Nonprofit Policy & Advocacy
On this page:
- Nonprofits and Health Care Reform (updated 10.30.09)
- National Council Asks Council of Economic Advisors Not to Leave Nonprofits Out of Health Care Reform
- Nonprofit Capacity Building Program Update
- Economic Stimulus Updates
- Nonprofit State Associations Meet with White House Office of Social Innovation and Advocate on the Hill
- Tools for Effective Advocacy
- Public Policy Links
Nonprofits and Health Care Reform
Comprehensive health care reform has now passed all of the required congressional committees. The next step for is for each chamber to pass its bill. Then those predictably different versions will move to Conference Committee to be merged into the final bill.
UPDATE: Here is a summary of the status of healthcare reform legislation.
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House status: The House leadership merged the three committee bills and revealed its health care proposal on October 29th. The key provisions include: expanding Medicaid to cover everyone making less than 150% of the federal poverty level, creating health insurance exchanges for individuals and small employers to purchase insurance, and providing a government sponsored insurance option. The House bill is primarily funded by a 5.4% surtax on households with income over $1 million.
The House bill does not address the concern raised by Representative McCollum and more than 40 other members of the House that nonprofits are not covered as small employers for the purpose of receiving subsidies to pay for employee health care. These Representatives have indicated that they will continue to advocate for including nonprofits as the process continues. The Speaker’s Office would like the House to finish debate and vote on the bill by Veterans Day (November 11th).
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Senate status: Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid has not yet released the language for the merged Senate Bill. He stated on October 27th that the legislation will contain a public insurance option that includes an opt-out provision for individual states. The Senate is still waiting for a budget score from the Congressional Budget Office to see if the bill will meet the 10 year $900 billion cost limit set by President Obama. The Senate has not set a timeline for passing a final bill.
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Independent Sector offers a detailed analysis of the respective health care proposals.
National Council Asks Council of Economic Advisors Not to Leave Nonprofits Out of Health Care Reform
In July the White House Council of Economic Advisers issued a study showing that because small forprofit businesses pay up to 18% higher insurance premiums they should get a tax credit. The study, however, completely omitted small nonprofit employers, which face much higher premiums, too. When asked why nonprofits were excluded from the White House’s plans, the Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers agreed to find out and get back to us. The National Council sent a follow-up letter to Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors regarding the need for nonprofit inclusion in the healthcare reform debate.
Nonprofit Capacity Building Program Update
Funding for the Nonprofit Capacity Building program continues to be delayed as Congress finishes making appropriations for the next fiscal year. The Senate has proposed a $2 million appropriation for the program and the House has not included funding for the program. The National Council will continue to monitor the situation as the appropriations bills move to conference.
Economic Stimulus Updates
Navigating for Stimulus Fund Information:
Many nonprofits across the country are trying to find specific information on federal, state, and local grant opportunities under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Here are some tips that update some of the information in our Special Reports (see below):
- If you have received block grant funds or other support from your state or local governments, start with them by visiting their websites or calling. Here's the official Recovery.gov link to basic information at the state level.
- This link to the federal department recovery sites enables you to focus on likely sources of federal funds for your programs, and review information about grant programs.
- The www.grants.gov website is the portal for all applications. Applicants for federal grants must register. Take time to become familiar with all the search tools for grants - including a specific one to recovery funds - and the tips and tools the site offers for applicants.
- If you are interested in tracking where your state has allocated stimulus funds, ProPublica has created a list of transparency resources for each state.
Special Reports from the National Council
The National Council is producing a series of Special Reports about our nation’s economic recovery, including analysis of the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009. These Special Reports will be revised on a periodic basis to provide the best information possible, so check back frequently and please feel free to e-mail us any information (with confirming citation) for updates.
Flickr photo by donbuciak
Nonprofit State Associations Meet with White House Office of Social Innovation and Advocate on the Hill!
In an historic first, 80 nonprofit leaders from our State Association network, representing more than 20,000 organizational members from across the country, met July 14 with a senior White House official to explore ways government and nonprofits can best partner to serve local communities. Read our Press Release.
Advocacy Resources
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation's "Effective Advocacy at All Levels of Government" is an online tool to help nonprofits more effectively engage in the public policy process. Developed by the Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest, it’s a plain language approach that includes sample strategic plans and case stories from a wide range of charities.
For more resources, visit our Policy Resources page.
Public Policy Links
- Nonprofit Policy News
A free, monthly e-newsletter featuring federal & state legislation that impacts nonprofits - Federal Policy Issues
Important information & updates on policy issues that affect the nonprofit sector at large - State Policy Issues
Active state legislation and state regulatory resources - Policy Resources
Resources for engaging in the policy process, such as success stories and links to lobbying rules - Nonprofits & Elections
Strategies and rules related to the role of nonprofits in voter engagement
Find your local state association of nonprofits
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