Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer:
Paper Instructions:
Submit your letter to your legislator:
Purpose: The student will identify their elected official (House of Representatives or State Senate) for their area of residence. The student will identify a health-related policy issue and write a letter to their elected official regarding their opinion about how the legislator should vote on the identified topic.
Bill: SB291-"Georgia Death with Dignity Act"; physician-assisted end-of-life options for terminally ill individuals; create provisions; enact... A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to health, so as to create provisions for physician-assisted end-of-life options for terminally ill individuals; to provide for definitions; to provide a criminal penalty; to provide a short title; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws and for other purposes.
https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/advocacy/direct-action/letters-to-elected-officials/main
Tips for Writing to Your Legislator
If you decide to give lobbying a try, here are tips on how to lobby Congress from the
American Academy of Ambulatory Nursing:
“• keep it short and to the point
• don’t forget to say ‘thank you’
• get to know the legislator’s staff (It’s frequently more productive to speak to a staff member than the lawmakers themselves.)
• tell the whole story by acknowledging when something is difficult and when
there’s opposition
• timing is everything (It’s important to know Congressional procedures, so mention proper deadlines and don’t ask for requests at the last minute.)
• have a one-page written draft of what you want available to leave or send to the
legislator
• be professional even when the answer is ‘no;’ regroup and wait for another chance.” (AAAN, 2017)
GRADING RUBRIC
POINTS
Identification of elected official –(State House of Representative or State Senate) and a summary of his/her most recent health care related voting history (15 points)
Identify a current or recent health-related bill that the official has authored or is heavily supporting; include a detailed summary of the bill and any past history regarding the issue (25 points)
Letter to the legislator discussing the importance of the bill to nursing and your position on the topic (50 points)
Appropriate format (includes grammar & spelling) (10 points)
Total Points (100 Possible)
