PRESENTATION ON

LOBBYING

SUBJECT:-NURSING MANAGEMENT

SUBMITTED TO:-

SUBMITTED BY :-

Mrs.Neema Masih M.Sc (N) Medical Surgical Nursing Lecturer College of Nursing Dhamtari

Ms. Eudora Blah M.Sc (N) 2nd yr Student College of Nursing Dhamtari

INTRODUCTION Lobbying is virtually any advocacy activity aimed at influencing a legislators vote on specific legislation. legislator refers to Member of the Parliament/State Legislators or their staff/ Local legislative representatives/ the public, in case of a ballot measurement/ Members of an organization. Legislation is defined as action by a legislative body including the introduction, amendment, enactment, defeat or repeat of Acts, bills, resolutions, appropriations and budgets. Nurses can take an active role in the legislative and political process to affect change. They may become involved in influencing one specific piece of legislation or regulation, or they can become involved more universally and systematically to influence health care legislation on the whole.

DEFINITION

LOBBYING: Lobbying is the deliberate attempt to influence political decisions through various forms of advocacy directed at policymakers on behalf of another person, organization or group. Lobbying is the practice of private advocacy with the goal of influencing a governing body by promoting a point of view that is conducive to an individual's or organization's goals.

LOBBYIST: 1) A lobbyist is an individual who attempts to influence legislation on behalf of others, such as professional organizations or industries. 2) Lobbyists are advocates. That means they represent a particular side of an issue. 3) A person who receives compensation or reimbursement from another person, group, or entity to lobby.

TYPES OF LOBBYING: 1. Direct 2. Grassroots

1. DIRECT LOBBYING

Is communicating your views to a legislator or a staff member or any other government employee who may help develop the legislation to be lobbying, one must communicate a view on a "specific legislative proposal." Even if there is no bill, one would be engaged in lobbying if one asked a legislator to take an action that would require legislation, such as funding an agency. Asked ones members to lobby for this bill is also considered as direct lobbying.

Direct lobbying occurs when a nonprofit organization attempts to influence specific legislation by stating a position to a legislator or other government employee who participates in the formulation of legislation. Leaders from a nonprofit offer unsolicited testimony before the local city council meeting just before it was to vote on a proposed ban on soda in school vending machines.

There are four statutory exceptions: Nonpartisan analysis, study or research- may have a point of view but must provide a full and fair exposition of the underlying facts to enable to reader to form an independent opinion or conclusion in the subject and be widely disseminated and not limited to people on the side of an issue. Request for technical advice or assistance-a written request from a legislative body that is available to all members of the requesting body. Self-defence-communication on an actor which could impact an organisations existence, powers, duties, tax-exempt status or the deductibility of contributions to the organization. Discussion of board, social, economic, and similar problems-discussion on general topics which may be the subject of specific legislation but must not refer to specific legislation or directly encourage action.

2. GRASSROOTS LOBBYING Is simply citizen participation in government. The key to successful grassroots lobbying efforts is assembling people who share common goals and concerns. Grassroots communications are vital in educating legislators to the concerns of the voting population in their state. If you do not share your views with your representative, then your views will not be considered by your state representative when he votes on an issue which affects you. You can make a difference by simply writing, calling, meeting, or faxing your representative. Grass root lobbying occurs when a nonprofit organization urges the general public to take action on specific legislation. Key indicators of Grass Roots Lobbying

Relates to specific legislation Reflects a point of view on the legislations merits Encourages the general public to contact legislators.

Lobbying is legal and important The term lobbying carries negative connotations for many people because it may raise the specter of violating federal law and losing tax-exempt status, or because it is often associated with scandals involving paid lobbyists representing corporate interests. Nonetheless lobbying by nonprofit organizations is a legal and acceptable activity that is often essential to creating good public policy and stronger, more democratic communities. Sometimes communications with legislations take the form of lobbying. Lobbying may be defined as attempting to persuade someone (usually a legislator or legislative aide.) of the rightness of ones cause or to influence legislation. It is an art of communication, an area in which nurses are highly skilled. Lobbying methods include letter writng, face-to-face communications, telephone calls, mailgrams telegrams, email, letters to the editor, and providing testimony (verbal or written) Effective lobbying requires both persuasive and negotiating skills. Before you begin any lobbying effort it is vital to gather all pertinent facts. In politics, getting the facts and laying the groundwork are analogous to developing a nursing care plan. Before visiting or writing a legislator, gather facts, delineate the problem or concern you wish to discuss, and develop a plan to articulate your concerns. Determine a method for evaluating your effectiveness. To visit the legislators office, set up an appointment in advance. At the federal level, the meeting may be with the legislative aide who is responsible for assisting in developing position statements and offering committee amendments for the legislator. Be prepared to show that others support your position. When many people speaks legislators may listen, but when many people voice the same concern, legislators are much more likely to pay attention.

