Watch Part II of Legislative Day: Secrets of Successful Campaigns and Governor Shumlin Q &A
Thanks to our nonprofit friends and legislative allies for a dynamic and productive day at the Vermont State House on February 9th. Over 100 nonprofit staff, board members, funders, volunteers, students, legislators and professional advocates made a strong showing in the “People’s House” with our presence, testimony in House and Senate Committees and devotional on the floor of the House.
We visited with Speaker Shap Smith in the morning. Governor Shumlin fielded questions in the afternoon and a fantastic array of panelists in between. Many of our Legislative Day participants were first-timers, learning the ropes and how to be most effective during these trying economic times.
Special thanks to the Sargent-at-Arms office for making our day possible, along with our event sponsors: Fair Point, Key Bank, KSE Partners, LLC, Spencer Group and MacLean, Meehan & Rice, LLC, A.D. Henderson Foundation and the Vermont Community Foundation. Thanks also to our nonprofit “tablers”: Vermont Public Radio, Vermont Community Foundation, Vermont Center for Independent Living, Vermont Assembly of Home Health and Hospice Agencies and the Vermont Assocation of the Deaf.
Lauren-Glenn Davitian started the program with a brief update on Common Good Vermont’s past year and news of a major federal grant to help nonprofits to manage and measure their work in meaningful ways. Anne Lezak, project manager of Benchmarks for a Better Vermont explained more about the program, including the March 20th Vermont Nonprofit Conference, dedicated to the topic.
Our experienced panelists shed light on the how-to (and how-not-to) of legislative influence. Jessica Oski (Sirotkin & Necrason), Commissioner Mark Larson (Vermont Department of Health Access) and Todd Bailey (KSE Partners) briefed us on issues under the dome and larger issues to watch as the health reforms unfold and Tropical Storm Irene continues to be an issue in all corners of the state.
Liz Schlegel (Central Vermont Community Action Council) and Andrew MacLean (MacLean, Meehan & Rice) filled us in on how to “fan out and make our presence known”. Their advice proved immediately useful as we looked in on Committee Hearings, met legislators and lobbyists in the building and, in some cases, testified!
Following lunch, Peter Gilbert (Vermont Humanities Council) graciously opened the afternoon session of the House with a moving Robert Frost poem (delivered by the poet himself), advising us that we never work alone–we are always picking up the work of others.
We were delayed for a short time by a Democratic caucus in Room 11 to discuss an amendment to the Budget bill, that had been defeated by the Senate earlier in the week. When we reconvened for our afternoon panel, Floyd Nease (former majority whip and now with Vermont Association for Mental Health) filled us in on the unflolding budget discussions and how collaborations and partnerships can bring meaningful influence to bear on the process–including the Freedom to Marry law. Jackie Majoros gave us the perspective of the State Ombudsman for Vermont Legal Aid and James Haslam filled us in on the role of The Vermont Workers Center on the passage of H 468, the Healthcare Reform Act. Unfortunately we ran out of time, but we will catch up with Sheila Reed (Voices for Vermont’s Children) soon!
We wrapped up with remarks from Governor Peter Shumlin and some hard-hitting questions.
Stay tuned for video from the whole day, including interviews with Vermont nonprofits and all the great panel discussions! Special thanks to Scott Moody for video taping, Nick Carter for organizing the day, Kathleen Swanson for coordinating registration and Mac MacDonald for holding down the fort!
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