to pay for things we can't do for ourselves. Like schools for the community's children, adequate salaries for trained firefighters and police officers, clean water, accessable roads etc etc.
Pooling your money with other residents in your community is called taxes. And you folks up in Massachusetts are beginning to use the word in a conjunction with the your government's services and structures that your taxes pay for.
Good for the Governor for using the word.
Good for local residents like you who have already made an informed 2 1/2 over ride decision to pay more taxes to keep the services that keep your community healthy.
That's the kind of actions that gives me hope.
Monday, October 09, 2006
Two Guys Promoting in the Mass Budget Transparency Project
Dear Hecate:
I read an op-ed in the Boston Globe about something called the Budget Transparency Project that was written by Noah Berger from the Mass Budget and Policy Center, a former policy director for a Democratic Senate President and Steve Crosby from the UMASS McCormack Institute, a former Secretary of Administration and Finance for a Republican Governor. Frankly I was surprised to see these two experts of hidden agendas and mixed messages agreeing that there ought to be a transparent policy making process. What gives?
Hecate says:
It's bigger than those two -- the Massachusetts Budget Transparency Project also includes two very savvy tough women. The first is Katherine Craven, former Policy Director of the House under Tom Finneran and the second is Katherine Gibson former VP at the Federal Reserve Bank. Two other experienced and highly regarded guys on the project are John McGinn former Budget Director of Senate Ways and Means and Mike Widmer President of the Mass Taxpayers Foundation.
Trust me, all six of these folks have had the occassion to be on opposite sides of a policy debate many times. I bet if we did a little research we could find at least one issue where they were all facing each other on different sides of a hexigon debate.
Noah will be briefing participants at the Public Policy Institute's Insider Budget Briefing on October 19th if you want to find out more.
I read an op-ed in the Boston Globe about something called the Budget Transparency Project that was written by Noah Berger from the Mass Budget and Policy Center, a former policy director for a Democratic Senate President and Steve Crosby from the UMASS McCormack Institute, a former Secretary of Administration and Finance for a Republican Governor. Frankly I was surprised to see these two experts of hidden agendas and mixed messages agreeing that there ought to be a transparent policy making process. What gives?
Hecate says:
It's bigger than those two -- the Massachusetts Budget Transparency Project also includes two very savvy tough women. The first is Katherine Craven, former Policy Director of the House under Tom Finneran and the second is Katherine Gibson former VP at the Federal Reserve Bank. Two other experienced and highly regarded guys on the project are John McGinn former Budget Director of Senate Ways and Means and Mike Widmer President of the Mass Taxpayers Foundation.
Trust me, all six of these folks have had the occassion to be on opposite sides of a policy debate many times. I bet if we did a little research we could find at least one issue where they were all facing each other on different sides of a hexigon debate.
Noah will be briefing participants at the Public Policy Institute's Insider Budget Briefing on October 19th if you want to find out more.
Friday, September 29, 2006
Been Right Here All Along
Dear Hecate
Where have you been? Since you last posted we've actually won our earmark in the budget, participated in the health reform campaign and won a significant restoration of MassHealth programs. Now we're in the middle of a campaign to monitor the implementation of the new health reform law. It's all moving so fast!!
Too Tired to Write Any More
Hecate says:
What a hot summer it has been up there!!! And you didn't even mention the fact that an election season has turned up the heat a little more.
Hecate can only imagine that you folks are all doing so well that nobody needs any advice from her. Maybe she should put out a little notice like Lucy in Peanuts -- Advice 5 cents.
Tell me what your plans are for keeping your little earmark in the FY 08 budget. New Governor for sure, and I hear you might even have a new Senate President.Don't get sloppy now. You're looking a a whole new political dynamic on Beacon Hill!!!
Where have you been? Since you last posted we've actually won our earmark in the budget, participated in the health reform campaign and won a significant restoration of MassHealth programs. Now we're in the middle of a campaign to monitor the implementation of the new health reform law. It's all moving so fast!!
Too Tired to Write Any More
Hecate says:
What a hot summer it has been up there!!! And you didn't even mention the fact that an election season has turned up the heat a little more.
Hecate can only imagine that you folks are all doing so well that nobody needs any advice from her. Maybe she should put out a little notice like Lucy in Peanuts -- Advice 5 cents.
