April 2010
The Friends Committee on National Legislation is a nonpartisan Quaker lobby in the public interest, the largest religious lobby group in Washington. It identifies specific, practical steps that individuals can take now to persuade the federal government to move our country toward the world we seek. The specific policies and legislative priorities they advocate reflect this focus on long-term change.In 2009 a new administration and Congress took office and presented FCNL and its supporters with opportunities that they had not seen in decades to advance federal policy toward the world we seek. These opportunities were multiplied in part because, in addition to newly elected officials, they also saw a new consensus emerging across party lines to take action to rid the world of nuclear weapons, to work to prevent wars before they broke out, and to address pressing issues such as health care and greenhouse gas pollution.
One year later that early hope has been tempered by the bitter debates and perception of gridlock in Congress. The potential for change still exists, but the dashed hopes for fast action creates a new danger: many may become alienated from lobbying work because change has not come fast enough or has come at the expense of too much compromise. Only steady lobbying by a strong community on issues they care about will rebuild our house of democracy. FCNL has the passion and the tools to help people engage their peers and policymakers. Working together, we can continue to make that persistent lobbying a reality.
Here is some of what the FCNL community around the United States has done this year.
Preventing War: FCNL began its Peaceful Prevention of Deadly Conflict (PPDC) program in 2002 with the goal of shifting U.S. policy away from military reaction and toward effective prevention of violent conflict. They knew it would be a long-term effort. The initial work was often lonely and yielded few tangible results. Today, seven years and hundreds of lobby visits later, FCNL's willingness to invest in an idea before it was popular and its ability to work where others were not, has paid off. In part as a result of FCNL's work, policymakers in Congress, the Pentagon, the State Department, and the White House have begun asking for other tools to address war.
Advancing a World Free of Nuclear Weapons: In the spring of 2009 Barack Obama became the first U.S. president to declare that the United States will seek peace and security in "a world without nuclear weapons." FCNL has been working since the early 1950s to build congressional support for nuclear disarmament. Our work has helped create a climate where elected officials and opinion leaders can speak out for nuclear nonproliferation. FCNL is hard at work on Senate ratification of a follow-on agreement to the START nuclear weapons reduction treaty and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.
Reminding Congress and the County that War Is Not the Answer in Afghanistan: FCNL's experience leading the congressional effort to ban permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq helped persuade Congress to demand a fundamental change in policy. They took a similar approach this year, lobbying for a ban on permanent U.S. military bases in Afghanistan. Congress approved this legislation in May 2009. Even as the president escalated the war in Afghanistan in the fall of 2009, FCNL worked with congressional offices to build support for an alternative U.S policy in Afghanistan.
Acting on Global Warming: Throughout the year, FCNL built coalitions to improve weak legislation in Congress and worked with senators to advance an alternative bill that would be more effective. In December, bipartisan legislation was introduced that would put a price on carbon emissions, would refund the majority of pollution revenues to consumers, and would not favor one technology or industry over another.
Constituent Action Lobbying is never a solo venture, and, most frequently, it is constituent action that makes the difference in successfully persuading members of Congress to agree to a change in federal policy. Collaboration and teamwork made our lobbying successful over and over again in 2009. FCNL is grateful to all of us around the country who worked in partnership with staff on Capitol Hill.
FCNL provided the tools for tens of thousands of people to lobby Congress and start conversations in their communities about what is necessary for peace. More than 17,000 people contacted their elected officials through their website in 2009, sending nearly 170,000 communications to their elected officials. FCNL distributed more than 120,000 War Is Not the Answer signs and bumper stickers in 2009.
Currently we are being asked to ask our representative (Van Hollen for most of us) to cosponsor a bill for Comprehensive Immigration Reform (HR 4321) to keep families together, bring undocumented immigrants out of the shadows and uphold immigrants' human civil rights.
Prudent Financial Management The worldwide economic crisis caused many nonprofit organizations in Washington, DC to cut back their operations or shut their doors. These include the advocacy offices of national religious organizations. During 2009 FCNL trimmed and tightened our operations. They cut expenses from $4.6 million to $3.2 million and said goodbye to 15 valued staff. These actions allowed FCNL to remain in solid financial shape throughout this period, but the cuts have come close to the bone. They are looking to Friends in the next two years to help them obtain the additional resources necessary to take advantage of the opportunities for change that they see in Washington.
2010 Legislative Priorities-Setting Process A unique feature of FCNL is their practice of involving as many Quaker meetings and churches as possible in shaping priorities for their lobbying efforts. The priorities process guides FCNL in focusing its work on particular issues for the next two-year session of Congress. FCNL thanks all of the Friends meetings and churches that worshipped together to discern priorities for their lobbying work for the 112th Congress (2011-2012). FCNL's General Committee will approve priorities in November at our Annual Meeting in Washington, DC.
Leadership and Change Joe Volk will retire from FCNL in March 2011, after 21 years of service as FCNL's Executive Secretary. As this report is being written, an extensive national search is underway. From its beginnings in 1943, FCNL has been blessed with leadership nurtured by our community of faith, the Religious Society of Friends. Our leaders have brought spiritual depth, intellectual power, and centered compassion to FCNL's work. FCNL's next executive secretary will lead FCNL at an exciting time when its lobbying and education work can make a real difference. Please hold FCNL and its search process in the Light in the months ahead.
G. Dorsey Green, Clerk
FCNL General Committee
