Contexto histórico

When issues are important to your profession, contact the legislator and provide the important facts that support your position. Then, because legislators receive numer-ous calls and documentation on a variety of issues, in addition to attending lots of meetings and campaigning, be sure to follow up routinely so your opinions stay fresh in his or her memory.

Legislation

To keep in contact with the legislature, it is important to identify key committees and subcommittees in the legislative bodies, and to identify and develop communications with the members of those committees. Identifying and developing communications with staffers who work with committee members also may help keep you abreast of what is going on, and you may also consider contacting committee chairs to ask for notification of any hearings on pertinent bills. Other ways to keep abreast of new information include the following:

1. Volunteer for campaign work and develop contacts with legislators.

2. Obtain pertinent government documents using online resources.

3. Get the general telephone number for the state government and the mailing addresses for correspondence.

4. Develop liaisons with other health professionals and utilize them as informa-tion sources and allies in lobbying for health care issues.

5. Register a member of your group as a lobbyist—the fee is generally small.

6. If possible, hire a lobbyist.

7. Once you have notified your legislator about your interest in a particular issue, the legislator’s office may routinely send literature outlining his or her activities throughout the sometimes arduous process.

Regulation

Because lobbying activities can significantly affect individuals and industry, regulation is essential to avoid abuse. Lobbyists have created ethics codes, guidelines for profes-sional conduct and standards.⁵

The following will help you keep abreast of the newest regulations and standards:

1. Subscribe to the state register (which contains all state regulations under consideration).

2. Identify and develop contacts with state agencies that exert control on or impact your practice and ask to be added to their mailing lists. A limited list includes the following:

Nurse practice act: rules and regulations Medical practice act: rules and regulations Pharmacy act: rules and regulations Dental practice act: rules and regulations Hospital licensing act: rules and regulations

Ambulatory surgical center licensing act: rules and regulations Insurance statute: rules and regulations

Trauma center statute: rules and regulations Department of Health

Podiatric Act: rules and regulations

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 Lobbying is defined as attempts to influence the passage or defeat of legisla-tion or attempts to create a favorable climate toward legislalegisla-tion.

 Nurses can become involved in the political process by gathering information on issues, forming grass-roots coalitions, visiting or writing to senators and representatives, or lobbying for specific bills.

 Committees hear testimony from interested parties and then decide to recom-mend the bill as is or to arecom-mend the bill.

 Legislators need direct contact and exposure to their constituents and their views.

 Nurses should not write to House members while a bill is in the Senate and vice versa. A bill may be amended many times before it gets from one house to the other.

 It is important to identify and develop contacts with state agencies that exert control on or impact your practice and ask to be added to their mailing lists.

 To keep in contact with the legislature, it is important to identify key commit-tees and subcommitcommit-tees in the legislative bodies, and to identify and develop communications with the members of those committees.

I ^{N A} N ^UTSHELL

Nurses can and should play a role in formulating the laws that affect their practice. By understanding the political process, organizing into interest groups, consistently surveying new legislation and regulation, systematically contacting the appropriate individuals and agencies, and reliably following up on their efforts, nurses can work the often bureaucratic system to their advantage.

Numerous resources exist to allow nurses to keep informed and up to date and to educate themselves on how the process works. Most of the resources are inexpensive and easily accessible. Nurses should avail themselves of this information.

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2. What are the various ways in which a nurse can become involved in the legisla-tive process?

3. Identify five ways a nurse can keep up to date on what has been happening in Congress.

4. What are the five tips for writing a letter to a legislator or regulator?

5. What is the role of the committees during the process of a bill becoming a law?

6. What is the difference between legislation and regulation, what bodies prom-ulgate each, and in what documents can you find each?

7. Explain the process of a bill becoming a law.

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Jasmine Blithe, RN, the administrator of Sleepy Valley Rest Home, sets up a meeting with Senator Jason regarding Bill 100, which is unfavorable to the nursing home indus-try. In her meeting with the senator, she donates $5,000 to his campaign fund and discusses Bill 100, which she asks the senator to vote against.

Ms. Blithe also “guarantees” that if he does vote against the bill she will assist the senator in finding employment opportunities for his family or friends in the future.

1. Has Ms. Blithe acted unethically? Has she broken any laws (based on your state laws)?

2. What are the implications of her actions?

References

1. Rosenthal, A: The Third House: Lobbyists and Lobbying in the States, ed 2. CQ Press, Washington, DC, 2001.

2. Guyer, RL: Guide to State Legislative Lobbying. Gainesville, Fla: Engineering the Law, Inc, 2000.

3. Rosenthal, Ibid.

4. Ibid.

5. Ibid.

Resources

Plugging in to Washington: How to Communicate with Congress American Society of Association Executives

1575 Eye Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 Phone: (202) 626-2723 Fax: (202) 371-8825 http://www.asaenet.org

United States Capitol Switchboard (202) 224-3131

http://www.senate.gov for contact information for senators http://www.house.gov for contact information for representatives http://www.whitehouse.gov for contact information for the President Democratic National Committee

http://democrats.org

Republican National Committee http://www.rnc.org/

Federal Election Committee http://www.fec.gov/

Legislative Information on the Internet http://thomas.loc.gov/

Library of Congress 101 Independence Ave, SE Washington, DC 20540 (202) 707-5000 http://www.loc.gov/

Bureau of National Affairs

Publisher of print and electronic news, analysis, and reference products, providing intensive coverage of legal and regulatory developments for professionals in business and government.

1231 25th Street NW Washington, DC 20037 (800) 372-1033 http://www.bna.com/

Federal Government Web site

Search and view full text of Supreme Court decisions issued between 1937 and 1975; Internal Revenue Service information, government research, and development publications; top govern-ment Web sites; key governgovern-ment science and technology Web resource sites.

http://www.fedworld.gov/

Contacting State Representatives Access individual state Web sites.

American Nurses Association Government Affairs 600 Maryland Avenue, SW Suite 100 West

Washington, DC 20024 (800) 274-4ANA (202) 651-7000

http://nursingworld.org/gova/federal/gfederal.htm

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