It is the mark of any well-executed Member of Congress
educational effort - a.k.a. lobbying - that those involved keep track of which
Members are in which column
- For your issue;
- Against your issue
- or Not yet decided.
This simple tracking expedient ensures that best use
can be made of always limited available resources - efforts can be focused; that
there are few surprises when things get to a vote; and that the likelihood is
reduced of the dreadful situation that emerged in the House of Representatives
on April 23, 2008 when a bill that was of major importance to many of you almost
slipped by without most of you knowing anything about it and, even more
important, with many Members having very little idea of what they were voting on
- the seriously flawed H.R. 5819.
To have available this useful tracking tool to manage
what is a complex political endeavor, we need your help in compiling this record
vis-a-vis the current SBIR Reauthorization effort. A section of the SBIR
Call to Action web-site has been designed to enable you quickly and easily to do
that
With separate listings for the House and for the Senate
- by Member name, Party and State - we are listing the currently known position
of each elected official. If you are sure of the stance your Member(s) are
taking, you are requested to check off against their name
- For an expanded VC presence
- For maintaining SBIR diversity
- Not yet committed
This action on your part will trigger an automatic
email to us - from which we will make the posting. You can use that email
to communicate with us too - but that is not essential. If you like, you
can just hit the send button.
Senate: primary focus
With the companion bill to H.R. 5819 still in
development in the Senate, obviously the major focus is to Senators. We
cannot allow the same lack of contact by the larger SBIR community that defined
what happened in the House recur in the Senate.
Many Members not directly involved with Small Business
issues may still be less than fully aware of the major importance and economic
impact of the SBIR program. Many will have already have heard from
BIO-NVCA. Now they need to hear from you.
There is progress:
There is some indication in the Senate that even among
those who are sympathetic to the BIO-NVCA position that the eligibility of
VC-funded firms, are expressing concern that the House bill goes too far, that
the fact that fully implemented that bill would all but eliminate the SBIR
participation of any but VC-backed and the very experienced, more mature SBIR
awardees.
Be assured that the considerable effort that many of
you have been (and are) making to contact your elected officials about SBIR
Reauthorization is having effect. There is nothing more compelling for
many Members than hearing from their constituents on issues of this type.
Be assured that you are not being asked to critique the bill or propose
alternative legislation. Just talk to your elected official
about
- What you do as a firm - who you are and what you do.
- How you are using SBIR and with what sort of impact - technology, jobs
etc;
- What will likely happen if your access to SBIR dollars is
curtailed.
In response to previous Call-To-Action e-mails
processed to all current SBIR-STTR awardees, we know that hundreds of you did in
fact take the time to contact your elected federal officials re. your concerns
about the adverse impact on SBIR of H.R. 5819. We have copies of the
e-mails many of you sent and of the replies you frequently received; we have
accounts of the telephone conversations that were had etc.
The offices of many Members tell us that they heard
from companies with which they have not previously had any contact.
Importantly, what they heard from you was, in most cases, quite different
to the interactions they have had with representatives of the Biotechnology
Industry Organization (BIO) and the National Venture Capital Association
(NVCA). It made a huge difference. They understand much better now
how important SBIR is to you ... and to the economic health of the
nation.
All this was obviously a good thing, and we thank
you.
Have (all) your elected officials
heard from you yet?
In the district:
During the Memorial Recess some of your fellow SBIR
awardees met with their Members while they were home in the district - always a
good idea. Others are setting up such meetings - also while the Member is
home. You get far more of their time than in DC -- and it is better for
you too.
- A few have invited their Member to visit with them at
their facilities. What you have achieved and what you are doing is often of
considerable interest ... and no-one tells that story better than you do!
- Many smaller and younger firms have grouped together - often with our help
- to arrange for an SBIR-focused town meeting with Members and their
staffs. These are not gripe sessions or in any way
confrontational. They just help you as a group to let your elected
officials have some sense for how valuable SBIR really is to you and to the
local and regional economies. We are happy to provide useful State analytical
data to help tie together what you are all talking about and to set it in
context.
Special situation in the House: after the
fact
It is a matter of public record how your Member of
Congress voted on the House bill - H.R. 5819 on April 23,
2008.
However the feedback some awardees have been receiving
from some Members is that many
- EITHER voted for HR 5819 under the impression that
they were simply reauthorizing the very popular and effective SBIR program;
that they were not aware of the adverse implications that the provisions in
the bill would have
- OR that they did know how flawed the bill was and, holding their
nose, voted for the bill anyway believing that, given the BIO-NVCA powerful
position, there likely was insufficient time left between now and September 30
when SBIR sunsets to introduce an alternative bill.
Obviously, they cannot change their recorded
vote, However, some House Members who are not happy with HR 5819 are now
voicing their concerns. A few have even posted their comments in the
Congressional Register. All this serves to mitigate the major impact of a very
favorable vote in favor of H.R. 5819, and can only help the current work in the
Senate and the effort that will be required to achieve the final version in
conference.
But there are still House Members who haven't heard
from anyone. Let YOUR Members hear from, and even meet with you - but in
the meantime, please do help us by letting us know what you
know.
--
Ann Eskesen
Innovation Development
Institute
45 Beach Bluff Avenue Suite 300
Swampscott, MA
01907-1542
_____
Voice: (781)
595-2920
Fax: (781) 593-4660
Email:
ann.eskesen@inknowvation.com
Web:
http://www.inknowvation.com
