Looking Forward to the Weeks Ahead

There are several things I’m looking forward to in the next couple weeks.

Tomorrow I am co-hosting a small lunch for Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., a true rising star in the U.S. Senate.

Senator Reed is a member of the Senate HELP Committee, which oversees our nation’s health care, education, employment and retirement programs. He is also a major supporter of the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program and the Weatherization Assistance Program.

Senator Reed is a smart, impressive man, and I look forward to getting to know him better in the months and years ahead.


On Friday, I travel to Boston for a tribute dinner for Robert Coard. Having served 41 years as Action for Boston Community Development’s president and chief executive officer, Bob is retiring.

Two thousand people are expected to attend Friday’s dinner to thank Bob for his leadership. I have been asked to join the governor of Massachusetts, the mayor of Boston and others to pay tribute to Bob. Admittedly, I am nervous about my speech, because probably 75 percent of it is expected to be humorous. I enjoy speaking, but this is a different kind of speech for me. I hope my attempts at humor will go over well and this long-time leader in Community Action will be appropriately honored.

On Saturday I travel to St. Petersburg, Fla., for the Combined Community Investment Futures and NCAF Energy Conference. I will kick off the event on Sunday with a 2010 election outlook and what it will mean for Community Action programs. The rest of the conference, which will run through Nov. 5, will offer tools, contacts and program information that community and housing development professionals need to build their community’s capital base.

I will be blogging regularly from the conference, so be sure to tune in next week.

Appropriations Bills May Not Pass Until December

When the Senate Majority Leader predicts a timeline, you can generally take that to the bank. However, it appears Congress will miss its deadline of having all appropriations bills completed by the end of October.

I always felt they would meet this end-of-October deadline, but for a lot of reasons it now looks like the appropriations process may not finish until mid-December. This week Congress is consumed primarily with health care reform and passing a continuing resolution to fund the government through mid-December.

Most of the appropriations bills that impact Community Action Agencies are very close to 2009 funding levels, with the exception of a slight funding variation in the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. With the additional stimulus funding for Community Action programs, it leaves very little to disagreement.

The potential relevance of the appropriations delay to the Community Action network lies in earmarks. A number of agencies will now have individual earmarks that will not be effective by the time the bills are signed into law.

Stay tuned as the prolonged appropriations process unfolds.

Political Divide Deepens Outside Beltway

As I was flying back from the NCAF-ExxonMobil Advisory Council meeting over the weekend, I stopped into the Delta Sky Club Lounge. I sat down amidst a group of people watching Fox News. A story was running on how the Obama Administration had “declared war” with Fox News. It was astounding to watch this group of strangers in an airport lounge engage in a highly engaged debate – some would call it an argument – about the coverage.

A little later, when someone flipped the television to another station that was reporting on Obama’s difficult deliberations about the policies in Afghanistan, two people in the group vocally interpreted his deliberations as a “sign of weakness” that was “dangerous for the country.” While some nodded in agreement, a few others said they appreciated Obama taking extra time to make the best decision on this national security issue and went on to say they wished this extent of deliberation had occurred before the U.S. went into Iraq.

Regardless of whether or not you feel the administration is right or wrong in its characterization of Fox News or in its policies on Afghanistan, the disturbing thing to me is the divisiveness across the country that these discussions embody. Everywhere I go, I am encountering a political split like I have never before seen.

I have done some serious reading about the history of the House, Senate and its members stretching back more than 200 years. The rhetoric now is much tamer than at many other times throughout our history. If you doubt this, read A Senate Journal, Pulitzer Prize Award Winner Allen Drury’s diary of his days as a United Press International correspondent covering the Senate during World War II. The rhetoric and personal attacks on members at that time was unbelievable.

While I am not too worried about the partisanship and rhetoric within the institution of Congress, I am worried about how much deeper and more open the political divide is among people outside the Beltway. This is something new that I believe we can attribute to the 24-hour-spin-cycle of talk radio and cable television. The newspaper coverage of the 1940s simply cannot compare.

Maybe next time I’ll take the train.

Stimulus 2.0?

In recent meetings, I have perceived a good deal of regret from senior House Democrats that the $787 billion stimulus package was not bigger. Some are wishing they would have pushed for a larger stimulus package that could have done even more to help the economy and jobs, especially since they seem to be taking a political hit for it anyway.

The senior House Democrats I have spoken to are also expressing a need for, and a genuine interest in, pursuing another stimulus package -- Stimulus 2.0, if you will. (Although it will likely not be labeled as such.) However, the newer members expecting tough fights in 2010 are not yet clamoring aboard another stimulus train.

It will be interesting to watch how stimulus discussions unfold in the weeks to come.

VP's 'Recovery through Retrofit' Report Provides Glimpse of Weatherization's Future

This week, Vice President Biden released his “Recovery through Retrofit” report, a blueprint on how to expand home energy efficiency and green job opportunities. The report, which was developed by his Middle Class Task Force, outlined a nationwide weatherization program that would train vast numbers of workers to participate in a national home retrofit market.

