(Left to Right): Gregg Hunter, president/CEO of CCCA; Anne Basham, CEO of Ascend Consultants; and Gabe Valencia, CEO of Mile High Pines, CCCA board chair.
CCCA on Capitol Hill Updates from Washington, D.C. by Gregg Hunter
CCCA board chair Gabe Valencia and I went to Washington, D.C., in May to meet with elected officials and their staff members. This was done as part of CCCA’s government advocacy initiative. Our lobbyist, Anne Basham, CEO of Ascend Consultants, facilitated and scheduled our meetings on Capitol Hill.
(Left to Right): Gregg Hunter, president/CEO of CCCA; Representative Robert Aderholt (Alabama); and Gabe Valencia, CEO of Mile High Pines, CCCA board chair.
One meeting was with Representative Robert Aderholt from Alabama. He is the chairman of the Values Action Team (VAT), which holds a powerful, closed-door monthly meeting that our lobbyist attends on our behalf. Rep. Aderholt is also chairman of the Committee on Labor Health and Human Services and Education. He is very invested in issues surrounding religious liberties. The Congressman attended the meeting personally and brought four staffers with him. We also discussed the critical issue of insurance coverage for camps and the role legislators could play in helping camps. We often hear about the slow pace at which government moves, but I saw several instances of lawmakers saying, “Yeah, that makes sense. I can do that,” about sending a letter, suggesting an amendment or introducing legislation.
It gave me hope that in the future, we (CCCA) may be able to meet with lawmakers, propose language for a bill or an amendment to a law and if it makes sense, we may receive support. It reminds me of a time years ago when I went to the Colorado Senate majority leader and said, “Amy, there’s a bad law on the books for camps, and I wonder if you can help.” I explained it to her, and she replied, “That is a bad law; let’s get it changed.” And she did.
All of this makes me believe it’s important for CCCA to be present in the halls of government, at the federal level, for sure, but also at the state level, through member engagement.
34
www.ccca.org September/October 2024
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
