National Guard Bureau State Legislative Liaison Conference

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National Guard BureauState Legislative Liaison
Conference

• COL Ted Mickevicius
• 14 February 2006

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Our Mission

• We provide
• the channel of communications between the
  National Guard Bureau with the Congress,
  Services, States, and Associations on legislative
  issues
• education, information, timely responses
• opportunities for interaction between the
  Congress and field units
• We dont
• advocate for policies or programs outside of the
  Presidents Budget, or contrary to the
  Administrations position
• portray ourselves as subject matter experts
• lobby

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Our Organization

• Army Programs
• LTC Bill Hersh
• Air Programs
• LtCol Randy Johnson
• Joint Programs
• LtCol Jeff Cashman

• Congressional Actions
• MAJ Robert Preiss
• Inquiries
• Ms Donna Warren

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All About Relationships
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Legislative Cycle

• Phase IV - Conference (to last Conference
  Committee)
• Desired End State National Guard proposed
  budget authorized and appropriated minimize
  restrictive language affecting key programs or
  policies minimize opposition to National Guard
  objectives.

• IMPERATIVES
• Clearly communicate the vision of the Chief,
  National Guard Bureau to the Congress
• Maintain support for the Presidents Budget
• Provide timely and accurate responses
  congressional requests for information

AUG 2005
OCT 2005

• Phase III - Markup (To end of Full committee
  markups)
• Desired End State Subcommittee and full
  committee support of National Guard programs and
  policies reflected in the full committee marks
  and House and Senate floor action.

MAY 2005
AUG 2005

• Phase II - Posture Hearings (To end of Posture
  Hearings)
• Desired End State Move to markup with no
  major National Guard programs or policies in
  jeopardy, unfunded requirements clearly
  delineated, and Legislative proposals defined.

MAR 2005
APRIL 2005

• Phase I - Posture Hearing Prep (Completion of
  last years Bills to first pre-testimony
  meetings)
• Desired End State Enter Posture Hearings with
  clearly stated objectives and prepared to
  articulate National Guards critical needs.

JAN 2005
FEB 2005
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Back-up Slides
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Opportunities for Engagements

• Deployment Send-offs
• Returning Unit Arrivals
• State/Unit Visits
• Base/Facility Dedications
• Aircraft Dedications
• Unit Celebrations
• CODELS and STAFFDELS

Be Creative
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How to Visit the Hill

• Should be in uniform
• Keep slides to a minimum
• Use fact sheets
• Keep jargon at minimum
• Know your subject
• Dont embellish and only address your lane

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Contacts
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DOD/Army Policy
Secretary Rumsfeld 7 Feb 06 SASC Testimony  The
new concept of fully funded, fully manned and
fully equipped Guard brigadesparticularly the
support units, is a development that state and
local officials should welcome. By any measure,
they will be a vast improvement over the
undermanned and under equipped Guard and Reserve
units of the past decade.
Gen Schoomaker 2 Feb 06 DOD News Conference We
have every intention of building active, Guard
and Reserve units that are fully manned, trained,
equipped and led to perform the most likely
missions that we will face in the 21st century
operating environment.   Gen Schoomaker 7 Feb
06 SASC Testimony We are balancing the active
component and reserve component. This notion that
we are cutting the National Guard and Reserves is
false. We are maintaining the end strength of
the National Guard and we're maintaining the end
strength of the Reserves, but we are rebalancing
them both, just like we're rebalancing the Army,
to do things that are more useful, having the
better capability for the kinds of things that
we're moving toward.