February 2010 Navy
by CAPT Ike Puzon, USN (Ret)
The Association of the United States Navy has experienced one of those defining moments in the history of any organization that marks a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We changed our name. We modified our focus.
What does this transformation mean to our legislative and governmental relations focus? What does this change mean to you? It means a complex legislative agenda. Our core focus prior to our 2009 changes was on the Navy Reserve with a view of assistance to the larger good of the Navy and the National Security Strategy.
Going forward, AUSN will focus and act on the greater national security and maritime security need of the U.S. Navy along with the needs of the Navy Reserve. We have built our 2010 legislative agenda and government relations goals around our new focus.
I urge our members and friends to review and understand the Congressional legislative process.
The Legislative Process
“All Legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.”
(Article I, Section 1, of the United States Constitution)
The chief function of Congress is the making of laws. There are many aspects and variations of the process. A much more indepth discussion of the overall process is available at the Library of Congress Web site. The information below is from the Library of Congress.
Forms of Congressional Action
The work of Congress is initiated by the introduction of a proposal in one of four principal forms: the bill, the joint resolution, the concurrent resolution, and the simple resolution.
Bills
A bill is the form used for most legislation, whether permanent or temporary, general or special, public or private. A bill originating in the House of Representatives is designated by the letters “H.R.,” signifying “House of Representatives,” followed by a number that it retains throughout all its parliamentary stages. Bills are presented to the President for action when approved in identical form by both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The President may sign these into law.
Joint Resolutions
Joint resolutions may originate either in the House of Representatives or in the Senate. There is little practical difference between a bill and a joint resolution. Both are subject to the same procedure, except for a joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution. On approval of such a resolution by two-thirds of both the House and Senate, it is sent directly to the Administrator of General Services for submission to the individual states for ratification. It is not presented to the President for approval. A joint resolution originating in the House of Representatives is designated “H.J.Res.” followed by its individual number. Joint resolutions become law in the same manner as bills.
Concurrent Resolutions
Matters affecting the operations of both the House of Representatives and Senate are usually initiated by means of concurrent resolutions. A concurrent resolution originating in the House of Representatives is designated “H.Con.Res.” followed by its individual number. On approval by both the House of Representatives and Senate, it is signed by the Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Senate. They are not presented to the President for action.
Simple Resolutions
A matter concerning the operation of either the House of Representatives or Senate alone is initiated by a simple resolution. A resolution affecting the House of Representatives is designated “H.Res.” followed by its number. They are not presented to the President for action.
A simple understanding of the legislative process by all members and friends will improve our effectiveness. The legislative process starts in January and theoretically ends in passage of Congressional Authorization and Appropriations bills before 30 September of every year. In recent years, Congress has failed to pass all authorization and appropriations bills. Any bill or legislation introduced has local and national interest.
It should be clear in the above process that the citizens of the US are the most important part of the legislative process. Our members and friends need to be aggressive in the legislative process from the voting process to the legislative advocacy process. All laws passed by Congress have direct impact on you the members locally and nationally!
What AUSN Has Done for You in 2009!
The Legislative/Government Relations team worked tirelessly to complete goals in 2009. Often, projected strategy was interrupted by the higher priorities on Capitol Hill. Nevertheless, we plugged along with an adjusted focus and a new set of missions and goals.
The list is a partial list of what we attempted and did accomplish for you the Sailor, you the veteran Sailor, and the families of Sailors. We used our coalitions and alliances, but a lot of these were done through personal contact, lobbying, and presenting a case for change. An encouraging achievement that does not appear below is the amount of grassroots involvement by you, the member, and friends of AUSN. Without your increased and constant involvement, these accomplishments would have been impossible.
During the year, we attended quarterly meetings with Speaker Pelosi and Chairs of all major veterans and military committees in an effort to get our agenda heard. We wrote letters of support, individually and as members of a coalition, on critical legislation. Over 75 Congressional staff and members where visited in pushing for legislation in 2009.
For the first time, AUSN hosted a Congressional reception during the day that was well attended where we could establish more relationships on the Hill plus key relationships with CNO staffs. By any measure, the reception was a success. We are still improving and building on relationships established at this reception. The legislative team attended over 25 Congressional Hill receptions to solidify our involvement with members, staffs, and alliances.
Additionally in 2009, we became plank members of the new Alliance for Military and Overseas Voters. This alliance was successful in achieving critical improvements in military and overseas voting rights.
See the 2009 Accomplishments and Goals for 2010.
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