On December 7, 2015, KHI hosted a webinar titled, “Health Impact Project: Lobbying Compliance Training.” This webinar was sponsored by the Health Impact Project, a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts.
The goal of the webinar was to build on previous training, which helped grantees understand the line between lobbying and non-lobbying. It shares practical advice about how to make HIAs as effective as possible at driving smart public policy without crossing the line into being lobbying. The training isn’t about what CAN’T be done, although it’s important not to violate lobbying restriction in grants. Instead, the training is about what CAN be done to be savvy, strategic public policy advocates. The webinar provides a brief overview of lobbying rules, then walks participants through some hypothetical situations to help them learn how to apply the rules.
The webinar featured Allen Mattison, J.D., of Trister, Ross, Schadler and Gold, PLLC. Allen is a lawyer in Washington, DC who works with nonprofit groups on lobbying rules, fundraising and tax exemption issues.
While intended for Health Impact Project grantees, these slides and recording may be a useful resource to other HIA practitioners, as well as other audiences interested in learning more about ways to engage policymakers while complying with IRS restrictions.