NLA Discussion: FFY2000 Appropriations Campaign

[David J Rosen]

NLA Colleagues:

On Mon, 8 Mar 1999, Jon Randall wrote:

> The 28 Sustaining Members of the National Coalition for Literacy (NCL) have
> agreed upon a single recommendation for Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2000
> appropriations for adult and family literacy programs. The NCL has developed
> a comprehensive advocacy strategy to advance this recommendation. This
> article will outline both the strategy and the recommendation. As co-chair
> of the NCL's policy committee, I will be asking literacy supporters around
> the country to do specific things at specific times. This Washington Update
> recommends you take only one action at this time. The action to take now is
> to invite your Representative and your Senators to visit a local literacy
> program in their district or state. My next Washington Update will provide
> suggestions for how to arrange such a visit.

Jon has asked us to invite our Senators and Representatives to visit our
programs.  He has also asked that we let him know what we are hearing from
our legislators.  So, please DO invite Congresspeople -- and state
legislators, too -- to visit your program and talk with students and
graduate. And, post to the NLA list letting us know how it's going.
Who you invited, who is coming -- or who came to your program -- what
happened. It may seem like this is too local to be of interest to everyone
on this list, but it is these local stories from which we all learn.
Remember what former Speaker of the House Tip O Neill said ...that "All
Politics is Local."  So what works for you and your program may be an idea
that works for someone else.

Does your program -- or does your state advocacy group -- have a Meet and
Greet campaign where programs across the state invite their legislators
to visit during the same week?  Do you have a set of suggestions about how
to do this?  Is it up on a Web page that you could refer us to?

> 7. Compile impact data and success stories ... Fran Tracy-Mumford has agreed
> to spearhead the collection of impact data and concise success stories that
> we all can use in advocacy efforts. This data and the success stories will
> be posted to the NCL's web site and made available via the NLA list and
> disseminated by Coalition member organizations.

If you have these, please contact Fran at <ftracy-mumf at state.de.us>


David J. Rosen
NLA List Moderator
<DJRosen at world.std.com>