chaptersinaction Back on the Hill
In April, MOAA’s council and chapter leaders once again headed to Washington, D.C., to lobby their congressional leaders and meet up for the Council Presidents’ Seminar.
M
OAA’s councils and chapters have a critical role in the association’s
annual Storming the Hill signature lobbying event. For MOAA’s state council presidents (and chapter presidents, in states with no coun- cil), this is the culmination of the chapter system’s grassroots support of MOAA’s legislative objectives. It all starts in January each year
when MOAA publishes its legislative goals for the year in the Washington Scene section of Military Officer. Our chapters get the ball roll-
ing by talking to their legislators in their state and district offices. These contacts can be a phone call, a visit, a town hall meeting, or a letter rais- ing awareness of one or more issues that are part of MOAA’s goals for the year. Or chapters can invite their representative to speak to the chap- ter. If asked, there’s a good chance a representative will show up or have one of his or her district staff members attend the meeting. These representatives know about MOAA and what the association stands for,
On the road: This month, Col. Lee Lange, USMC-Ret., director of MOAA’s Council and Chapter Affairs Depart- ment, will visit chapter members in Missouri. Go to MOAA Calendar, page 76, for the dates.
often because of personal contact with our members who might have known them for years. More often than not, these repre-
sentatives return to their offices in Washington wanting to know more about MOAA’s legislative goals. If they have questions, that’s where MOAA’s government relations team comes in — by answering their ques- tions when they call. Instead of just talking about a problem, MOAA always offers a solution, such as pro- posing a legislative fix and then ask- ing the legislators to cosponsor a bill in support of the fix. If we can get that kind of a cycle going in a num- ber of states, we can start to build real support for an issue. In some cases, we have legislative liaisons at the chapter level — members as- signed to a particular representative or senator, who can get a message to them on important issues. The Storming the Hill event can be called a graduation exercise for MOAA’s grassroots support efforts by the chapter system. When they see their state’s legislators, council and chapter presidents reinforce the message started by chapters. These actions significantly increase cosponsor support for key bills, which might end up in the De- fense Authorization Bill, ready to be passed into law. Chapters are a
powerful force in moving forward on MOAA’s legislative goals. You can be a part of it by joining your local chapter today. Visit www
.moaa.org/chapters/locator and type in your ZIP code to find an MOAA chapter near you.
— Col. Lee Lange II, USMC-Ret. Director, Council and Chapter Affairs
Time to Meet Leaders join forces for
MOAA’s cause. C
ouncil leaders gathered April 14 to participate in MOAA’s 2011 Council Presidents’
Seminar. The event kicked off the night before with a dinner featuring Rep. Buck McKeon, chair of the House Armed Services Committee. McKeon cited problems facing
the U.S. military, including national security, the “staggering pace” of evolution of warfare since the first Gulf War, U.S. military involvement in the Middle East, and a planned troop cutback “that places additional strain on our military members and military families.”
Meeting of the minds Col. Lee Lange II, USMC-Ret., MOAA Council and Chapter Affairs
*online: Visit
www.moaa.org/storming for a recap of the 2011 Storming the Hill event. 42 MILITARY OFFICER JULY 2011
PHOTO: STEVE BARRETT
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