encouraging advocacy at your chapter 2010 regional meetings
TRANSCRIPT
Encouraging Advocacy at Your Chapter
2010 Regional Meetings
LGN Structure Chair of the LGN Vice Chair Regional Legislative Coordinators (3) Board of Trustees Liaisons Member-at-Large ASDA Staff Liaison
Legislative Liaisons serve each chapter
Chair of the Legislative Grassroots Network
Monitor and report on national legislation and identify its importance to dental students
Direct organizational and educational activities of the LGN
Serve as Liaison to ADA’s Council on Government Affairs
Vice Chair
Serves on the ADPAC Board of Directors
Promotes ADPAC drives at chapters and coordinates drives at national meetings
Responsible for compiling ADPAC membership statistics for ASDA
Regional Legislative Coordinators (RLCs)
Communicate regularly with LLs
Provides legislative information and updates to chapters as well as ASDA legislative policies
Ensure all chapter activities are reported to Chair and Vice Chair
Board of Trustees Liaisons
Trustee assigned to serve as liaison from LGN to Board of Trustees
Represents Board of Trustees perspective at LGN meetings
Member-at-Large
Serve LGN to represent general ASDA membership interests and assist LGN on projects as assigned
ASDA Staff Liaison
Coordinates activities of LGN
Works with LGN and ADEA staff to develop content and plan National Dental Student Lobby Day
ASDA Central Office contact for anything related to the LGN, National Lobby Day, or legislative activities
Legislative Liaisons
Read the LGN Handbook
Keep your chapter leaders, members and other dental students informed about advocacy efforts and legislation
Organize legislative activities at your school
Report on your chapter’s legislative activities to your RLC
Legislative Liaisons
Attend Regional meetings, National Lobby Day, and Annual Session
Coordinate your chapter’s attendance at Lobby Day
Monitor state legislative issues and ask the LGN for help when action is needed
How do we affect change? State and national lobby days
Educate and inform ASDA members and dental students about issues affecting dentistry
Membership in ADPAC and State PACs
Communication with legislators about what issues are important to their constituents
Who helps the LGN?
ADA Division of Government Affairs
ADA Department of State Government Affairs
American Dental Education Association (ADEA)
State and Local Dental Societies
Chapter Legislative Activities
ADPAC Lunch and Learn ADPAC Drive ADPAC oversees Pizza ‘n’ Politics
program Hold a lunch and learn in conjunction
with ADPAC membership drive Student membership only costs $5 per
year($50 to join Capitol Club)
Contact Natalia Sanchez for details and instructions and to report on your chapter’s events ([email protected])
Meet and Greet Contact me for your state’s Action Team
Leader (ATL)
Contact the ATL for assistance with the invitation to the legislator and scheduling the meet and greet
Contact local and state dental societies for their assistance and support in organizing and participation
Meet and Greet
Check with school administrators about policies for hosting a meet and greet on-campus
Include all those in the dental community by inviting all ADA members, spouses, dental students from the district to attend the event
Local/State Involvement
Attend Local and State Dental Meetings Ask to sit on your state dental
association’s legislative committee Call the executive director and let
him/her know you are the legislative liaison for your ASDA chapter and ask how you can get involved
Attend or Organize State Lobby Day Contact your state association to
see if they already plan a State Lobby Day
Ask how students can get involved and participate
If they don’t have a state lobby day currently, ask how you can work together to start one
Other Activities Include updates on legislative issues in
your chapter newsletter Make sure your chapter is receiving The
Legislative Ledger (monthly e-newsletter)
Attend city council meetings to stay informed on the local level
Other Ideas
Successful chapter events ADPAC Drive ideas Legislative Lunch and Learns
Hot Issues Hold a forum/debate about a hot topic in
your area
How do you get your chapter interested in advocacy and legislative activities?
Other Resources
The ADA Department of State Government Affairs (DSGA) has information on legislative issues at the state level
Newsletters:
How do I remember this stuff?
It’s all in the LGN Handbook! Let’s take a look…
Your job as LL is to make sure that students from your
school attend and have a successful lobby day!
Choose ASDA and ADEA members to attend
Inform your school’s administration you would like to attend Our lobbying promotes their efforts also!
Fundraise – ask for help from your Dean and State or Local dental societies
Plan early – look for updates from ASDA Central Office about registration deadline
Register fice Arrange Transportation/Hotel accommodations
Hotel Deadline is not flexible Contact legislator’s offices to make
appointments Be persistent if you don’t get a response
after the first try Look up contact information at
www.house.gov or www.senate.gov Post appointments on Lobby Day
Appointments website – available at www.asdanet.org
National Lobby Day Appointments
LLs at each school are in charge of making appointments with the legislators in the dental school’s state
If you are from a state without a dental school, we encourage you to visit those offices too
After the meeting Follow up! Be sure the members of
Congress are thinking about ASDA and ADEA and the issues we lobby
Send thank you notes
Email Campaigns
Go to www.ada.org – AdvocacyUnder Speak Out click on Legislative Action Center
Sign up for Action E-list to get alerts when action is needed
In an action alert email you will get a link that has a form letter for you to send to your legislator
ADA’s Advocacy Page Go to www.ada.org and click on
Advocacy Check this page regularly!
After a Successful Year… Apply for the Ideal LGN Award
Applications judged by the LGN based on chapter’s legislative activities for the year
Award presented at Lobby Day
Not the same as Ideal ASDA Awards Separate application Different judges
Get the application under Member Resources – Awards on www.asdanet.org
Contact Info
Mark Hower: [email protected]
Meghan Keelean: [email protected]
Natalia Sanchez: [email protected]