WEAK SPOTS IN THE LEGISLATIVE EFFORT

Sound the General Alarm! Sound General Quarters! Sound Assembly!

The national MOAA legislative staff works hard year-round to identify the issues, assist with the creation of bills designed to support the military community and its people, monitor legislation as it moves through the process, and appeal to members for support.

MOAA issues legislative alerts from time to time.

In California much the same thing happens. The California State Commanders Veterans Council (CSCVC) works closely with the premier Sacramento lobbyist/advocate firm, Pete Conaty & Associates, to move bills important to veterans through the legislature. Pete Conaty, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel with a strong interest in veterans affairs and a highly experienced professional at the capitol, carefully follows pending legislation and from time to time urges members to support specific bills.

The CSCVC and in turn CAL-MOAA issue legislative alerts from time to time.

Legislators are quick to demonstrate by their behavior that they will respond quickly to constituent expressed concerns and requests, and particularly when large numbers of people contact them about a specific piece of legislation.

In recent days and weeks members flooded legislative offices asking senators and representatives to support such concerns as Medicare/Tricare physician reimbursements, higher education benefits for California National Guard personnel, and housing relief for certain veterans. And there is plenty of evidence such action made a difference.

These alerts are communicated to chapter presidents directly by e-mail. In addition, they are posted to the Council’s weblog for the entire military community to see and act upon. And of course the messages reach only those with computers and an e-mail/internet capability.

There are a couple weaknesses in the system.

First, it’s not difficult to get a legislative alert to chapter presidents in a timely manner. However, there can be a breakdown at that point. Chapter presidents must find ways to get the message quickly to all chapter members.

Military organizations often have sophisticated alert systems in place. The local National Guard or reserve unit will often have a telephone tree set up and ready to go. When an alert comes in the commanding officer will telephone selected others who in turn will call yet others until all members of the unit have been notified.

Some MOAA chapters have such systems in place. In addition, there are any number of chapters who use telephone trees very successfully to get other messages, perhaps notification of a change of meeting place and time for example, to all members.

Something like a telephone tree would be very useful for the chapter. If chapters can and do use such systems to send routine messages quickly they can certainly have such a system to broadcast a legislative alert.

Second, not all members who receive a legislative alert have the interest or motivation to respond to it and take needed action.

Perhaps if the chapter president provided guidance and encouragement more members would act quickly.

It’s just a matter of determining the telephone number and/or address of a senator or representative. When an alert comes in the member simply telephones the office, states his or her business, asks the staff person to record support for a specific bill, and that’s it.

Better yet, prepare a very short and to the point letter written in one’s own hand asking the legislator to support a certain piece of legislation and mail it the same day.

Finally, for those who have a fax machine, it’s so easy to write a short letter and fax it to the legislator’s local and Washington, D.C. offices.

All one has to say is that “I live in your district; I am asking you to support this bill.” Simply give the bill number and any other important information coming from national MOAA or California officials as appropriate. The contact will count, and if a significant number of requests for the same action are received it will make a difference, motivating the legislator to take the desired action.

Chapter presidents are urged to help overcome the twin challenges of delivering a legislative alert to all members and motivating members to take required actions.

Pehaps it hasn’t happened yet. Perhaps there has been no piece of legislation that really has a direct, highly personal, critical-to-the-member impact come along to date. But one of these days it’s likely to happen. And it’ll be important to be ready.

A lot of our members are seeing the reality of this situation with the recent effort to influence the Medicare/Tricare physician reimbursement legislation. And a lot of members are probably thinking that if they knew more about the situation they might have acted. A lot who knew about the situation are thinking that they should have acted when they had the chance.

Sound the General Alarm! Sound General Quarters! Sound Assembly!

Be ready. Sound The Charge!

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