NCIL 2011 Report from the Hill

NCIL’s 2011 Annual Conference in Washington, DC was a solid success for IL advocates this year, especially in terms of outreach to members of Congress to promote policies and ideas important to our members. After a strong showing at the NCIL Rally, advocates made their way up Capitol Hill for visits with members of the House and Senate. NCIL collected information obtained during these visits along with input from members at our Legislative Debriefing to develop a better picture of how effective our advocacy was during the event, in addition to helping subcommittee chairs to create better strategies for pursuing policy objectives over the next year. 

General Information:
There were 233 separate Hill Reports received by NCIL from our members, representing every region. See a list of states in each NCIL region  ( http://www.ncil.org/region.html ). Percentages of Hill Reports received by region are:
-Region I: 7%
-Region II: 6%
-Region III: 10%
-Region IV: 25%
-Region V: 18%
-Region VI: 9%
-Region VII: 12%
-Region VIII: 5%
-Region IX: %5
-Region X: 3%

NCIL members visited 49% of all members in the Senate: Of the senators visited, 47% were Democrats, 51% were Republicans, and 2% were Independents.
NCIL members visited 41% of all members in the House of Representatives: Of the Representatives visited, 43% were Democrats, 57% were Republicans, and 0% were Independents.

Policy Questions:
Before the 2011 Annual Conference, NCIL members identified policy priorities for the organization through our bi-annual survey of membership. The top 3 areas important to NCIL members were chosen as focal points to address with members of Congress during the Annual Conference, including Rehabilitation Act / IL Funding, Housing, and Healthcare. Each respective NCIL Subcommittee selected core questions for our members to ask Congress, and these are the results:

Rehab Act / IL Funding Question #1:
Can we count on your support for reauthorization of WIA and the Rehabilitation Act this year?
Of the members of both Houses surveyed, 55% committed support for reauthorization, 1% declined support, and 44% were undecided.

Rehab Act / IL Funding Question #2:
Will you join us in opposing combining Parts B and C in President Obama’s 2012 budget proposal?
Of the members of both Houses surveyed, 39% committed to oppose combining Parts B and C, 1% declined to commit, and 60% were undecided.

Housing Question #1:
Given the current economic climate, do you believe that removing existing work incentives from existing housing policy would be good for both the individuals transitioning to employment and the general economy?
Of the members of both Houses surveyed, 29% support removing work incentives from housing policy, 15% do not support it, and 56% were undecided.

Housing Question #2:
Do you support fully funding the housing programs in HUD and USDA Rural Development?
Of the members of both Houses surveyed, 47% support full funding, 4% do not support it, and 49% were undecided.

Housing Question #3:
Would you support the Protecting Homes and Communities Act of 2011, H.R. 1477 / S. 489?
Of the members of both Houses surveyed, 33% support the legislation, 3% do not, and 64% were undecided.

Healthcare Question #1:
Do you support consumer preferences for alternatives to institutional care by expanding Medicaid HCBS programs?
Of the members of both Houses surveyed, 55% support expanded HCBS, 2% do not support it, and 43% were undecided.

Healthcare Question #2:
Are you willing to support legislation that is inclusive and supportive of home and community-based services (HCBS) without the imposition of Healthcare global caps?
Of the members of both Houses surveyed, 50% support expanded HCBS without global caps, 2% do not support it, and 48% were undecided.

Healthcare Question #3:
Are you supportive of maintaining or even increasing the number of durable medical equipment providers to maximize choice, satisfaction, and availability of equipment and repairs (without adding costs to taxpayers)?
Of the members of both Houses surveyed, 50% support maintenance or increase of DME providers, 2% do not support it, and 48% were undecided.

Notes:
Overall the Hill Report data shows that NCIL members demonstrated their ability to reach out to sizeable percentages of both the House and Senate. The impressive number of congressional office visits shows that our members care about what happens in Congress, and that Congress cares about maintaining contact with our members.
Generally, NCIL members appeared to be strategic in which offices they visited. More Republicans were visited than Democrats, especially in the House, where Republicans have a majority. Members of important subcommittees in Congress were also targeted in an effort to increase the effectiveness of outreach efforts.
The data available from policy questions posed to Congress demonstrates a great deal of support for many of the issues important to NCIL members. The number of congresspeople choosing to answer “undecided” appears to reflect the current political climate of uncertainty and frugality. The number of “undecided” responses could furthermore be inflated due to the tendency of congresspeople to avoid giving negative answers to constituents. However this number also likely reflects many congressional offices that are truly undecided about a particular issue, and represents the amount of education and outreach that advocates must tackle to achieve policy objectives.
Even with “undecided” responses factored in, most of the data shows positive attitudes towards NCIL’s core policy priorities. Given the general trend of comments submitted by NCIL members after Hill visits, it appears that our primary challenge going into 2012 is figuring out new ways to pass and implement good policy while being careful to avoid increases in spending.