ACA International’s Legislative and Regulatory Advocacy Guide

As you know, federal and state laws and regulations significantly dictate how the credit and collection industry must operate. As new laws and regulations are considered, and as current laws and regulations are interpreted, it is imperative all members become involved in advocating on behalf of the industry. It is critical we maintain continuous contact with policymakers—both in Washington, D.C., and all 50 states—so we may help define how new laws and regulations will govern credit and collection business practices.

To help ACA state units and members better understand and become involved in state and federal government advocacy, ACA International offers this Legislative and Regulatory Advocacy Guide. It is a resource for state units involved in the policymaking process at any level—promoting or defeating legislation, networking with policymakers and garnering membership support to participate in grassroots advocacy at the state and federal level.

How to Use This Guide
This guide has been designed to help you find answers quickly and efficiently. The information is divided into three large sections: State Resources, Federal Resources and ACA Resources.

The State Resources and Federal Resources sections offer general information about a range of topics, including how legislatures pass legislation, how regulations are promulgated and legislative contact information for the unit’s particular state(s). In addition, both sections contain checklists to help unit leaders identify particular policymaking and advocacy objectives for state units.

The State Resources section of the guide is specifically designed to provide practical information to encourage legislative and regulatory success. The intent of the guide is to garner member participation in supporting or defeating state and local legislative and regulatory proposals affecting the credit and collection industry and prepare state units to address these proposals.

The Federal Resources section of the guide is designed to increase unit understanding of the federal legislative process and increase knowledge of ACA’s federal legislative efforts. This increased awareness will better prepare units and members to be valuable allies in assisting ACA’s efforts at the federal level.

The ACA Resources section provides background information about ACA resources available to members, consumers and policymakers. Specifically, the resources section helps state units better understand ACA, but more importantly, it can help state units educate policymakers. In this regard, many of the inserts under this section have been formatted so units can copy inserts of interest to present to policymakers.

The format of the guide was selected with the recognition that the contents will frequently change. ACA will continue to update this resource to ensure members and units continually possess the most up-to-date information.

ACA International’s Legislative and Regulatory Advocacy Guide

A. Cover
B. How to Use this Guide
C. Table of Contents

State Resources

1. Introduction
   
   1. State Government Affairs Advocacy (S-1)
   2. Unit Leader State Responsibilities (S-2)
   3. What to Know About Your Unit (S-3)
2. Preparing for Action
   
   1. Preparing for Action (S-4)
   2. Background
      
      1. What to Know About Your State Legislature (S-5)
      2. How a Bill Becomes a Law (S-6)
      3. Legislators and Laws, Regulators and Regulations (S-7)
      4. Glossary of State-Related Legislative Terms (S-8)
   3. Contacts
      
      1. State Legislative and Regulatory Contacts*
   4. Networking
      
      1. Networking with Legislators (S-10)
      2. Networking with Regulators and Attorneys General (S-11)
      3. Meeting with Policymakers: What to Know About Your Business (S-12)
   5. Monitoring
      
      1. Monitoring State Legislation (S-13)
3. Taking Action
   
   1. Taking Action (S-14)
   2. Lobbying
      
      1. To Hire or Not to Hire… a Lobbyist (S-15)
   3. Advocacy
      
      1. Ten Tips for Effective Advocacy (S-16)
      2. Preparing or Supporting Favorable Legislation (S-17)
      3. Opposing Unfavorable Legislation ( S-18)
   4. Communicating
      
      1. Meeting with Legislators, Regulators, and Attorneys General: What to Expect, What To Do and What Not Ro Do (S-19)
      2. Launching a Letter-Writing Campaign (S-20)
      3. Writing Effective Letters and E-Mails to Policymakers (S-21)
      4. Testifying Before a Committee (S-22)
      5. Policymaker Appointment Debriefing (S-23)
      6. Working with Other Interest Groups (S-24)
      7. Tips for Working with Reporters (S-25)

Federal Resources

1. Introduction
   
   1. Federal Government Affairs Advocacy (F-1)
   2. Unit Leader Federal Responsibilities (F-2)
2. Preparing for Action
   
   1. Background
      
      1. Congressional Schedules and Calendars (F-3)
      2. Legislator vs. Regulator: What’s the Difference? (F-4)
      3. The Nuts and Bolts of Passing a Law (F-5)
      4. Commonly Used Government Affairs Terms (F-6)
   2. Contacts
      
      1. Your Federal Legislators*
      2. The Role of Committees in Congress (F-8)
      3. Federal Regulators (F-9)
   3. Monitoring
      
      1. ACA’s Federal Monitoring and Advocacy Role (F-10)
3. Taking Action
   
   1. Advocacy
      
      1. Communicating with Congress (F-11)
      2. Sample Letters: House Sample, Senate Sample
      3. Grassroots Calls (F-12)
      4. Sample Meeting Request
      5. Debriefing Form
   2. Fundraising
      
      1. ACPAC (F-13)
      2. ACPAC Solicitation Release Form

ACA Resources

1. ACA Government Affairs Committees
2. ACA Interstate Committee State Liaison Assignment Chart
3. ACA International Unit Support
4. ACA International State Action Fund 
5. State Action Fund Operating Rules
6. ACA International State Action Fund Application for Financial Assistance
7. Monitoring Legislation Through STAN
8. About ACA International
9. Credit and Collection Industry Fact Sheet – The Value of Third-Party Debt Collection To The U.S. Economy in 2007: Survey and Analysis
10. ACA International Code of Ethics and Code of Operations
11. ACA International Healthcare Collection, Servicing and Debt Purchasing Practices: Statement of Principles and Guidelines
12. ACA International Dispute Resolution Program
13. ACA International Consumer Education
14. ACA International Membership Education: Campus ACA
15. ACA International Position Papers

*This link will forward you to ACA’s Legislation Action Center.

To obtain a copy of your state and federal legislative contacts, or if you have any additional questions, please contact the ACA Government Affairs at (952) 926-6547 or govaffairs@acainternational.org.