TYPES OF LOBBYISTS The Lobbyists Registration Act identifies three types of lobbyists: The consultant lobbyist: The consultant lobbyist is a person who is gainfully employed or not and whose occupation is to lobby on behalf of a client in exchange for money, benefits or other forms of compensation. Consultant lobbyists may work for public relations firms or be self-employed. For example, he or she might be a public relations expert, a lawyer, an engineer, an architect.

The enterprise lobbyist: This is a person who holds a job or has duties in a profit-making organization, whose duties include, for a significant part, lobbying on behalf of the firm.

The organization lobbyist: This is a person who holds a job or has duties in a non-profit organization. Like the enterprise lobbyist, this lobbyist is affected by the Act if a significant part of his or her duties is to lobby on behalf of this organization.

HOW TO LOBBY Today nurses must be active in the legislative process in order to be heard on issues afflicting nursing practice. There are many ways that nurses can become involved, such as gathering information on issues, visiting or writing to senator and representatives, and lobbying for specific bills. Legislative bills must go through a lengthy process before actually becoming law. 1. Develop your plan of action. Consider, rework, revamp, and define your plan in advance of your trip to the legislators office. 2. Practice, practice and practice until your presentation is smooth. While legislators do not expect health care professionals to be published lobbyists, a good presentation is much more impressive than an unprepared, bumbling attempt. 3. Never lie! If the answer is not available, promise to get it and then communicate that answer to the legislator or aide as soon as possible. 4. Be patient. Whether elected or appointed, officials have many people competing for their attention. Practice your presentation while you wait. 5. Courtesy is imperative. Officials and their aide are above all human. The old adage common courtesy never cost a dime applies here in capital letters. These individuals may respect you and respond in a more manner if you treat them with courtesy. 6. Be brief. Officials are often in busy schedules. Get in and out in an expedient amount of time while getting your point across. 7. Be direct. Get to the point but personalize the issues if possible. Use your own experience, or how the issue will affect your practice directly. 8. Keep it simple. Do not use jargon or get too detailed or too complex. Get to the point but make sure the official understands your point. 9. Do not travel in a pack. Keep your group small so as not to detract from your issues with the sheer numbers (not to mention the time loss in all those introductions). 10. Close effectively. Ask for the officials support or vote to your issues. 11. Follow up with a thank you letter. Include a summary of your position and ask for cooperation of the legislator in working on their hard-to-convince colleagues.

PREPARING FOR LOBBYING CAMPAIGN: An effective lobbying initiative takes background work. 1. Develop plan of action. Consider, rework, revamp, and define the plan in advance of the trip to the legislators office. 2. Be sure one is fully aware of all similar initiatives on the same topic and the position of those opposing ones idea. 3. Check with other nursing organizations to determine their positions and if they have information to help support ones position. 4. Fine-tune ones presentation to several key points because time will be limited. 5. Follow up after the meeting with a call or correspondence outlining the points.

PREPARING FOR AN EFFECTIVE LETTER-WRITING CAMPAIGN: 1. 2. Define the goals of this grass-roots campaign. Develop a plan

3. Assess the knowledge level of the participants concerning the legislative process and the issues that impact the organization. Use this information to plan educational sessions with the goal of improving the political sophistication of the group. 4. Give interested participants information about the bill in question and how this bill would directly affect their practice. Clearly state what action the legislative body needs to take to meet the goal, and include the specific bill number and name. 5. Set up effective telephone or e-mail networks that can contact key members quickly. Often legislative issues are scheduled and moved up quickly on that schedule, requiring an immediate change of plan. 6. Identify and set up contacts with the key legislators involved in your issue. 7. Set numerical goals for how many letters or mailings will be generated. 8. On large issues, focus groups or polls may be used to acquire information that can be analysed and send to the legislators.

