Advocacy Updates

Dear friends,

I just wanted to update everyone on our advocacy efforts heading into the 2019 Indiana General Assembly.

Our lobbyist Joe Loftus from Barnes & Thornburg is performing the following services for us:

1. Assisting our board of directors in developing legislative strategies for effectively advocating our interests. In fact, he accomplished this by meeting with our board several times since June to make us educate us on effective advocacy efforts before the legislature convenes. We, in turn, have passed these on to you for action in our local programs. These strategies included messages to find employers and other stakeholders who will be champions for adult education and to invite legislators to visit our programs before January.

2. He will be monitoring legislation that is introduced during the legislative session that would affect adult education.

3. If needed, draft legislation, amendments, or advocacy pieces regarding legislation pertaining to adult education that would further our interests.

4. He has met with some of our legislators and staff about adult education. Particularly, he needs to know which ones WE have met with, those who visited our local programs, and those who attended local adult education events so he can follow up with them.

December represents a “last chance” to engage our legislators locally before they head into the 2019 Indiana General Assembly. Here’s what I’m asking our members to do:

1. If you’re having a mid-year awards program or something like that, please invite your legislators. And then send me an e-mail describing the event briefly and which legislator(s) attended. If the legislator had a particular role in the event, please let me know that.

2. If you’re not having a special December event, please invite your legislators to visit the program. Again, please let me know who attended and a brief description.

3. Send me the name of a company and a contact there who can be champion for adult education. This should be an employer who has particularly benefited from your adult education program. (For example, you have a Workforce Education Initiative with the company. Or you do WorkIndiana or IET certifications for pre-employment or incumbent workers.)

4. Watch for any “Town Hall” meetings in your local communities hosted by legislators before and during the legislative session. Please attend and participate with students and especially your employer-champion! Prompt them to speak about the importance of adult education to them. When you do, please let me know so I can pass the information on to our lobbyist. This is information I send Joe so he can effectively represent us at the Statehouse. But he can’t do it alone in Indianapolis. He needs us to work locally so legislators can see and hear the benefits of adult education for their constituents, especially employers.

My e-mail address is rmoore@mccsc.edu. I look forward to hearing from you on the great work you’re doing and how the legislators were engaged!

Rob Moore
IAACE Advocacy Committee Chair