I think this report answers the question of where the Weatherization Assistance Program is headed. More importantly, I think it answers the question of where the Obama Administration wants to take the weatherization program. Many see weatherization as a potential cornerstone in increasing jobs, reducing energy independence and improving the environment. We’re hearing from trusted sources that weatherization and retrofitting homes for energy efficiency is becoming one of the highest priorities of the Administration because it offers the most immediate possibilities of job creation.

Our challenge is to figure out how we can make weatherization administered by Community Action and other current providers part of this larger question. If we think we have people clamoring to be weatherizers now, just wait until it becomes an even higher priority for the Administration. I think we will be prepared, and we have to be.

Fortunately, I believe that the NCAF-ExxonMobil training grant program is extremely relevant to the current political and policy interest involving the Weatherization Assistance Program. I believe it will help us as we look ahead at some of the questions and solutions surrounding the future of weatherization.

The NCAF-ExxonMobil project’s advisory council met over the weekend to review applications. We have narrowed our list down to eight proposals for potential funding. We will contact the finalists to discuss some particulars and then plan to announce these at our upcoming conference in St. Petersburg on Nov. 3.

Stay tuned.

Upcoming Conference Intersects Community Development and Green Economy

The Community Investment Futures and NCAF Energy Conference will begin in less than two weeks in St. Petersburg, Fla., and we are excited about how this combined conference is shaping up. If you haven’t already registered, do so now.

I view this conference as writing the intersection between community development, a green economy and how Community Action Agencies will prosper in the new realities.

General sessions and workshops will present a combination of energy, housing and asset development concepts, including breakout sessions showcasing solutions to the biggest problems stemming from implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The Community Investment Futures sessions will offer tools, contacts and program information community and housing development professionals need to build their community’s capital base. The energy leveraging side of the conference concentrates on the new partnerships and alternative financing paths that have come to us with the ARRA resources. It also continues to offer workshops on emerging best practices for all energy affordability programs and training in how to advocate as well as what to advocate for.

If you want to know what the future of Community Action looks like, attend this combined conference. The road ahead is a challenging one, but with the right tools, it will fulfill our mission of ensuring every citizen can benefit from the American Dream.

While the regular conference registration period has ended, late registrations are still available at an increased rate. Register today! The last remaining spaces are filling quickly, and you won’t want to miss out on this opportunity.

Emerging Leaders in Community Action

I have been meeting with "emerging leaders" in Community Action from around the country. I am encouraged by the talent that is coming up through the ranks within our network and want to do all I can to develop a rewarding career path for them.

It is also a goal of mine to provide opportunities for the rising leaders in Community Action to participate in the national decision-making process. A number of ideas for facilitating this have come up recently.

First, I hope to communicate regularly with them through this blog and other means.

Second, I am considering gearing a War on Poverty Workshop toward emerging leaders. I am looking at tailoring the history workshop that I will lead May 11-14, 2010, in St. Petersburg, Fla., for a class of about 100 emerging Community Action leaders.

I would like to hear from you: Are you, or do you know someone who is, an emerging leader of Community Action? Do you think a War on Poverty Workshop geared toward emerging leaders would be both necessary and interesting to emerging leaders in our network?

Finally, I would like to solicit assistance from emerging leaders on two or three projects in the next six months. If you consider yourself to be an emerging leader in Community Action and are interested in getting involved nationally, please contact us.

It is my personal belief that so-called emerging leaders must earn the responsibility of participating in national decisions. I want to encourage and empower them to do so through opportunities and challenges along the way.

Outlook for the Senate

I love the Senate! I like the House, but I love the Senate.

I have researched and observed the U.S. Senate for decades. For years, members and senior committee staff would talk about the Senate class of 1958 as one of the greatest classes of the 20th century, if not of all time. This class included such outstanding senators as Michigan’s Phil Hart, Maine’s Edmond Muskie and West Virginia’s Robert Byrd.

While there certainly have been terrific Senators since, I haven’t heard similar talk about an entire Senate class…until now. In the past three or four months I consistently have been hearing what a remarkable group the Senate class of 2006 is shaping up to be.

I am hearing a significant amount of compliments about the quality of these legislators, specifically: Missouri’s Claire McCaskill, Minnesota’s Amy Klobuchar, Ohio’s Sherrod Brown, Montana’s Jon Tester, Virginia’s Jim Webb, Pennsylvania’s Robert Casey, Jr., and Rhode Island’s Sheldon Whitehouse.

I am impressed with these legislators myself. As someone who loves the Senate, I am excited that this class may have a significant impact on the institution. They are shining bright on the radar screen.

I think that one, among many, of the traits of Ted Kennedy that we will miss going forward is his ability to get legislation done. He was a great legislator and a terrific compromiser. He was able to cut deals and move the legislative ball forward like no other. Looking over the legislative landscape, I don’t know who will fill this void.

Health Care Vote is Positive Sign

I think the Senate Finance Committee’s 14-to-9 health care vote on Tuesday is a favorable sign that some kind of health care reform will pass Congress this year. While I don’t think the overhaul will be as complete as some would have hoped, I think Democrats have invested too much for it to fold completely.

