1 advocacy at nasw/texas susan p. milam, ph.d., lmsw director of government relations national...
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Advocacy at NASW/Texas
Susan P. Milam, Ph.D., LMSWDirector of Government Relations
National Association of Social Workers/Texas ChapterJuly 14, 2012
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National Association of Social Workers/Texas Chapter Board
NASW/Texas will advocate for actions that will enable professional social workers to provide high quality, effective services to strengthen Texas communities.
Advocacy at NASW/Texas
Board of Directors- Adopts legislative agenda- Allocates resources
Texas Political Action for Candidate Election
(TPACE)- Evaluates and endorses candidates- Determine level of support
Social Work Advocacy Day (SWAD) Committee
- Organize Social Work Advocacy Day at the Capitol- Encourage local advocacy activities
Government Relations Office
- Lobbying for legislative action- Developing advocacy materials- Interacting with advocacy groups and public agencies- Staff support for advocacy groups
Branches/Members/ Committees
- Local advocacy- Vote/campaign for candidates- Contact with elected officials: phone calls, letters, visits, petitions
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NASW/Texas Advocacy Groups
Texas Political Action for Candidate Election (TPACE) Evaluate and
endorse candidate
Determine level of support
Social Work Advocacy Day Committee Organize annual
advocacy day at the legislature
Encourage local advocacy efforts
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Social Work Advocacy Day (SWAD) Committee
Chair: Janet Tuohy
Members: Virginia Manuel April Young Joan Holland Lois McDonald Lucia Leo-Diaz Kelsee Jones Mike Gianotti Mari Lynn Garcia Bert Beauman Elizabeth Gonzalez
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Government Relations Office
Legislative and regulatory action Collaborating with partners
Research Advocacy for clients and issues
Working with public and private employers Pursuing opportunities in new fields of
practice Educating ourselves and others Grassroots advocacy training
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Branch and Member Advocacy
The power of a constituent!
Knowledge of community needs
Impacted by legislative decisions
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Texas Government
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General Facts about the Texas Legislature
There are 150 Texas Representatives
There are 31 Texas Senators
Both houses are in session for 5 months (January thru May) every odd year
In 2011, 5,796 bills were filed; 1,387 passed Nearly 80% of all House bills died About 70% of all Senate bills died 26% of Republican bills (797) and 19% of Democratic
bills (585) were sent to the governor Governor Rick Perry vetoed 24
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Texas 82nd Legislature Demographics
House Senate
Male 118 25 Female 32 6
Democratic 49 12
Republican 101 19
Incumbent 125 29 Freshman 26 2
Caucasian 103 22 African-American 17 2 Hispanic 28 7 Asian-American 2 0
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Social Workers in the Texas Legislature
Elliott Naishtat, Texas Representative
o He has served District 49 in Austin since 1990
o Holds social work and law degreeso Worked as VISTA volunteer for LBJ’s War
on Poverty
NASW/Texas Legislative Agenda
2013 Legislative Agenda
3 Top Issues Loan Repayment Higher Pay S.W. Center for
Workforce Studies Messaging
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Loan Repayment…
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Social Work Our discipline’s unique ethics of social justice and
political advocacy
Our mission to our most vulnerable populations Promotion of social justice and social change
Our core values: service social justice dignity and worth of the person importance of human relationships integrity competence
Political action, lobbying, and advocacy: unique and essential component to social work
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Social Workers in PoliticsNecessary to:
reassert our role in social welfare policy represent populations who are
marginalized and hold little power stabilize authority, rights, and power for
the social work profession
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Social Workers and the Democratic Process
“In a democracy, where every vote and voice count, doing nothing is a political act.”
Nancy Amidei
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How to Do Grassroots Advocacy:
Advocate: to speak or write in favor of; support or urge by argument; recommend publicly
Branch and Member Advocacy
NASW/TX can provide: Individual legislator
information Issue summaries Letter templates Petition templates Phone call scripts Postcards Action plan Suggestions for advocacy
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Letter/Postcard Advocacy
U. S. Officials Sen. Cornyn Sen. Hutchison Your Member in
Congress State Officials
Governor Perry Your Representative Your Senator
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Calling Your Legislator
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As a social worker, what have you done to assist a
Texan to obtain, retain, or regain their independence
and self-sufficiency?
Your Bootstrap
Story
Your Bootstrap Story What kind of social
work do you do? How does your work
contribute to the overall strength/quality of life for Texas?
Does your work save an expense in another area of the economy?
Do you have a statistic that confirms the value of what you do?
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What Can I Do… Vote Write letters, make phone calls, sign petitions
to include on line, e-mail, and visit my representative and senator
Join/Invite others to join NASW. Join NASW/TX “Take Action Now” Listserv Get involved in a candidate’s race Run for public office! Join a NASW Critical Issue Advisory
What Does a Texas Social Work Advocate Look Like?Lara Hulin, School Social Worker, Houston ISD
Katharine Ligon, TPACE Trustee, CPPP
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It looks like YOU!!
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