UPDATE: September 2022

IOA Lobbying Update - Title IX Comments and Upcoming Congressional Meetings

IOA filed comments with the US Department of Education on their proposed amendments to Title IX this week. Phase 2 of our advocacy efforts to advance Organizational Ombuds will begin next week when we start meeting with US federal lawmakers. IOA retained a D.C. lobbying firm to help inform our strategy. Our goal is to educate key members of the US House and Senate about Organizational Ombuds generally, the role you play in the campus security landscape, and why confidentiality is critical to your work.

Stay tuned for a briefing post-lobbying. Want to get involved in IOA’s Advocacy Committee? 

Please contact me to learn more at [email protected]

IOA secured a Listening Meeting on 17 May 2022 with representatives of the US Office of Management and Budget (OMB)/Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), and the US Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (ED/OCR). The meeting, known as an EO 12866 meeting, provides an opportunity for stakeholders to meet with US federal agencies prior to the release of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR). This meeting was held in anticipation of a NOPR for US Title IX changes. Ellen Miller, IOA Executive Director along with Sarah Klaper and Mark Patterson, IOA Board Members and Co-Chairs of the Advocacy Committee, covered the following with a group of six officials:

1. Explained the role of organizational ombuds in the US campus safety landscape and illuminated what a typical visit looks like for someone who has experienced or been accused of a Title IX issue.

2. Provided insight as to why organizational ombuds should not be classified as officials with authority to institute corrective measures for compliance with Title IX.

3. Emphasized the importance of allowing campus leaders to designate organizational ombuds who practice to industry standards to be confidential resources, supportive of the purposes of Title IX and the needs of their respective constituencies.

We expect the NOPR to be issued sometime this summer. IOA has already convened the Government and Policy Committee (GPC)—now called the IOA Advocacy Committee—to assist.

If you are interested in the work of the committee or would like to learn more, please reach out to Ellen Miller via email at [email protected].

#GoodDayIOA

Hear from the IOA Executive Director, Ellen Miller, and the Co-Chairs for IOA's Advocacy Committee,  Sarah Klaper, JD, and Mark Patterson, JD, LLMas they talk about the meeting and its impact.