GLWP Policy Education

Briefings, Webinars, Events

The GLWP partners with fellow advocacy groups, government agencies and task forces, and stakeholder organizations to conduct briefings that are comprehensive and useful to all perspectives. Held in-person and virtually, the GLWP provides convenient and accessible briefings to congressional staff looking to learn more about Great Lakes issues and connect with GLWP’s network of Great Lakes experts. Below is a list of recent briefings, webinars, and events.

Reports

Supporting the Great Lakes Task Forces

The GLWP serves the House and Senate Great Lakes Task Forces in an advisory capacity by organizing meetings and policy education events, and providing timely research and analysis. For more information about the Great Lakes Task Forces missions, members, and leadership, click here.

The GLWP has regular meetings and correspondence with the Great Lakes Task Forces’ staff. The GLWP helps organize a monthly meeting between all four House Co-Chair offices to coordinate the Task Force’s efforts.

The GLWP works to bridge the gap between between Congressional staff and the Great Lakes region by maintaining a directory of major stakeholder groups and government agencies operating in the Great Lakes basin.

The GLWP has helped spearhead the Great Lakes Task Forces’ letters to the Administration and to Congressional appropriators and authorizers in support of key regional programs. This support has resulted in programs such as the GLRI receiving funds at levels above the President’s budget request.

Appropriations Tracking

Throughout the federal budget process, the GLWP creates fact sheets for regional stakeholders and congressional staff and tracks changing funding levels for critical Great Lakes programs. Those resources can be found here.

The GLWP provides those analyses to Congressional staff so that both Task Forces and the Great Lakes delegations know where continued support is needed throughout the budget process. This communication is critical to ensure that Great Lakes programs receive appropriate funding levels.

Convening Great Lakes Advocates, Stakeholders, and Lawmakers

The GLWP hosts several annual events that allow Great Lakes advocates, stakeholders, and lawmakers to be briefed on current policy issues, to extend their networks, and to exchange ideas on legislative priorities and strategy. Such events include:

  • The Great Lakes Environmental Summit
    The Great Lakes Environmental Summit is an opportunity for Congresspeople and lead committee staffers to address stakeholders regarding their legislative priorities in an off-the-record environment. Details of 2017’s Summit can be found here.
  • The Great Lakes Day Breakfast Reception
    Hosted on Great Lakes Day on Capitol Hill, the Breakfast Reception allows stakeholders from all over the region to gather and connect over breakfast while listening to remarks from Great Lakes lawmakers. The breakfast, co-hosted alongside the Great Lakes Commission, kicks off a full day of private meeting with lawmakers in their individual offices in honor of Great Lakes Day. Details of 2017’s Breakfast Reception can be found here.

The Weekly Update

The GLWP circulates a weekly newsletter, the Weekly Update, to almost 5,000 recipients including stakeholders and congressional staff. The newsletter includes a brief summary of policy happenings around Washington, DC that affect the Great Lakes region. An archive of current and past editions of the newsletter can be found here.