Richard Shanahan 2016-03-14 16:34:31
Member involvement is critical to ELFA’s government relations strategy
ELFA IS THE PLATFORM for the equipment finance industry to advocate for public policy issues at the federal and state levels. This platform effectively takes the interests of more than 575 member companies and creates one loud voice that strengthens our impact on policy issues. The platform is like a three-legged stool balancing lobbying, grassroots mobilization and political involvement in the formation of the industry’s voice. Merging all three legs into our government relations strategy not only provides us with a loud voice in the process, but helps us build meaningful connections with elected officials.
The Three-Legged Stool
LOBBYING: Lobbying is the education of government officials on the impacts of a policy on our industry. Elected officials come from a wide variety of backgrounds, and most of them are not from the equipment leasing and finance sector. Because of this variety, they do not always know the subtle details essential to operating an equipment finance company. It is up to our ELFA legislative staff to monitor proposed laws and rules, know the impact of the financial standing of our industry and then tell elected and administrative officials, as well as their staff, how a proposed law could be interpreted.
Join ELFA members in Washington, D.C., for Capitol Connections, May 18-19
GRASSROOTS MOBILIZATION: Sometimes, lobbying by ELFA staff isn’t enough to convince a government official that a policy is right or wrong for the industry and country. It takes a local voice, or industry expert, to relay the message. This is where ELFA’s Online Advocacy Information Center and Capitol Connections programs create the next leg on our stool. The Online Advocacy Information Center provides member companies’ employees with information about the people and policies that impact their jobs and the broader industry. It also provides resource tools for employee advocates to shape political and policy outcomes.
Capitol Connections brings the voice of our industry to Washington, D. C., and right into the offices of Executive Branch agencies and Members of Congress, giving first-hand accounts to policymakers on regulations that affect the everyday lives of member companies’ employees. Elected officials like and need to hear from those who man the front lines of our economy each day. Sharing your voice, and partnering that with all the other voices from our industry companies, increases the volume and helps us stand out.
POLITICAL INVOLVEMENT: Educating policymakers and encouraging local constituents to speak up for our industry are vital to promoting our industry, but if the right people aren’t elected in the first place it can all be for naught. That is where the third leg of our stool comes into play: political involvement. Political involvement at the minimum is knowing which candidates running for office understand and support the industry and then voting for those candidates. If the elected official is predisposed to hear our point of view, and sympathize with it, we are further along the process and can spend more time helping to shape legislation rather than reacting to what is being published.
Political involvement can go further than just voting. Running a campaign takes volunteers and money. Perhaps a particular candidate in your area needs someone to help introduce him or her to other community members. Or the candidate may need help walking your neighborhood and meeting your neighbors. These activities can help push an industry candidate into elected position and make you a valuable resource to them when they need to know how a policy will affect your company.
Running a campaign takes more than just time—it takes money to pay top staffers, run political ads and travel around a district. To amplify our voice, ELFA formed its own political action committee, LeasePAC, to collect voluntary contributions from hundreds of employees at ELFA member companies and pool those contributions to make contributions to candidates who share our values. The LeasePAC Committee, composed of employees from ELFA companies and chaired this year by Martha Ahlers of United Leasing, provides oversight to all LeasePAC activities. To find out more about LeasePAC, please visit the LeasePAC website at www.elafonline.org/Advocacy/FED/PAC.
How to Get Involved
STAY INFORMED: Visit the Online Advocacy Information Center at www.elfaonline.org/Advocacy/ to read issue briefs and talking points. The Information Center also provides employees with information on registering to vote, polling places and election dates. You can find tools to locate and contact your legislators at both the state and federal levels. We encourage member companies to share these resource tools with their employees to broaden the base of knowledge and empower them to be active in the political process.
SIGN UP FOR THE GRASSROOTS NETWORK: Perhaps you know your state or federal representative and are willing to contact that person when issues arise. Having a local ELFA volunteer, especially for issues at the state level, can translate into a victory for our industry. As ELFA continues to build relationships with targeted elected officials, knowing that you are a neighbor or friend, serve on similar boards, or go to religious services with one of those officials can help as we build our grassroots plan. Tell us whom you know by reaching out to me or Andy Fishburn, the Vice President of Federal Government Relations for ELFA.
ATTEND CAPITOL CONNECTIONS: As ELFA’s premier event for engaging specifically on federal policy, attending Capitol Connections is a must. The two-day event, set for May 18–19, 2016, brings leaders from across the industry to meet with officials both on Capitol Hill and in the Executive Branch, discussing priority issues that impact the way you do your job and the profitability of your company. ELFA will be scheduling meetings with a targeted list of congressional members and select federal agencies, and we will do our best to ensure that each attendee has a schedule of substantial meetings. There is no registration fee for ELFA members to attend. Details about the conference agenda and online registration are available at www.elfaonline. org/events/2016/CHD. Please register early to reserve your preferred meetings.
Capitol Connections is the premier way to amplify our voice and build the connections we need to promote policy issues important to creating the right environment for our industry to provide economic growth to our country. An informed and engaged membership is the core of ELFA and its government relations strategy. ELFA works to provide a variety of resources to its members to keep you current on policy issues and events. We need you to carry the message on critical issues to policymakers at the federal and state levels. Together we can make a difference!
Richard Shanahan is ELFA Director of Government Relations. He can be reached at rshanahan@elfaonline.org.
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