SESSION INFORMATION: All Politics Are Local Tuesday, October 7, 1:30

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SESSION INFORMATION: All Politics Are Local Tuesday, October 7, 1:30 SESSION INFORMATION: All Politics Are Local Tuesday, October 7, 1:30-2:45pm, Las Vegas Find out how your local elected officials are doing when it comes to issues affecting museums and other nonprofit organizations and how you can best leverage your influence with them. This session summarizes the congressional delegations of each WMA state, identifies key players on key issues, and discusses local opportunities to engage them. Additional topics include the threats to nonprofits at the state and municipal level and how museum professionals can ensure that their voices are heard. Presenters: Eileen Goldspiel, Director, Member Engagement, American Alliance of Museums; Celeste DeWald, Executive Director, California Association of Museums; Melissa Russo, Director of Institutional Advancement, Chabot Space & Science Center; Ellen Ferguson, Community Relations Director, Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture; Arthur H. Wolf, Principal, WOLF Consulting (moderator) STATE-BY-STATE – Congress, state houses, key issues Alaska: • Sen. Mark Begich’s race could determine control of the Senate. • Both Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Mark Begich sit on the Appropriations Committee. Sen. Murkowski is the ranking member on the Interior Subcommittee, which determines funding levels for NEA, NEH, Historic Preservation, National Park Service, Smithsonian. She is also the ranking member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which has policy jurisdiction over NPS and the Historic Preservation Fund. She could become Chairman of both if Republicans take control of the Senate. • Nome, Alaska PILOTS issue • Alaska House: http://w3.legis.state.ak.us/house/house.php • Alaska Senate: http://w3.legis.state.ak.us/senate/senate.php Arizona: • Sen. Jeff Flake is likely to take over departing Sen. Tom Coburn’s crusade against anything they deem to be “wasteful spending” • Raul Grijalva is poised to be helpful to us on IMLS reauthorization (due in 2015) • Ed Pastor is on the appropriations committee but is retiring at the end of the year • Arizona House and Senate: http://www.azleg.state.az.us/MemberRoster.asp California • Sen. Dianne Feinstein is a senior member of the Appropriations Committee\ • House Appropriations Committee members: Democrats Barbara Lee, Adam Schiff, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Mike Honda, Sam Farr, and Republicans David Valadao and Ken Calvert. Rep. Calvert is Chairman of the Interior Subcommittee which determines funding levels for NEA, NEH, Historic Preservation, NPS, and the Smithsonian. • House Ways and Means members who could be helpful on charitable deduction issue: Mike Thompson, Devin Nunes, Xavier Becerra, Linda Sanchez, • Key retirement: George Miller • Kay Education & Workforce member Buck McKeon could be helpful with IMLS reauthorization in 2015 • Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi obviously very influential on the Democratic side, likewise (newly installed) House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy on the Republican side • Two Republicans on the Budget Committee who can help us get the terrible anti-museum language removed in future budget plans: Reps. John Campbell and Ken Calvert • Monterey, CA considered adopting a payments in lieu of taxes (PILOTS) plan • California Assembly: http://assembly.ca.gov/assemblymembers • California State Senate: http://senate.ca.gov/senators Hawaii • Went from having most seniority in Senate to least combined seniority in the Senate with departures of both Sens. Inouye and Akaka • Hawaii capped charitable deductions in 2011, cap was lifted in 2013 – phew! • Sen. Brian Schatz led an effort in defense of STEM education programs at NOAA, NASA, and NSF when they were threatened by the Administration’s budget proposal. • Hawaii House: http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/members/legislators.aspx?chamber=H • Hawaii Senate: http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/members/legislators.aspx?chamber=S Idaho • Sen. Mike Crapo is on the Senate Finance Committee • Rep. Mike Simpson is a very important member of the House Appropriations Committee • Idaho House: http://www.legislature.idaho.gov/house/membership.cfm • Idaho Senate: http://www.legislature.idaho.gov/senate/membership.cfm Nevada • Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid – interesting that so many Republicans are “running against him” this year even though he isn’t on the ballot. He will be a huge target in 2016 (will he run for re-election or retire?) • Rep. Mark Amodei is a member of the House Appropriations Committee • Rep. Joe Heck is on Education and the Workforce committee • Nevada House: http://www.leg.state.nv.us/75th2009/legislators/Assembly/alist.cfm • Nevada Senate: http://www.leg.state.nv.us/75th2009/Legislators/Senators/ Oregon • Sen. Ron Wyden is Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. Wyden is an ardent supporter of preserving the full scope and value of the charitable deduction (led an effort in 2013). • Sen. Jeff Merkley is on the Appropriations committee • Rep. Suzanne Bonamici is a member of the Education and Workforce Committee • Rep. Peter DeFazio is the Ranking Member on the Natural Resources Committee • Rep. Earl Blumenauer is on the Ways and Means Committee • Oregon also considered limiting the Charitable Deduction (like Hawaii did), then decided not to. This experience was instructive for other states in the Midwest. • Oregon House: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/house/Pages/RepresentativesAll.aspx • Oregon Senate: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/senate/Pages/SenatorsAll.aspx Utah • Sen. Orrin Hatch is Ranking Member of Senate Finance Committee (and possibly Chairman next year if Senate is controlled by Republicans) • Sen. Hatch is also a key member of the Health Education Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee • Rep. Chris Stewart is on the House Appropriations Committee • Utah House: http://le.utah.gov/house2/representatives.jsp • Utah Senate: http://www.utahsenate.org/aspx/roster.aspx Washington • Sen. Patty Murray is a key member of the Appropriations and HELP Committees and is currently the Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. She is likely to be the top Democrat on both the HELP Committee and on the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee next year, making her extremely important for IMLS. • Sen. Maria Cantwell sits on the Senate Finance Committee • Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler is on the House Appropriations Committee • Key retirement of Natural Resources Chairman Doc Hastings • Cathy McMorris Rodgers is Chair of the House Republican Conference (4th highest- ranking Republican in the House of Representatives) • Rep. Jim McDermott and Rep. David Reichert both serve on the Ways and Means Committee • Wenatchee, WA considered PILOTS (for profits and nonprofits); • Washington House: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rosters/Members.aspx?Chamber=H • Washington Senate: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rosters/Members.aspx?Chamber=S A FEW FINAL NOTES • See slides from “August 5 2014 program” (attached) for more specifics about 2014 election. • Looking ahead to 2016, western states will almost certainly determine the Senate leadership in 2016 because all of the following seats will be in play: Sens. Barbara Boxer (CA), Mike Crapo (ID), Mike Lee (UT), John McCain (AZ), Lisa Murkowski (AK), Patty Murray (WA), Harry Reid (NV), Brian Schatz (HI), and Ron Wyden (OR) • A few notes about the pipeline, and why advocating at the local level is SO important: o We often hear about members of congress serving decades, but in reality the average tenure is getting shorter. In 2014, about 1/3 of the House of Representatives had served fewer than 4 years. o In 2014, there were 93 new Members of Congress – and 60 of them had previously served in elective office (state legislatures, city councils, etc.). o In 2013, the National Council of State Legislators calculated that – due to term limits, retirements, indictments, and ambition for higher office – half of all state legislators had served for 2 years or less! • State nonprofit associations are monitoring the state-level issues and AAM works will the National Council of Nonprofits and Independent Sector on these issues, and museums can get great information from their state association of nonprofits. • Please encourage everyone to visit www.aam-us.org/advocacy for a plethora of resources. .
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