APhA-ASP Pharmacy Legislative Day at your State Capitol

Another means of getting students to take action is to sponsor a Pharmacy Legislative Day. This activity takes coordination with professors to find a day that students can miss class to meet with members of federal and/or state legislature. The day should be scheduled when healthcare legislation is under consideration, especially if there are issues specifically applicable to pharmacists. Coordinating travel with local pharmacists and members of the state pharmacy associations can make your Pharmacy Legislative Day even more effective.

Pharmacy Legislative Day is an opportunity for students to watch floor debate or committee hearings on bills concerning healthcare. After observing legislators in action, another activity to coordinate could be a health screening area for legislators and their staff. While screening, explain how pharmacists can help to cut overall medical costs by helping their patients to manage chronic diseases such has hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, asthma and osteoporosis.

The most important activity of the day is to meet face-to-face with individual legislators. Encourage students to make appointments to meet with their legislators that day to talk specifically about legislation affecting pharmacists. When meeting with legislators, it is important to both advocate clearly for the profession and to be aware of the image of pharmacists that is left with the legislators or their staff.

Scheduling the Meeting
Scheduling meetings can often be difficult. Consider the following suggestions to make the process easier:

• Ask someone with an established relationship with the legislator to help you arrange a meeting.
• Arrange a group meeting with a number of the legislator’s constituents
• Schedule a meeting at the legislator’s office far enough in advance.
• If adequate arrangements cannot be made with the legislator, ask to meet with the legislative assistant for health issues.

Conducting the Meeting
When finally meeting with your legislators, prepare in advance to ensure successful communication of your message. Have a specific objective in mind for the meeting, and make sure the objective and views are addressed during the meeting.

When conducting the meeting, remember the following points:

• Introduce yourself and state why you are there
• Mention mutual friends/contacts

Emphasize key points that personally concern you and that specifically impact the profession

• Advocate the value of pharmacy in the health care market and economy.
• Expect questions and be responsive, not argumentative
• Take a brief synopsis of your key points and supportive material to leave as a reminder
• Be enthusiastic and show you care about the issue
• If possible, get a commitment of support
• Follow up with a thank-you letter

Do’s and Don’ts When Communicating with Legislators

Do:

• Clearly identify the subject of personal interest, including House and Senate bill numbers, if you know them
• Explain any business connections relative to the issue, and the impact the issue will have on them
• Use personal experiences to support positions
• Restrict conversation to a single issue
• Communicate while legislation is under consideration in committee, conference, or on the floor
• Communicate more than once on the same issue if the legislation changes favorably, or unfavorably, and note how the changes will impact pharmacy practice
• Communicate specific information with committee and subcommittee chairs responsible for the legislation to will help them make a more informed judgment on the issue

Don’t:

• Be rude or threaten
• Pretend to have greater political influence than is true
• Promise something that cannot be delivered
• Be self-righteous or all-knowing
• Be vague about the issue (research the member’s position and present facts to support or refute it)
• Forget to thank the member for past favors
• Bring up past campaign contributions or present a check during the meeting

What Your Legislator Needs from You

• Timely and correct information on pending or proposed legislation, together with your best estimate of the legislation’s local and/or national impact
• “Thank you” letters
• Exposure to constituents, such as:
• Photo opportunities in their home district
• Speaking engagements before constituents on health issues
• Receptions at which to meet local pharmacists and pharmacists’ supporters from the community
• Favorable publicity in the local media on stands the have taken
• Appearances on local radio/TV talk shows
• Fundraising and other volunteer help in campaigning for office.

It is important to maintain consistent relationships with elected officials. As new people are elected cultivate new relationships. State the climate of the previous relationship and let the representative know that friendly terms will be beneficial to both sides.