IN-DISTRICT MEETING PROGRAM

ICSC members in several states are actively participating in the In-District Meeting Program, which was designed to strengthen relationships with Members of Congress who are strategically critical to ICSC efforts in the 105th Congress. The program, which began last August and will continue throughout the 105th Congress, is an important component of ICSC’s overall government relations strategy.

Here’s how the program works. The ICSC Government Relations office selected Members of Congress according to their committee assignments or their influence with two coalitions: the conservative “Blue Dog” Democrats and the moderate “Lunch Bunch” Republicans. Staff then contacted State Government Relations Chairmen and asked them to meet with the targeted Members of Congress.

ICSC members responded enthusiastically. “Our meeting with Congresswoman Jennifer Dunn was exciting,” said Washington Government Relations Chairman Mark E. Barbieri (Unico Properties, Inc., Seattle). “We have met with the Congresswoman several times in Washington, DC, during the Congressional Contacts Meeting, but this was the first time we sat down with her ‘at home,’ in her district. It really seems to create a closer relationship.” Rep. Dunn (R) is on the House Ways and Means Committee, which along with the Senate Finance Committee, will be influential on the capital gains tax issue.

The events ICSC members arranged included meetings in Congressional district offices, tours of malls and shopping centers, breakfast and lunch receptions, and invitations to address ICSC Idea Exchanges and local meetings. Georgia Government Relations Committee members met with more than half of the state’s 11 House members, including Rep. Nathan Deal (R) of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and Rep. Bob Barr (R) of the House Judiciary Committee. The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has oversight for legislation dealing with environmental issues, such as wetlands, Superfund, and property rights. The House and Senate Judiciary Committees have jurisdiction over the bankruptcy issue.

“These meetings were so productive, and so much more relaxed and informal than when we meet in Washington,” said Georgia Government Relations Chairman Michael Caldwell (The Metropolitan Group, Inc., Atlanta). “We plan to meet with the rest of the delegation throughout 1997 and to make these District Meetings a part of our Committee’s annual programs.”

Alabama Government Relations Chairman Lee Metzger (Providence Park, Inc., Mobile) scheduled a District Meeting with Rep. Bud Cramer, Jr. (D), a member of the “Blue Dog” Democrats. With Republicans controlling only a slim majority in the House, the votes of conservative “Blue Dog” Democrats and moderate “Lunch Bunch” Republicans will be key to legislative victory. Members of these two coalitions have a pro-business, balance-the-budget focus. ICSC members will hold many more District Meetings with “Blue Dog” Democrats and “Lunch Bunch” Republicans throughout the year.

District Meetings with targeted Members of Congress will continue throughout the 105th Congress. If you are interested in participating in this program, please call Rob Sweezy at 703/549-7404, ext. 223, or email him at rsweezy@icsc.org.