Tell me what your plans are for keeping your little earmark in the FY 08 budget. New Governor for sure, and I hear you might even have a new Senate President.Don't get sloppy now. You're looking a a whole new political dynamic on Beacon Hill!!!
Monday, May 29, 2006
How to Influence the Conference Committee
Dear Hecate
When do the Members of the Conference Committee begin to meet? Are the meetings open to the public? What's the best way for us to protect our earmark in the House Budget?
Worried in Worcester
Dear Worried
This coming week the Staffs of both Ways and Means Committees will sit together and begin to review and confirm the differences between the House and Senate budget.........line item by line item.
The final list will be distributed to the Leadership and Members of the Conference Committee in each branch.
Senate Leadership will meet with the Senate Members to begin to identify Senate priorities and the House Leadership will meet with the House Members to being to identify House priorities. (For example we know that there are a number of outside sections in the Senate Budget that set new policy, and we know that the House has already stated that they don't like to insert new policy intiatives in the Budget. Another example is the big difference between the House and Senate in the amount and distribution of the Chapter 70 funds.)
After each branch has established their priorities, Conference Committee Members will begin to meet jointly in private to offer and negotiate compromises on some individual line items. Staff from each Ways and Means committee are always present to offer technical assistance. Sometimes the negotiations around uncontroversial items are quick -- let's just split it down the middle. Sometimes a controversial issue can take weeks of back and forth.
For this purpose controversial means that one or both branches have identified that the line item as a priority, and are not going to give until and unless their Leadership tells them they can.
So your job is to make your line item a priority by first flooding the House Leadership and each member of the House Conference Committee will all the reasons why they should fight to make sure the House version of the line item is in the final Conference Report. Ask each House consponsor and supporter of your earmark to communicate in writing to the Leadership and to each of the Conferees.
Your second job is to flood the Senate Leadership and each member of the Senate Conference Committee with all the reasons why they should accept the House version. (At all costs avoid the technically correct phrase of asking the Senate to "yield" to the House on this line item. Assume they were misinformed or mistaken, or maybe your earmark slipped through the cracks.)Get any Senate supporters to communicate in writing to the Leadership and each of the Conferees.
While the Conferees and the staff do their best to keep everything secret until they have finished, your House and Senate supporters might be able to get some hints before the conference concludes in the final public meeting.
Get to work.
When do the Members of the Conference Committee begin to meet? Are the meetings open to the public? What's the best way for us to protect our earmark in the House Budget?
Worried in Worcester
Dear Worried
This coming week the Staffs of both Ways and Means Committees will sit together and begin to review and confirm the differences between the House and Senate budget.........line item by line item.
The final list will be distributed to the Leadership and Members of the Conference Committee in each branch.
Senate Leadership will meet with the Senate Members to begin to identify Senate priorities and the House Leadership will meet with the House Members to being to identify House priorities. (For example we know that there are a number of outside sections in the Senate Budget that set new policy, and we know that the House has already stated that they don't like to insert new policy intiatives in the Budget. Another example is the big difference between the House and Senate in the amount and distribution of the Chapter 70 funds.)
After each branch has established their priorities, Conference Committee Members will begin to meet jointly in private to offer and negotiate compromises on some individual line items. Staff from each Ways and Means committee are always present to offer technical assistance. Sometimes the negotiations around uncontroversial items are quick -- let's just split it down the middle. Sometimes a controversial issue can take weeks of back and forth.
For this purpose controversial means that one or both branches have identified that the line item as a priority, and are not going to give until and unless their Leadership tells them they can.
So your job is to make your line item a priority by first flooding the House Leadership and each member of the House Conference Committee will all the reasons why they should fight to make sure the House version of the line item is in the final Conference Report. Ask each House consponsor and supporter of your earmark to communicate in writing to the Leadership and to each of the Conferees.
Your second job is to flood the Senate Leadership and each member of the Senate Conference Committee with all the reasons why they should accept the House version. (At all costs avoid the technically correct phrase of asking the Senate to "yield" to the House on this line item. Assume they were misinformed or mistaken, or maybe your earmark slipped through the cracks.)Get any Senate supporters to communicate in writing to the Leadership and each of the Conferees.
While the Conferees and the staff do their best to keep everything secret until they have finished, your House and Senate supporters might be able to get some hints before the conference concludes in the final public meeting.
Get to work.
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