What Will 'Change' Look Like?

How the new administration will impact the Alliance and UNCA’s policy priorities—and their members

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The event was the biennial UNCA National Policy Summit, which brought together nonprofit human service leaders who were well-versed in President Barack Obama’s campaign rhetoric promising “change.” Now, they wondered what “change” would look like for the country, and specifically what “change” would mean for their organizations.

Angela Glover Blackwell, founder and CEO of Policy Link, was the featured speaker at the 2008 UNCA National Policy Summit.

“I don’t have a crystal ball, but campaign promises and the administration that is being assembled help paint a picture of Obama’s first term,” says Patrick Lester, senior vice president of public policy at the Alliance and UNCA public policy office in Washington.

Obama has described the current economic turmoil as, “an economic crisis of historic proportions.” Given the scope of the crisis, Obama labeled economic recovery as “priority number one” even before he took office. Other pressing policy issues may be put on the back burner until a sense of economic stability is restored.

“A president’s first year in office is typically his most productive,” Lester says. “Time will tell how budget realities impact Obama’s agenda. Still, we’re anticipating a lot of activity right from the start.”

Key Issues: Where Things Stand

Economic Recovery. Calling for a “stimulus package that will jolt the economy back into shape,” Obama has made economic recovery the cornerstone of his initial work in office.

Since community-based services are central to aiding economic recovery, the public policy office has focused on contributing to a package that will benefit members’ services and nonprofit infrastructure.

“I hope the administration will see our members as the first line of defense for families and neighborhoods during this economic crisis,” says Gaynelle Wethers, co-chair of the Alliance and UNCA public policy committee, a group composed primarily of Alliance and UNCA members who set the organizations’ policy agenda.

The economic recovery package that was in the final stages in Congress at the time of publication includes $800 billion in mandatory and discretionary spending, as well as tax cuts.

The recovery plan, which Obama says will save or create three million to four million jobs by 2011, emphasizes infrastructure investments, state aid (including increasing the federal Medicaid match), workforce training, and tax cuts for the middle class.

“This is a real opportunity,” says Helen Eisner, policy analyst in the public policy office. “What we’ve seen is legislation with many spending streams that our members can capitalize on to help low-income families.” (View a comprehensive analysis of the legislation.)
 

Appropriations/Budget. With Democrats controlling both the Senate and House of Representatives, the appropriations process under an Obama administration may be less vulnerable to the partisan battles that have stalled the process in recent years.

During his campaign, Obama proposed new investments in many social service programs. For example, he indicated that he would double the 21st Century Community Learning Center after-school program, which some Alliance members and many UNCA members rely on for funding.

In recent years, many of the federally appropriated programs that Alliance and UNCA members utilize have experienced significant cuts. “The public policy office is committed to advocating for a budget that fully funds our policy priorities and supports valued programs,” Lester says.

Health Care. After a recent bipartisan meeting between colleagues on the Senate committees that oversee health and finance, Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) commented, “We all agreed that there has not been a better time in modern American health care to get meaningful health care reform.”

During the campaign, Obama promised to sign universal health care legislation by the end of his first term. With the withdrawal of former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) as a nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Obama will have to find a new advocate to lead the charge for universal health care and to direct the new White House Office of Health Reform.

First out of the gate for Obama has been an expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which he signed into law Feb. 4 with provisions to cover an additional four million children.
“It’s a hopeful time,” says Sandra Bromer, co-chair of the public policy committee and a member of the Alliance board. “It seems clear that the incoming administration’s goal of supporting children’s health is consistent with our own.”

Leaders such as Baucus and Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) are also actively engaged in discussions with Obama about full-scale reform. A plan for comprehensive health care reform would likely begin in Congress and include many components from Obama’s campaign proposal to allow all families to purchase insurance and reduce medical costs.

Health care reform is a high priority issue for the public policy office this year. Rebecca Farley, policy analyst in the Washington office, comments, “We’re continuing to build relationships on Capitol Hill and in Washington so that when the time is right our members’ interests will be well represented.”

Child Welfare. The public policy office and the memberships of the Alliance and UNCA played major roles in the passage of the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008. It was a legislative victory for the public policy office and included some of the most important reforms to child welfare laws in more than a decade.

During the campaign, Obama made few comments about child welfare. However, he has spoken in favor of enacting stronger methods of preventing child abuse and granting greater opportunities for children aging out of foster care.

Regardless, a variety of child welfare issues are at the top of the public policy office’s 2009 agenda. Key among those priorities is extending a congressional moratorium preventing the enactment of six Medicaid regulations that would be harmful for health care providers and child welfare agencies. First reports indicated the moratorium is included in the economic recovery package.

“Obama has indicated that he does not plan to implement the regulations after the moratoria expire,” Varina Winder, policy analyst in the public policy office, explains. “But we will continue to work on this issue on members’ behalf.”

Education. There is no better indication as to where Obama stands on education than his selection of Arne Duncan as secretary of education, Eisner says. The choice of Duncan has been lauded by both teachers unions and former President George W. Bush’s Secretary of Education Margaret Spelling.

During his time as CEO of Chicago Public Schools, Duncan helped improve student performance while supporting an expansion of charter schools and performance pay for teachers (performance pay was a major road block during an attempt to reauthorize the No Child Left Behind Act in 2007).

Duncan also supports increased funding for No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and enacting more flexible accountability benchmarks beyond standardized tests. NCLB is up for reauthorization and will likely be a top agenda item during Obama’s tenure.

In addition to elementary and secondary education, Obama has proposed investing $10 billion each year for programs for children 0-5 years old and doubling funding for federal after-school programs.

“Working closely with the public policy committee, members, and our partners throughout Washington, the policy office will stay close to the pulse of Congress and the new administration,” Lester says.

For more information about the specific policy measures supported and opposed by the public policy office, view the 2009 public policy agenda. Learn more about the public policy committee by viewing a roster of committee members.