Always Learning in D.C.

Every time I come to this town I learn something new, even though I’ve been in the government relations biz for fourteen years.

Hands-down this was our best Hike the Hill thus far. It’s hard for me to put my finger on exactly why, but sitting and chatting with our legislators about key issues has never felt so comfortable. Most of the meetings had a “fireside chat” feel to them. Everybody contributed to the conversation and had a perspective that added value. I guess you could just say that it just “clicked”.

Here’s three things I learned during this year’s Hike:

1. Interchange fees are even more complicated than I thought they were. It is seriously tough to explain how they are calculated to a MOC (Member of Congress) when some are a flat fee, some are a percentage fee, and fees vary depending on whether the consumer’s card was or was not present. If I have a tough time understanding it, it’s really hard for the MOC and their staff to understand. When things are this convoluted, I think there’s suspicion of profiteering. We should definitely spend some time trying to boil this issue down into and understandable outline for everybody who is trying to get their hands around the issue.

2. It’s a lot easier to ask a legislator to NOT publicly support a bill (by co-sponsoring it or expressing public approval for it) than it is to get a legislator TO publicly support a bill. Legislative offices are naturally deliberative in their decision making, so if you give them cogent arguments concerning a legislative issue, they’re probably going to be wary of publicly supporting a possibly contentious issue.

3. And this final thing I learned comes at the expense of League VP of Legislative Affairs Mark Minickiello: grappa (Italian brandy) should be sipped, not drunk as a shot. And I think that’s really all I need to say on that subject. (Hey Mark, guess what you’re getting for Christmas from me??)