Anne Phelps will lobby for the group on issues related to the Bipartisan Policy Center's Health Care Cost Containment Initiative, entitlement reforms in the context of the federal budget negotiations and other miscellaneous health care issues. Capitol Solutions, Dutko Worldwide and Forbes-Tate are among the firms that have previously lobbied on behalf of the group, which spent $1.3 million on lobbying in 2012.Here is Ernst & Young's lobbying registration form for BPCAN.
Several people affiliated at BPC are connected to Ernst & Young, including Robert Rozen. He is a Principal of the Washington Council Ernst & Young and a member of BPC's Housing Commission. Mark Olson is a member of Ernst & Young's Global Advisory Board and is a task force member of BPC's Financial Regulatory Reform Initiative.
BPCAN, registered as a 501(c)(4), is the lobbying arm of the think tank BPC. There are more than a dozen former Members of Congress where are affiliated with the think tank.
Here is what BPC's 2011 annual report says about BPCAN:
Bipartisan Policy Center Advocacy Network (BPCAN) works directly with Congress and the administration—translating BPC projects into workable proposals and finding common ground between the left and right.
BPCAN pairs the substantive analysis of BPC with strong advocacy efforts and ongoing strategic engagement with the legislative process. The sister organizations work as complementary efforts: BPC impacts the public dialogue and then BPCAN influences the policy outcomes. In 2011, BPCAN fully staffed up, adding legislative expertise from both congressional chambers and both sides of the aisle, creating a seasoned team of strategists with a combined nearly 40 years spent working on Capitol Hill.
The results speak for themselves: In 2011 alone, BPCAN held nearly 300 meetings with members of Congress and their staffs as well as hosting more than two dozen committee briefings, and public events on Capitol Hill. Composed of federal legislative-process experts, BPCAN provides BPC programs with political insight, advice, comprehensive advocacy strategies, and targeted materials for each of BPC’s program areas. BPCAN leaders then forge relationships with members of Congress and their staffs, serve as resources for Capitol Hill, and, of course, advocate for bipartisan solutions.In related news, BPCAN is currently seeking a manager for energy.
Here is a previous Think Tank Watch post on the lobbying arm of think tanks, sometimes called "sisters" of think tanks.
