Legislative / Policy Advocacy

In this part of the rotation, the trainee will continue to be an advocate for his or her issue. Trainees will review government structure at the state and federal level, examine legislature, and learn lobbying skills. (IC, P, SBP)


Goals

Following this rotation, the trainee will be able to:

  • Demonstrate knowledge about the issue for which you are going to advocate
  • Describe the basic structure and legislative process of our government
  • Identify current pediatric health policy issues
  • Identify current policymakers
  • Identify media contacts
  • Demonstrate effective communication skills

Enabling Activities

  1. Become a member of the FAAN Listserve! Visit the American Academy of Pediatrics, and email kids1st@aap.org to become a key contact!
  2. Read Part II pp. 12-17 in the text of “So You Want to Make a Difference” which is a basic civics review.
  3. Identify your federal and state elected officials.
    1. Visit the congress.org website
    2. Work through to identify your CURRENT federal officials and state officials.
  4. Identify current pediatric health policy issues using the AAP as a resource.
    1. Go to the American Academy of Pediatrics website and sign into the Members Center.
    2. Visit an overview of the Department of Federal Affairs.
    3. Click on link to Press Releases and Statements.
    4. Click on link to Federal Affairs Office.
    5. Identify and cite any news releases or statements by the AAP that relate to your advocacy topic or are of particular interest to you
    6. Return to the Press Releases and Statements link (AAP News Room) and click on the link for News Features and PSAs (cite any that relate to your topic); browse around.
  5. Identify current legislation at the state or federal level which addresses the health issue you identified during the Individual Case Advocacy portion of the curriculum. The following websites are great resources for this: Congress.org, or the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
    1. Identify the name and number of the bills.
    2. Identify the original sponsor of each bill.
    3. Identify “where” the bills are in the legislative process.
  6. Identify media contacts in the community.
    1. Go to www.aap.org and sign into the Members Center
    2. Click on link for advocacy.
    3. On the bottom of the screen, there is a box marked “Advocacy Event Planning.” In that box, click on the link for Media Resource Team.
    4. Explore!! Include in your journal, three new things you learned.
    5. Click on “Information to Assist in Community-based Advocacy Efforts.
    6. See if your health issue is listed (if not, search for your topic using the “search” box or select another issue you’re interested in.)
    7. Identify a local media source – newspaper, magazine, radio, TV – that would provide an appropriate audience for an editorial.
    8. Write an editorial or letter to the editor, advocating for your particular topic. You may want to cite pending or current legislation related to your topic.
    9. Additional Health Data Resources to support your views:
  7. Learn about lobbying government officials:
    1. Dr. Bucciarelli will be your faculty contact person for this portion of the rotation. Your schedule with him should be determined before starting the rotation.
    2. In March, the Florida State Legislature is in session. During this time, you will travel to Tallahassee on a Tuesday evening, meet with members of the legislature, and observe the Florida Chapter of the AAP Legislative Committee.
    3. During periods when the legislature is not in session, you may still have the opportunity to travel to Tallahassee to learn about the state legislature, PAMR, DOH, or to work with the lobbyists at Shands.
    4. Write a brief summary of your experience and submit it for your portfolio.

Other Resources