Alliance Public Policy Agenda: Tier Two

Tier two issues are important to Alliance for Children and Families. However, for reasons of timeliness and relative importance to the membership, they are secondary to tier one issues.

The Alliance plays a participant role in these issues, contributing to the coalition work led by other organizations. Staff in the joint public policy office of the Alliance and United Neighborhood Centers of America (UNCA) engage members selectively and strategically, only when doing so has the potential to produce a meaningful policy outcome.

Tier two issues may be elevated to tier one between meetings of the Alliance and UNCA Public Policy Committee if action related to tier one issues is not pending.

Budget & Appropriations

• Support funding for priority federal programs.
• Support budget reforms that promote fiscal discipline at the federal level without imposing undue or disproportionate cuts on programs serving children or the disadvantaged.
  • Support earmark reforms that increase transparency. Oppose prohibiting earmarks to nonprofit charities.

Nonprofit Sector Issues

• Support tax incentives for increased charitable giving.
• Support proposals to expand and provide educational or training assistance for the nonprofit workforce.
  • Support tuition and training subsidies for those entering or already working in the nonprofit human services field.
  • Support expansions of AmeriCorps. Support the creation of a Human Services Corps focused on human service providing charities within AmeriCorps or the Corporation for National and Community Service.
• Support prompt payment policies for federal, state, and local governmental entities that require them to pay charitable organizations within 90 days for services rendered under grants or contracts.
  • Support the creation of a federal low- or no-interest bridge loan program for charitable organizations facing short-term cash flow problems due to lack of prompt payment by governmental agencies.
• Support changes to the Pension Protection Act of 2006 that give nonprofit agencies with defined benefit pension plans additional time to make up funding shortfalls created by the recent decline in the financial markets.
• Support reforms to the charitable sector that increase transparency and accountability without imposing undue administrative burdens.
• Oppose restrictions that limit the lobbying or advocacy rights of nonprofit charities.
• Take no position on, but closely monitor the following issues in order to keep the memberships informed of related developments.
  • Charitable choice, as it relates to faith-based hiring.
  • Changes in labor law that may affect unionization of nonprofit employees.
  • Restrictions on itemized deductions to pay for health care reform.

For more information, contact the staff in the Alliance Public Policy Office.