9. Get the timing right. The time to begin your campaign is just before the committee hearings begin or just prior to the vote o the floor. Too early is ineffective; too late is wasted effort. You must follow the progress of your issue closely so as to mobilize your members at the right time.

USEFUL TIPS-

Dos: a. Do write legibly or type. Handwritten are perfectly acceptable so long as they can be read. b. Do use persona stationary. Indicate that you are a registered nurse. Sign your full name and address. If you are writing for an organization, use that organizations stationary and include information about the number of members in the organization, the services you perform, and the employment setting you are found in. c. Do state if you are a constituent. If you campaigned for or voted for the official, say so. d. Do identify the issue by number and name if possible or refer to it by the common name.

e. Do state your position clearly and state what you would like your legislator to do. f. Do draft the letter in your own words and convey your own thoughts. g. Do refer to your own experience of how a bill will directly affect you, your family, your patients, and members of your organization or your profession. Thoughtful, sincere letters on issues that directly affect the writer receive the most attention and are those that are often quoted in hearings or debates. h. Do contact the legislator in time for your legislator to act on an issue. After the vote is too late. If your representative is a member of the committee that is hearing the issue, contact him/her before the committee hearings begin. If he/she is not on the committee, write just before the bill is due to come to the floor for debate and vote. i. Do write the governor promptly for a state issue, after the bill passes both houses, if you want to influence his/her decision to sign the bill into law or veto it. j. Do use e-mails to state your points. k. Do be appreciative, especially of past favourable votes. Many letters legislators receive feedback from constituents who are unhappy or displeased about actions taken on an issue. Letters of thanks are greatly appreciated.

l. Do make your point quickly and discuss only one issue per letter. Most letters should be one page long. m. Do remember that you are the expert in your professional area. Most legislators know little about the practice of nursing and respect your knowledge. Offer your expertise to your elected representative as an advisor or resource person to his or her staff when issues arise. n. Do ask for what you want your legislator to do on an issue. Ask him/her to state his/her position in the reply to you. Donts: a. Do not begin a letter with as a citizen and a taxpayer. Legislators assume that you are a citizen, and all of us pay taxes. b. Do not threaten or use hostility. Most legislators ignore hate mail. c. Do not send carbon copies of your letter to other legislators. Write each legislator individually. Do not send letters to other legislators from other states-they will refer your letter to your congressional representative. d. Do not write 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. e. Do not write postcards; they are tossed.

f. Do not use form letters. In large numbers these letters get attention only in the form that they are tallied. These letters tend to elicit a form letter response from the legislator. g. Do not apologize for writing and taking their time. If your letter is short and presents your opinion on an issue, they are glad to have it.

KEEP ABREAST OF LEGISLATION AND REGULATION: When issues are important to your professional, contact the legislator and provide the important facts that support your position and be sure to follow up routinely so your opinions stay fresh in his/her mind.

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 communication with the members of those committees. Ways to keep abreast of new information include the following: Volunteer for campaign work and develop contacts with legislators.

Obtain pertinent government documents using online resources. Get the general telephone number for the state government and the mailing addresses for correspondence.

Develop liaisons with other health professionals and utilize them as information sources and allies in lobbying for health care issues.

Register a member of your group as a lobbyist- the fee is generally small. If possible, hire a lobbyist Once you have notified your legislator about your interest in a particular issue, the legislators 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 professional conduct and standards. The following will help you keep abreast of the newest regulations and standards:

Subscribe to the state register (which contains all state regulations under consideration). 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: 1. Nurse practice act: rules and regulations 2. Medical practice act: rules and regulations 3. Pharmacy act: rules and regulations 4. Dental practice act: rules and regulations

5. Hospital licensing act: rules and regulations 6. Ambulatory surgical center licensing act: rules and regulations 7. Insurance statute: rules and regulations 8. Trauma center statute: rules and regulations 9. Department of Health

10. Podiatric Act: rules and regulations

CONCLUSION
Lobbying is generally defined as an attempt to influence a decision of a legislature or other governmental body. Since it is a type of petition for redress of grievances, lobbying is constitutionally guaranteed. Lobbying exists at several levels, from a single individual who contacts a legislator about a particular issue of personal importance to the interest groups that carefully (and often expensively) organized systems for monitoring legislation, initiating action or blocking action on matters that concern them.

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