Advocating for the Common Good: People, Politics, Process, and Policy on Capitol Hill offers a rich and accessible guide to policy-making in the nation's capital, beckoning us to get to the table, make our voices heard, and reinvigorate our policy making institutions. Jane West parts the curtains and brings us behind the scenes with a simple framework which enables both the novice and the experienced to deftly navigate the Washington maze. The 4 P's-people, politics, process, and policy-are each examined with an eye toward what a successful advocate needs to know. Informed by her forty years of experience as part of the policy-making apparatus in education and disability, expert interviews with those in the room where it happens, a deep dive into congressional procedures and the scholarship on public policy, West delivers a powerful call to action. This affordable, jargon-free guide provides students and professionals with practical tools and a proven step-by-step process for analyzing past policies to understand how and why it became what it is, and then creating an advocacy strategy for a cause in order to change policy going forward.
Jane West is an independent education policy consultant based in Washington D.C. She began her policy work as an intern in the U.S. Senate for Senator Lowell P. Weicker (R-CT) in 1983, where she went on to serve as staff director for the Subcommittee on Disability Policy of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP). She has been active in policy making for over forty years working for a range of federal government agencies as well as national organizations, including the Presidential Task Force on the HIV Epidemic, the National Council on Disability, the Social Security Administration, the U.S. Department of Education, the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation, The National Network of State Teachers of the Year, the Higher Education Consortium for Special Education, and the Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children. She has written and spoken extensively on policy and advocacy in education and disability and served on the faculties of the University of San Francisco, the Johns Hopkins University, the University of Maryland, and Virginia Commonwealth University designing and teaching public policy courses. For more information see: https://www.janewestconsulting.com/
Acknowledgments Author's Note Introduction Chapter 1: People The Iron Triangle Congress Congressional Staff and Congressional Committees Relationships Are Everything The Executive Branch Interest Groups Professional and Trade Associations Business or Corporation Associations Public Interest Groups Think Tanks What Do Interest Groups Do in Relation to Policy and Advocacy? Political Action Committees and 501 (c) (4)'s Coalitions Government Relations/Lobbying Firms Lobbying Beyond the Iron Triangle The Courts Social Media and the Press Public Opinion Constituents Grass Roots Movements and Organizations Experts The Culture of Policy Making vs. the Cultures of Other Sectors Representation Matters Take Aways: The People References Chapter 2: Politics Majorities and Minorities in Congress Seniority in Congress The White House Election Cycles Participating in Election Campaigns Transitions after Winning an Election Bipartisanship Tale Aways: The Politics References Chapter 3: Process Part I: Summary of the Literature on Public Policy Making Processes Framework #1: the Cyclical Framework Problem Definition Agenda Setting Policy Formulation Policy Adoption Policy Implementation Policy Evaluation Framework #2: Policy Streams Part II: Congressional Procedures How a Bill Becomes a Law: The Seven Steps of Regular Order Bill Introduction The Committee Receives the Bill Possible Referral to Subcommittee Hearings and Markups Floor Consideration Conference Committee President's Signature Three Core Legislative Processes: Budget, Appropriations, Authorization Budget Process Reconciliation Deeming Resolutions Appropriations Process Mandatory and Discretionary Spending Earmarks Authorization Process Other Congressional Processes Oversight and Investigations Confirmations Senate and House Rules Committee on Rules of the House of Representatives Filibuster and Cloture in the Senate Part 3: Executive Branch Processes Executive Orders Federal Rulemaking Before the Proposed Rule The Proposed Rule Before the Final Rule The Final Rule After the Final Rule Negotiated Rulemaking Other Key Federal Agency Functions Related to Policy Making Guidance Take-Aways: The Processes References Chapter 4: Policy Which Comes First: The Problem or the Solution? Policy Tools Grants Appropriations Civil Rights Accountability Data Collection Enforcement Mechanisms Research Individual Benefits Tax Code Requirements Related to Implementation by Federal Agency What is Good Policy? The Americans with Disabilities Act and the Use of Standardized Assessment in Federal Education Policy: Point/Counterpoint The ADA: A Remarkable Policy NCLB and Its Derivatives: The Use of Standardized Assessments in Federal Education Policy A Cautionary Tale Race to the Top 2009 Teacher Preparation Regulations 2011-2017 Lessons Learned Take Aways: The Policy Chapter 5: Advocacy: Putting It All Together Advocating with Congressional Offices First and Foremost: Build a Relationship Prepare for Meetings Provide Background Information, Data, Stories Refine Your Message so it Will Be Heard by Your Audience Be Prepared with No More than Three "ASKS" Offer Invitations to Speak or Visit Don't Get Mad or Argue or Talk Politics Always Follow Up Keep Showing Up Add Your Voice to a National Organization Advocating with the Executive Branch Artifacts for Advocacy Committee and Subcommittee Activities: Hearings, Markups, and More Other Statements from Members of Congress Status of Bills Introduced Reports from the Congressional Research Service Documents from the Government Accountability Office Developments from the White House and Federal Agencies Connecting Research, Practice, and Policy Participating in a Committee Hearing or a Town Hall Meeting Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Advocacy Activities Impact of January 6, 2021 Events at the Capitol on Security Measures In Closing Take Aways: Advocacy Chapter 6: Wrapping Up: Being at the Table... Not on the Menu References Index About the Interviewees About the Author
This book empowers experts with the understanding of the process to impact policy and provides a bridge to collaborative partnerships between experts and policymakers. -- Gloria Niles, University of Hawai'i The author builds on the extant body of work on this critical topic, while also incorporating their deep experience in practice. This book thus in essence presents a practice-informed theory, which is much needed in the field of education and public policy. -- Raquel Muniz, Boston College, Lynch School of Education & Human Development and School of Law
