LSHA Legislative Plan

Mission:

To refine and expand the LSHA systems and resources used in order to, strengthen the future potential efficiency and effectiveness of LSHA legislative advocacy.

Goals of Legislative Action:

-Improve the visibility of our profession with legislators, the governor and their staffs and to advocate for the rights of persons with communication disorders.

-Promote the mission of LSHA including the individual and collective interests of the members of the association.

-Ensure advocacy for the communicatively impaired and professionals serving them across all sectors of service delivery.

Strategies and Activities:

Strategy # 1: Contract with and consult with lobbyist

LSHA may receive a $5000 personnel grant from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association to help fund the association’s legislative needs of hiring a lobbyist.  This grant is funded under ASHA’s Strategic Pathway to Excellence.

Strategy # 2: Ensure legislative focus for all professional sectors (Schools, University, Healthcare, Audiology)

-Consult with representatives from each professional sector to obtain input on legislative concerns and active participation in advocacy

-Invite at least one representative from each sector to serve on the legislative committee or as bill readers

-Develop a list of potential legislative issues across sectors

-Develop plan to encourage participation from all sectors in the Day at the Capital

Strategy #3: Provide for review of proposed legislation or governmental regulation and initiate advocacy as needed.

-Review current legislative committee members and bill readers and legislative buddies

-Invite additional committee members and bill readers: Recommendation for sector consults, List of volunteers from LSHA survey, General invitation through schools and LSHA e-mail list

-Inform PAC leadership of need to strengthen network of Legislative Buddies

-Aggressively attempt to recruit legislative buddies for all legislators statewide via repeated email blasts and contacts with PAC board and members

-Update, maintain & share w/ lobbyist Legislative Buddy roster to include contact info and relationship of contact w/ legislator

-Identify individuals willing to provide testimony or attend hearings

-Develop strategies to address all issues over time & prioritize issues for primary focus of lobbyist 

-Develop system to ensure that lobbyist is kept up to date on ALL legislative contacts and advocacy activities

-Review Bills and Governmental Regulations

-Promote reciprocal communication which ensures maximum input from lobbyist on strategy/execution & LSHA/SPALS members on clinical expertise to ensure partnership in development/implementation of positions on bills, legislative plan revisions, and action on bills/regulations

-Notify Legislative Buddies & membership through e-mail lists of action needed

Strategy # 4: Annual Day at the Capitol

-Survey interested members for potential dates

-Provide date preferences to lobbyist

-Schedule date with legislative staff

-Notify LSHA membership and SPALS leadership of date (mark your calendar); additionally ask Directors to email to email networks which may include non-members; notices to newsletter & website

-Coordinate/plan for materials and equipment needed (educational materials, gifts, audiology testing booth)

-Coordinate with SPALS leadership

-Provide series of e-mail blasts to encourage members & students to participate

-Develop strategy for increasing mainstream awareness about COMD via local interest stories about COMD prevention, identification, &/or treatment & photographs/ articles on Day at the Capitol using local newspapers & TV coverage