I had family in town last week during the busy time. I was trying to explain to them what exactly it is that I do at work. I don't think I explained it very well, and Capitol Swell wrote up this handy little summary for half the people in my office who don't know what the legislative staff does.
Enjoy.
This process started for us in January with the legislative team taking appropriations meetings or traveling to the bases or organizations to see first hand needs. Between the leg team I think we had well over 200 meetings for requests for projects, earmarks, and for programmatic requests establishing funding for an agency like full funding for the National Institue of Health. This year includes the usual suspects like the State and the Army Alliance but it also brings in new ideas which reflects trends like projects to convert vegetable waste into biofuels. These meetings also run right up to the project submission deadline.
After the meetings we organize the requests and start initial evaluation of what is a good project and what is bad one. The leg team also discuss what is good for the district and what we need to do to raise visiability on an issue.
We also communicate with appropriations committee staff about trends and issues that the subcommittee chairmen like. These conversations happen so we have a better idea of what the committee will accept.
In mid February we get official word from the committee on instructions for the fiscal years appropriations process. Each of the 12 appropriations subcommittees have their own rules and requirements for submittting project and program requests. Snowbunny gets it worst with submission of extra forms and hundreds of accounts that change from year to year. So each year she has to start from scratch. This year we were told expect half of what you got last year. Plus the Republicans are looking to pounce on us for bad projects.
By the beginning of March, we can start entering our requested projects into the appropriations committee's online database. Bunny, because her projects require a ton of detail, started a month out before the submission deadline.
By early mid March the leg team drafts certification letters for each request and get the boss to sign them. Always a fun task, this year we had about 220 projects that we thought were important.
We then have our evaluation meetings with the congressman to rank our projects. This is a forum where we discuss the merits of all the projects. Here we eliminated a number of requests about 40. Then we make the phone calls to people who we couldn't help. These are not easy conversation. The requestors put their heart and soul into projects and we just can't help everyone.
After we get the final rank, then comes the technical data entry into the approps online database. First, we upload all 160 certification letters. Then the leg team starts entering in 160 projects with an approps website that is always down. This is never fun and on a number of occassions this year I considered punching my computer. This is hours of work filling out forms for each project and attaching certification letters to each one. This part is technical and if not filled out properly will hurt the prospects of a project. And when all 435 memebers are doing the same thing the appropriations website often shuts down for hours at a time.
This year the approps committee added a new twist. We had to upload descriptions of all of our project requests to the congressman's official website. So the leg team had to take all 180 projects write up descriptions and then had them dewonkified by the press secretary.
So after we got our web descriptions up. We than had to write official requests letters to all 12 subcommittees and of course they all had their own requirements and quarks. Some wanted hand delivered letters others wanted uploaded letters. Others requested a print out of everything and others had to have their submissions signed by the Congressman.
Finally, after we submit the hard letter we also have to official request each project on the appropriations committee website.
This year we finished on Friday nite.
Now starts our barganing period with the committee. Leg team goes back and see how we are doing and what information the approps committee needs to secure projects.
Starting in mid April we are going to have hearings. We should have answers on successful projects by subcommittee mark up which will be near the end of Spring.
Sounds fun, doesn't it?
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