Ideas into Results: Developing Relationships with Legislators; by Bob McClure

Article 

The need to educate lawmakers about free market principles was never more evident than in an ironic quote from a disgraced Florida congressman, the late Richard Kelley. Convicted of bribery in the ABSCAM scandal of the 1980s, Kelly once famously declared, "The free-enterprise system is absolutely too important to be left to the voluntary action of the marketplace."

This comical statement reminds us that some of our elected officials are often no better informed about policy issues than many of the voters who elected them. Therefore, efforts to inform the general public about economic freedom are not enough; to be effective our efforts must also extend to the legislative and executive branches of government.

State-level think tanks may be concerned that such interactions will compromise their mission or possibly endanger their non-profit status. However, The James Madison Institute (JMI), like a good number of other SPN members, routinely undertakes such educational activities without watering down its mission or fearing that its 501(c)3 designation will be revoked.

Elected officials and their professional staffs wield tremendous influence in shaping public policy. That's why we at JMI place a high priority on building relationships with both the executive and legislative branches. We would forfeit a major opportunity to affect policy outcomes if all we did was produce credible research, stage a press conference, pat ourselves on the back and move on to the next project.

Policymakers need to be directly informed. Moreover, when they're faced with difficult decisions, they often welcome our nonpartisan research. For one thing, it can provide "political cover." As a former Speaker of Florida's House of Representatives once told me, he sometimes used JMI's work to "brace up" his members as they headed to the House floor for a particularly important vote.

The Institute has established a working formula for educating policymakers. Above all: We keep the issues simple for legislators without making them simplistic. This is important for at least two reasons.

First, think tanks can easily get wrapped up in the minutiae of a particular project. Yet, as Congressman Kelley's absurd comment demonstrates, many policymakers can be misinformed or completely uninformed about the principles of liberty, let alone their application to specific issues.

Second, policymakers have massive demands on their time. In Florida, where the Legislature meets in formal session for only 60 days a year, the pace is frantic. Although pre-session committee meetings ease the burden, lawmakers are still incredibly busy.

Consequently, in light of the above two constraints, we place executive summaries on the covers of our major studies. When we publish a policy paper, we also distribute a commentary on the topic to help the general public and policymakers understand the issue.

We have found, too, that anecdotes which focus on personal experiences, as opposed to dry research, have great effect. Distributing bullet point reference cards, which summarize main concepts and can be easily referenced in legislative meetings, are also user-friendly. This is likewise true of our "pocket policy" cards, which are used by Florida lawmakers of both parties.

JMI gleans insights from the work of SPN members in other states as well. If they have covered a policy solution of interest to JMI and its constituents, we cite it. Knowing that a policy has succeeded elsewhere can embolden cautious politicians, who rarely want to be the first out on a limb they fear might get sawed off.

To ensure our ideas get a respectable hearing, JMI builds personal relationships with policymakers and their staff. We call it using "shoe leather." There is no substitute for a face-to-face meeting. Though the Florida Legislature and Governor Jeb Bush have been typically friendly to our message over the last eight years, it is important to reach out to friend and foe alike with respect and decorum, no matter the issue. When we meet, JMI is not there to argue, preach, lobby or stay long; rather, we meet to educate and build relationships.

During these visits, we frequently hand-deliver our latest study and discuss the issue. When appropriate, the study's author also attends meetings. We try to visit with every key committee member regarding the topic in question. When the legislative committees meet, we often provide expert testimony. We may organize or participate in events in an elected official's district; when we do, we invite that person and other area public officials. The easier we make elected officials' lives in terms of access to information, the more influential our work will be, the more readily they will remember JMI.

A brief word about legislative staff members: Oftentimes, they are the true gatekeepers. We treat them with the same respect as we accord their boss. If the public official is unavailable, we meet with his or her high-level staff members. Developing relationships with them can be as important as one with the legislator.

The final aspect of our outreach efforts is the follow-through. After a meeting, we write thank you notes. Within a week we call or e-mail to see if the staff member or legislator has questions or would like additional information. As an issue moves through the legislative process, we maintain contact with those involved.

Communicating with JMI's own think tank members about an issue is also an important component of the education process. Legislative leaders take notice when they hear from their constituents. Communicating with our supporters allows our organization to maximize its influence around the state in an inexpensive way.

You may feel that working closely with legislators is unseemly, distasteful or perhaps "less pure" than your stated mission. As humorist P.J. O'Rourke wrote, "The trouble with elections is that somebody has to be elected."

Yet, it is in the halls of the capitol that the free market message can be effectively crystallized. JMI has been at the forefront of numerous free market issues. We were a leader on school choice in the early 90s when education reform was still a quaint notion, and the Legislature was far less friendly to the idea. Since those early days, JMI has helped Florida become a national leader in the choice movement.

More recently, we led the charge to reform Medicaid in Florida through market forces, with the result being one of the most far-reaching reforms in the country. We have led the way on other policy issues that have come to fruition as well - for example, the privatization of government services and the protection of property rights from eminent domain abuse. These successes have been shaped by our work with elected officials from both sides of the aisle.

Keep it simple, not simplistic. Build relationships with elected officials and their staff members. Follow through. There is nothing distasteful about educating anyone on the power and importance of liberty. To the extent that we educate those who enact or can abolish laws, we fulfill an important aspect of a think tank's mission.

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Bob McClure is president and CEO of The James Madison Institute in Tallahassee, Florida. He can be reached at bob@jamesmadison.org.