BIPARTISAN POLICY CENTER INC

The Bipartisan Policy Center is a non-profit organization that harnesses the best ideas from both parties to address the paramount issues for our nation and make government work for all Americans. We aim to forge principled and politically viable policy solutions through the power of a unique, three-pronged approach:

•Rigorous, credible, fact-based analysis

•Painstaking negotiation across party affiliations and wide-ranging perspectives resulting in concrete action-steps

•Aggressive influence campaigns to drive our recommendations

As this moment of political disruption and uncertainty, one thing is clear: this year marks a new chapter in America's history. The Bipartisan Policy Center is ideally positioned to help write that chapter, with a 10-year pedigree of challenging the status quo by being the only Washington think tank bringing together proud partisans to produce results in the critical areas of economic, personal, and national security.

In 2017, we are aggressively pursuing opportunities presented by the change occurring in Washington.

Last year's election upended traditional party alignments on a number of significant issues, necessitating innovative ways of thinking which BPC is well-suited to provide. An administration which is largely new to Washington may take a fresh approach to policy negotiation, is unencumbered by an established record, and has demonstrated it is not exclusively bound by prior views. BPC's established reputation for bipartisan success and trusted relationships on both sides of the political aisle makes us the “go-to" organization for leaders at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue in navigating these new realities, seizing possibilities where they exist, and offering practical, evidence-based alternatives when required.

BPC is committed to seeing our policy solutions enacted by lawmakers. Our strategy involves reconciling the competing aims of highly interested advocates, corporations, and policy experts to design politically viable consensus solutions. Then, through Bipartisan Policy Center Action (BPC Action), our (c)(4) affiliate, we engage in advocacy and strategic outreach and education to bolster the legislative center and support efforts that bring Republicans and Democrats together on the difficult issues facing the country.

Our Process:

1) Supplying Fact-Based Argument and Policy Development

A central contribution of BPC is the development and publication of a rigorous, widely accepted fact base upon which diverse interests can negotiate policy solutions.

2) Providing Infrastructure to Support Legislative Collaboration

When members of Congress seek to work together, particularly across partisan lines, it is often difficult to find allies to help advance their agenda. BPC and BPC Action (501c4 arm) provide technical, policy and strategic infrastructure to support these collaborations.

3) Filling the Capacity Void in Governing Institutions

From our work on improving the integrity and functioning of Congress and our elections to public events highlighting bipartisan actions, BPC strives to increase the capacity and resilience of our legislative branch, its institutions and traditions.

4) Actively Driving Bipartisan Action

When BPC issues recommendations, our work is only beginning. BPCACTION translates policy vision into bold action. It ensures that members of Congress not only read BPC's reports, but implement their proposals. BPC Action mobilizes aggressive stakeholder and “influencer" engagement in the political, media and social media circles to maximize results.

Currently the Bipartisan Policy Center brings together high-level decision makers, policy experts and interest group leaders to develop and advocate concrete solutions to major problems. Through our event space, we successfully hold a multitude of public events and debates to address policy issues as well as receive questions from the population. Additionally, our funding reflects the character and diversity of the organization. The majority of BPC funding comes from charitable philanthropies. The remainder of BPC's support comes from individual donors and corporate donors (a list of BPC donors can be found in our latest annual report). BPC believes that all of its donors as well as its project members have interests. BPC's consensus-based negotiation process ensures that no single interest can unduly influence consensus outcomes. Lastly, our (c)(4) affiliate, BPC Action, acts as an avenue for legislative change.

Legislative

-The end-of-year Omnibus Appropriations & Tax Extenders package included several key BPC recommendations

-The Medicare Access and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Reauthorization Act of 2015 contained several BPC health project recommendations

-The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, included recommendations of BPC's Disability Insurance (DI) Working Group to streamline the program, shore up the DI trust fund, address fraud and improve work incentives

-BPC's Governors' Council spearheaded passage of an amendment offered by Senators Heller (R-NV) and Manchin (D-WV) giving governors more say in state education plans, which was included in the enacted Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015

-The Highway Bill enacted into law contained BPC energy project recommendations on securing the electric grid from cyberattacks

-The House passed 21st Century Cures Act which included recommendations proposed by the Health Innovation Initiative on health IT and medical innovation

-Several bipartisan bills were introduced that included BPC recommendations on energy innovation, including legislation by Sens Coons (D-DE) and Alexander (R-TN) calling for a Quadrennial Energy Review and the COMPETES bill

-The House and Senate passed legislation to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act, for which BPCAN strongly advocated

Regulatory

-Nine Health Project recommendations, on the subjects of cost-containment and delivery reform, were incorporated into Medicare regulations

-Recommendations proposed by the Health Innovation Initiative – both for how health IT is regulated and for improving health IT interoperability were incorporated into roadmaps published by the Department of Health and Human Services in the summer and fall of 2015

-The Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) has adopted several of BPC's Financial Regulatory Reform Initiative's recommendations

-The Federal Reserve Board announced its new requirement for Total Loss Absorbing Capital (TLAC) for the nation's largest financial institutions. The TLAC requirements broadly follow recommendations from BPC's Financial Regulatory Reform Initiative's report on Too-Big-To-Fail from 2013

Building Trust and Relationships

-Initiated at BPC's Governor's Council's request, the Senate Governor's Caucus, made up of 10 Senators who are former governors, committed to meet on a regular basis with the goal of moving forward a joint initiative.

-BPC's Senate Legislative Directors Dialogue Series increased from quarterly dinners to monthly meetings to allow legislative directors the chance to learn about a variety of topics and network with their colleagues across the aisle. So far, over 75 Senate offices have participated

-Prospect magazine honored BPC with its Think Tank of the Year Award based on the Financial Regulatory Reform Initiative's work on improving the implementation of the Dodd-Frank Act

Despite initial success, there is still much work to be done. BPC continues to enact change.