Call to Action: SBIR Reauthorization 2008

Call-To-Action is an initiative of: Innovation Development Institute

Reauthorization Countdown clock	days remaining
What is this about? (working paper)
Proposed Phase III Demo Funding
IDI Processed Emails re. this issue

Friends and Allies

Industrial Research Institute

Senate Small Business Committee Membership

For the near-term, the fight to achieve an effective SBIR reauthorization is now concentrated primarily in the Senate Small Business Committee. Be very aware that the major focus of the BIO-NVCA effort to to capture the SBIR-STTR programs has been with the former Chair of this committee, Mr Bond (R.MO) who also sits on the powerful Appropriations Committee.

Determining the current stance on Reauthorization by your Member(s)

See SBIR-related position as is currently known.
o House list	o Senate list
If this position is NOT known - and you know with some degree of certainty what that position is, please check off the appropriate marker OR - especially in the House - you know that position to be different from the HR 5819 vote - for example, that they had not understood the implications of HR 5819 - please check the appropriate marker AND let us know how you know that their position is not that listed.

Member interactions:
Please provide indication of the nature of your interactions with Members. Copies of written communications - and any replies - would be useful. A quick synopsis will suffice.

Party

State

Which House?

Nature of the Contact:
Type of contact(s) with Member(s). Select ALL that are applicable.

	Written - letter, email etc	Staffer discussion
	Telephone	Telephone Message Left

	DC Office visit	District Office visit
	Visit to your facility by Member or staff	Other off-site interaction

Email clarifying information

Accessing information about your elected officials:
We have found the CSPAN Congressional Database particularly useful to support

identifying elected official(s)
to determine their Committee memberships
to access relevant contact info
to identify staff contacts etc.

Educating the Congress:
A critical part of any SBIR Political activity MUST be education of Members and - perhaps even MORE important - of their staffers, in DC and in the constituency.

After every election, an important percentage of both Houses are new to the system. Even more dramatically, the turnover of staff can be substantial. In consequence, many who are making important decisions about SBIR often know remarkably little about the program; some literally don't have any idea at all about what it is, where it came from or how it works. Except for a very few key players, it is safe to assume that most Members and their staffs have minimal understanding of why SBIR is so important

to the small business community
to technology development and
to the health of economy.

Every Member needs to become familiar with

the SBIR and STTR programs in general
and in particular, the impact of these programs on small firms
and others in their districts AND
on other matters of national consequence.
Of the very highest priority is education of those Members who sit on committees which have some level of jurisdiction over the agencies which are part of the SBIR program - the Small Business Committees in the House and the Senate, but also Armed Services/ National Security; both Science Committees, and some of the Appropriation sub-committees etc.

Make it YOUR job to educate your Member(s): If you're an awardee (know one, or work with some) for whom the program has made a difference, begin to think about how to tell that story.

If its appropriate, invite your elected officials to visit your facility. Most of them will come ... and when they do come, work with their Press personnel to help themto put out a press announcement. A picture is worth a thousand words so have a photographer there too.
The local press often loves this type of story and the Members staff not only know who he right people are to get the story publsihed but will appreciate the coverage you just got them.... this is an election year.

Make an appointment to talk to them in their office when they're home - much easier than in DC.
If the only appointment you can get is with a staff person, do it anyway and be well prepared. especially inthe District Offices, they have much more time available and, if what you tell them is interesting, they'll tell their boss.