Advocating for Research Funding and Science Policy: An Introduction

Advocating for Research Advocating for Research Funding and Science Policy: Funding and Science Policy:

An IntroductionAn Introduction

Jennifer Zeitzer & Kimberly McGuireFASEB Office of Legislative Affairs

Contents

The Political Environment FASEB Policy Priorities Communicating With Elected Officials Congressional Visit Toolbox Overview Plan Your Visit Learn About Your Elected Officials Make the Most of Your Meeting Legislative Visit Best Practices Print Materials to Leave Behind Ongoing Advocacy & Staying Engaged

The Political Environment Democrats control the White House

and enjoy majorities in the House and Senate but bipartisanship remains essential

A $1.8 trillion deficit and “pay-as-you-go” rules make funding increases more difficult across the board

Many worthy federal programs are vying for a limited amount of taxpayer dollars

Research agencies received large investments from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)

Research funding and science policy must compete for time and attention with a busy Congressional schedule and ambitious national agenda

FASEB Priorities: Recommendations for FY2010 Research Funding National Institutes of Health (NIH): 7% increase over

FY 2009 National Science Foundation (NSF): $7 billion (7.9 %

increase over FY 2009) Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical and

Prosthetics Research Program: $575 million (12.8% increase over FY 2009), and an additional $142 million for research infrastructure to begin to address the deterioration of VA research facilities.

Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science: 8% increase over FY 2009 ($5.2 billion)

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agriculture and Food Research Initiative: $300 million

FASEB Priorities: Agency Talking Points NIH: NIH funded research has successfully the

mortality and morbidity of heart disease, cancer and AIDS. 83% of NIH funding 50,000 competitive, peer-reviewed grants 350,000+ researchers 3,000+ universities, medical schools, teaching hospitals & other research institutions in every state. In 2007, NIH funds sent to medical schools, universities & research institutions generated $50.5 billion in new state business activity & 350,000+ jobs, with average salaries of $52,000 per year. $2+ of business activity is generated for every $1 from NIH

NSF: NSF is the principal source of federal research support in mathematics, computer science and social science. Each year, NSF funding provides grants to more than 200,000 scientists, teachers and student researchers at thousands of institutions across the country.

FASEB Priorities: Agency Talking Points VA: An increase in fiscal year 2010 funding for the

Medical & Prosthetics Research Program to $575 million (current funding is $510 million) and funding for VA research infrastructure at $142 million will provide an infusion necessary to meet the health challenges of our growing veteran population through research to prevent, treat and cure combat-related and other illnesses and disabilities.

DOE: An 8% increase will provide the DoE Office of Science with the ability to sustain support for cutting-edge science & technological innovations that strengthen our economy and improve lives. This increase is also essential to fulfill President’s Obama’s goal of doubling federal funding for basic research.

USDA: Greater investment in agricultural research is essential to maintain the safety of our food supply. Research supported by the USDA has identified the critical role that nutrition plays in cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

FASEB Priorities: Science Policy Animals in Research & Education Benefits of Biomedical Research Clinical Research Communicating Science Federal Funding Evolution Resources Homeland Security & Visas Human Subjects Protection Indirect Costs International Science Policy Peer Review & Priority Setting Regulatory Burden Research Integrity Scientific Publication Stem Cells & SCNT Tech Transfer / Intellectual Property Training & Career Opportunities

For more information on specific policy issues, please visit: http://opa.faseb.org/pages/PolicyIssues/

Communicating With Your Elected Officials: Email Advocacy Address only one issue in each message and include it

in the subject line of your email State your purpose for writing in the first sentence of

the email If possible, identify a specific bill no. or piece of

legislation you are writing about Clearly state your position on the bill and/or issue State why you support/oppose the bill or issue &

include relevant facts Explain why the issue matters to you Make a specific request Include your postal address in the message Keep it short, polite and to the point Use proper grammar, punctuation and writing style

Communicating With Your Elected Officials: Phone Advocacy Ask to speak with the health aide or person

who handles science issues State that you are a constituent Identify a specific bill no. or piece of

legislation you are calling about Clearly state your position on the bill and/or

issue State why you support/oppose the bill or issue Ask the aide what the member’s position is on

the bill/issue Be prepared to give your name, mailing

address and a phone number where you can easily be reached for follow-up

Communicating With Your Elected Officials: In Person Visits Make an appointment Be prompt….and patient if you are kept waiting Be prepared Explain why the issue matters to constituents Describe how you or your organization can be

of assistance Ask for a commitment Be responsive – send promised follow-up information

quickly! Remember to send a “thank-you” message after the

meeting Remember that a meeting is only the first step toward

building a relationship with your elected officials

Communicating With Your Elected Officials: Building Effective Relationships Over Time Establish connection with members and their staff – e.g.

college alumni, church, hometown, local business, neighborhood/volunteer group, etc.

