Texas Public Policy Foundation's Annual Policy Orientation; by Shari Hanrahan

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How do you turn a legislator into a champion for your group's work? For the past five years, the Texas Public Policy Foundation has strengthened legislative relationships through policy events that appeal to the left, right and in-between. Our signature event for doing so is the Annual Policy Orientation for the Texas Legislature.

The Orientation reinforces the Texas Public Policy Foundation's research and recommendations for sound policy. It's a non-partisan approach to bringing policymakers from all political persuasions together, exposing them to our principles and staff in a civil atmosphere.

We know the ideas shared at the conference are making their way into policy. For example, this past February, Texas State Rep. Phil King, chairman of the House Regulated Industries Committee, while laying out his bill before another committee, said,

I want to let you know where [this bill] came from. Four years ago, the Texas Public Policy Foundation had a forum... an anti-trust lawyer.... gave a compelling argument that when you are giving up regulatory authority over utilities you need to move over and let it be dealt with through the civil justice process like everything else. And I got to thinking about that over the years as we were transitioning into a fully deregulated electric market.

The Policy Orientation is a two-day program of keynote speakers and panelists that has become a forum for all points of view. It is common for us to have The Wall Street Journal's John Fund debate Scott McCown, executive director of Texas' left-leaning Center for Public Policy Priorities.

TPPF invites expert panelists from around the nation to discuss those issues deemed of top statewide importance. This year, our analysts moderated 15 panels that consisted of committee chairs, legislators, nationally known research analysts, academics or representatives of grassroots groups. To have sitting legislative chairmen serve as panelists draws interest from other legislators. State Rep. Fred Hill, also the chairman of the House Local Ways & Means Committee, noted,

By hearing high-caliber experts-whether I agree with them or not-discuss their policy positions in one setting at the Texas Public Policy Foundation's Policy Orientation is of great educational value to my colleagues and to me.

A non-partisan approach ensures a lively, entertaining discussion that welcomes all political persuasions-many legislators have told us they forget they're at a Texas Public Policy Foundation event. We offer innovative, research-based solutions and continue to advance our recommended ideas to legislators in later meetings.

TPPF's first Orientation was held in 2003 to a sold-out audience. Successive events have also sold out in a matter of weeks. (Legislators and their staff are invited at no cost; tickets to the general public are $250.) Attendance has grown from 400 registrants in 2004 to more than 600 in 2007. This year, legislators and/or elected officials in attendance numbered more than 70. Texas' public servants see it as a vehicle to highlight their policy agendas to a large and influential audience. As a sign of its success, the Orientation sells out annually, even though the Lone Star State's Legislature only meets biennially.

The conference has become a source of news. The Austin American-Statesman, Dallas Morning News, Houston Chronicle, Ft. Worth Star Telegram and a slew of smaller papers cover statements made by our keynote speakers, which include the governor, lieutenant governor and House speaker. The Lone Star Report wrote, TPPF's 2007 Policy Orientation "looked more than ever like a must-attend occasion for lawmakers and their staffs. Roundtable discussions of the crucial issues facing the 80^th legislative session filled meeting rooms and ears."

With a budget of $120,000, the event is our most costly undertaking, but doubles as our largest fundraiser. The great majority of sponsorship dollars come from corporations and state industry associations that want to be a part of Texas' largest and most well-respected policy event.

Sponsorship levels are $25,000 (Underwriter), $10,000 (Benefactor), and $5,000 (Patron). The sponsor list has grown from nine in 2003 to 48 in 2007. This year, we turned potential sponsors away. Koch Industries' J. William Oswald commented,

I salute TPPF on the top notch speakers, as well as the diversity of panelists and their opinions on a broad range of important subjects. We look forward to continuing our sponsorship of your legislative Orientation in the future.

Sponsors are offered the opportunity to invite attending legislators to sit at their tables, and receive many other benefits. Two exclusive sponsor/legislator activities round out the two days of programming: a dinner reception and breakfast with one of our keynote speakers as the VIP. The exclusivity of these events is key to legislator attendance, which fosters their worth as networking opportunities for sponsors.

TPPF leverages the event by posting audio recordings on its website of each panel and keynote presentation. Event sponsor Time Warner Cable videotapes the keynote presentations and makes them available on its "Lone Star on Demand" service. DVDs of the keynote addresses are sent to each sponsor and the Foundation's high-level donors and offered as a premium for lower-level renewals.

The sold-out attendance at the Orientation convinced us of the need to offer more educational events throughout the year on a smaller scale. We now offer "Policy Primers" which vary from a panel of experts to a keynote speaker to a true one-on-one debate. We've grown the program from just two in 2004 to 12 scheduled this year, with an additional four scheduled around the state. Almost every Primer has sold-out, filling TPPF's 150-seat conference room. The Primers are sponsored by national foundations.

To keep the Orientation fresh, we started adding nationally known speakers in 2006. Among those to date have been Newt Gingrich, Tommy Thompson, John Stossel and Ken Blackwell. TPPF will make improvements to the program for 2008, including timing the event to allow for greater attendance and allowing sponsorship of a nationally-recognized keynote speaker that we might not otherwise be able to afford.

The Annual Policy Orientation for the Texas Legislature pays significant dividends. The ideas presented, debated and explained are often incubated by members of the Legislature and expressed in debate on the floor of the House and Senate chambers. Policy recommendations made at the event are responsible for key changes in state law and help advance the ideas generated by the Texas Public Policy Foundation to ultimately improve the Lone Star State.

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Shari Hanrahan is the vice president of outreach and director of development with the Texas Public Policy Foundation in Austin. She can be reached at shanrahan@texaspolicy.org.