Legislative Forum to Take Place August 23

Nancy Amidei, Director, Civic Engagement Project

The Seattle/King County Advisory Council on Aging and Disabilities presents a legislative forum:
"Supporting Vulnerable Adults: How Will the Federal and State Budgets Reflect Our Concerns?"
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Olympic Room, Seattle Center

A free event featuring members of Congress, state legislators and policy experts. We invite you to visit the Advisory Council website for more information or to register for this event.   

How Will Federal and State Budgets Reflect Your Concerns?
You Get to Decide!

Here's a question: How do you think laws get made and public dollars get allocated these days? 

No matter who's being asked, the response is likely to be the same: they'll roll their eyes and say something like, "When big money changes hands!"  We've had this version of American politics drummed into us so often by the media we barely stop to question whether it's true. 

But guess what: it's not true. We get to tell our elected representatives how we wish to be represented; that is still a fact of life in our democracy. However, our representatives cannot read our minds. 

Here's a question I like to ask people in public office: "What counts more with you—money? Or votes?" Even from those who pause for a second, the answer is always the same: votes. And the explanation is also always the same: "You can always go outside of your district for money, but you can never go outside of your district for votes." Ultimately, they still need 51% of the votes on election day to get into office, or stay in. And that means they need to be attentive to what the voters want, not just at election time, but all year long. 

Since I moved to Washington in 1992, I've spent every Thursday during the state's legislative session in Olympia, as a concerned social worker and volunteer lobbyist. And, as a long-time political junkie who teaches others how to get involved in the process, I also follow issues at the federal and local levels. As a result, I've had many opportunities to observe our state's electeds up close.  I can attest to how very accessible our local, state, and federal elected officials are, and what a difference it makes when their voters get in touch.  

That's why the August 23 Forum on "Supporting Vulnerable Adults: How Federal and State Budgets Will Reflect Our Concerns" is so important.  Every law now on the books (good and bad), every budget decision currently in place, is there because some voters advocated for it. Budgets don't get passed by accident; members of legislative bodies don't just wake up one morning and decide to add—or cut—vital funding from the state or federal budget. Electeds learn about the needs in their communities and assess the competing priorities of the voters, based on what they hear from their constituents—and in election years, like this one, they are particularly eager to hear what's on our minds.  If we are silent about the needs of vulnerable adults, then the only voices they'll hear are those asking that funding go to other priorities.  Ourselves, our issues, the people we care about...all need to be heard. 

The August 23 Forum offers three good ways to do just that: 

1. Come. If there is a big turnout, that will be noticed by all the electeds and candidates; if hardly anyone shows up, that sends a message that hardly anyone cares.
   
   
2. Wear a conspicuous badge (homemade is fine) with a brief message, e.g., FUND SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, or FIX "PART D."  That way, all the elected officials and agency staff who attend will be aware of your concerns.
   
   
3. Plan to ask a question (or give out copies of a fact sheet) on a funding issue that concerns you. That's an easy way to get it on the radar screen of the decision-makers on the panels.  

Then, stay involved.  If enough of us show up and speak up—now and through the legislative sessions next year—together we can make a difference. 

Nancy Amidei,Director
The Civic Engagement Project
A joint project of OMB Watch
and the University of Washington School of Social Work