Note the connection along with the contact information of anyone you speak to so you can refer back to it later

Attend town hall meetings held by your member of Congress

Be a resource Communicate on a regular basis – at least once every few

months Document visits in your organization or institution’s

newsletter (with photos as appropriate) Ask the staff person with whom you met if you may add

them to your newsletter list Send a letter of congratulations if the member of

Congress receives an award – especially if it’s connected to your issue

Remember to say “thank you”

Congressional Visit Toolbox Overview Advocacy 101: How to Communicate With Elected Officials

Advocating for Research Funding and Science Policy: An Introduction (FASEB Slideshow) Meeting With Your Senators and Representatives (ASBMB Video)

Plan Your Visit Congressional Calendar and Recess Schedule Find Your Elected Officials Request a Meeting (Customizable sample)

Make the Most of Your Meeting Legislative Visit Best Practices Talking Points & Discussion Guide (Customizable sample) Follow-Up/Thank You Letter (Customizable sample) Visit Report Form (Optional: return to FASEB)

Print Materials to Leave Behind Investing In Our Future: A Stronger NIH for a Healthier America FY2010 Federal Funding Recommendations Brochure (Print as trifold) Biomedical Research in Your State Slide Set (Select your state) Breakthroughs in Bioscience Article (Choose a topic) Science Fortune Brochure (Print as trifold)

Ongoing Advocacy & Staying Engaged Join the FASEB E-Action List Subscribe to the Washington Update Visit the 111th Congress Information and Advocacy Center

Plan Your Visit Find out who your Representative and

2 Senators are Learn about your elected officials,

what their positions are and how they can support research

Find a time when the person you would like to meet with is in town

Request a meeting using our customizable template

Learn About Your Elected Officials Find your elected officials

http://capwiz.com/faseb/dbq/officials/?command=local

Visit www.house.gov Visit www.senate.gov Sign-up to receive constituent

newsletters via email Check Facebook, Twitter or other

social networking sites Visit http://www.votesmart.org/

Learn About Your Elected Officials: Tracking Votes and Positions Track HOUSE Roll Call votes:

http://clerk.house.gov/legislative/legvotes.html

Tracking SENATE Roll Call votes: http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/legislative/a_three_sections_with_teasers/votes.htm (SENATE)

Learn more about the legislative process at: http://thomas.loc.gov/

Use organization “issue scorecards” carefully Know that one bill can cover multiple issues Search the Congressional Record for

speeches your member of Congress may have given on a specific issue

Read local newspapers/blogs to search for quotes on a specific issue from your member of Congress

Write your member of Congress and ask for an explanation about a specific vote

Make the Most of Your Meeting Before the meeting:

Read “Legislative Visit Best Practices” At the meeting:

Utilize our customizable “Talking Points & Discussion Guide”

After the meeting: Send the office a thank you letter using

our customizable template Consider filling out a Visit Report form to

send to FASEB – we would love to hear about your activities!!!

Legislative Visit Best Practices Open with your message Let the person you are meeting with know:

You are a constituent Your expertise and how issue affects you How your issue will help with other constituents You would like to help in the area of your message

Assume they know about your topic Educate if needed

Big picture – this is not a science class Ask about the Member’s position and what they

plan to do about the issue Be collegial, not adversarial Close with your message Leave them with printed materials and your business

card

Print Materials to Leave Behind Print the following materials to prepare a

“leave-behind” folder; you may also wish to add your own documents Investing In Our Future: A Stronger NIH for a

Healthier America FY2010 Federal Funding Recommendations Brochu

re (Print as tri-fold)

Biomedical Research in Your State Slide Set (Select your state)

Breakthroughs in Bioscience Article (Choose a relevant topic)

Science Fortune Brochure (Print as tri-fold)

Ongoing Advocacy: Next Steps Join the FASEB E-Action List to receive timely

alerts on key issues Subscribe to the Washington Update to stay

informed Visit the 111th Congress Information and

Advocacy Center to learn more about Congress and how you can advocate for the issues that matter to you

For more information, go to: http://opa.faseb.org/ or check us out on Twitter at http://twitter.com/FASEBopa