It is impossible to exaggerate how much the health care reform legislation process has dominated Congress this year. It has absolutely snuffed out any interest in a variety of other important issues, including those involving Community Action.

I hope a health care package is completed this year. There are a lot of Community Action’s issues, such as reauthorization for the Community Services Block Grant, Workforce Investment Act and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, that definitely will require congressional attention next year. If health care, or the energy bill, is still carrying forward into early 2010, some of our key items will be pushed back even further, and that could be dangerous.

Question: How are State Budgets Impacting CAPs?

It is my job to make sure the spigot of federal dollars is turned on for the Community Action network, and I rely on CAPs to relay how these funds are trickling down locally.

This week I was quite surprised to hear the level of trouble that Pennsylvania Community Action programs are finding themselves in due to a state budget impasse. So much of their state money has not come forward that they must resort to significant layoffs.

I am wondering how other states’ fiscal distress is impacting Community Action programs. Has your Community Action Agency cut employees or dropped programs because of state budgets? Since Community Services Block Grant stimulus dollars have been slow coming to the local level, has this provided a shortfall?

Please share your experiences in the comments section below.

Current Policy Debates Provide Mixed Opportunities

Health care, Afghanistan and energy policy discussions are virtually drowning out any chance we have to talk with members of Congress about Community Action programs at the moment.

Not being able to participate in the great policy debates of the day provides mixed opportunities. On one hand, members don’t have a lot of time to meet, because these other issues are dominating their agendas. On the other hand, since we are not pressing them for immediate action items, we have more of an opportunity to build deeper relationships with congressional members and staff when we are able to sit down with them.

We at National Community Action Foundation are taking this opportunity to plan and prepare our efforts to move forward with our agenda in the future, so stay tuned.

Expect a White-Knuckle Election in 2010

I have visited with a number of House Democrats this week and their anxiety toward the 2010 elections is really noticeable.

I asked a leading Democratic House member his prognosis on health care. He said if it passes it will be “by the skin of its teeth,” and he feared the cost of health care could sink the party in 2010.

In almost every conversation I have with congressional members, it appears all are preparing themselves for a white-knuckle election next year.

News Flash:

There are changes underfoot in the Department of Energy involving the Weatherization Assistance Program. More information will be forthcoming, so stay tuned.

Weatherization Stimulus Saga Continues

The conference committee on the FY2010 Energy and Water Appropriations Act allocated $210 million for the Weatherization Assistance Program. This level would have been extremely disappointing if not for the weatherization stimulus.

More disappointing was the fact that $30 million of the $210 million was earmarked for demonstrations of alternative weatherization financing opportunities. There are some who want to get the Weatherization Assistance Program off the federal books and have the private sector pay for it. I thought Congress would reject such attempts, especially after the Obama Administration’s letter saying it didn’t need or want that. Unfortunately, it is included in the final compromise.

This is just another troubling chapter in the weatherization program’s recent history. Here's a quick recap of the past several months since the Weatherization Assistance Program was included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Before the first stimulus dollar was allocated, we found ourselves counteracting the misinformation that Community Action Agencies and other current weatherization providers could not manage the weatherization of more homes. CAAs were, and still are, up for the task. I am proud of where they are.

Next, we dealt with a rush to get into the weatherization field. We were contacted by groups and individuals with no experience whatsoever who now wanted to be instant expert weatherizers. For a $5 billion investment in which accountability, results and transparency are so important, to open the weatherization system up was absolutely the wrong policy.

Then we dealt with the issues surrounding the Davis-Bacon Act wage requirements, which took months and months to resolve. Some of our federal partners believed that it was a flimsy excuse for CAAs not wanting to do their jobs.

Some CAAs are finding difficulty maneuvering within historic preservation parameters, because they can’t weatherize any homes if they are more than 50 years old without the state’s permission.

Today, the flow of weatherization stimulus dollars to the local level continues to be stymied. As I shared in a previous blog, the U.S. Government Accountability Office clearly has pointed a finger at the federal level and somewhat at the states, but I fear that local providers will ultimately take the heat.

What should be one of the most exciting times in the Weatherization Assistance Program’s history has become one of the more frustrating times. Yet, the Community Action weatherization network continues to scale hurdle after hurdle to make low-income households more energy efficient.

Using American-Made Products in the Weatherization Assistance Program

I wanted to highlight a question from one of our blog's readers about the Weatherization Assistance Program. Steve from Cincinnati, Ohio, asks:

"Within this Community Action Weatherization Program is it mandated to buy American made products?"

While the Weatherization Assistance Program does not mandate the use of American-made products, Community Action has taken it upon themselves to help American manufacturers in order to speed the country’s economic recovery.

For example, we have a draft agreement with General Motors for purchasing their American-made vehicles for our weatherization fleets. We are interested in utilizing American-made appliances and tools whenever we can.

The manufacturing workers who are facing layoffs often turn to Community Action for assistance. We want to do everything in our power to make sure that they stay employed.

Thanks for your question, Steve.

-- David Bradley, NCAF Executive Director, Washington