Develop an Action Plan
Step 2: Form a State Committee and Assign Roles
Once the state association leadership has determined that
there is potential for change, it is important for the leaders
and other interested members to gather together and decide what
they wish to accomplish. The state association, lobbyist,
constituent members, and consumers all have essential and
integral roles to play in any state advocacy effort. All parties
need to work together to accomplish the goal.
Group Leader:
A leader needs to be identified who will serve not only as the
spokesperson for the group but will also be responsible for
keeping the membership informed and actively involved. In the
targeted states, ASHA and the state association leadership
identified a member of the group to serve as the coordinator.
This individual typically communicated with the ASHA liaison on a
regular basis, kept the executive board and membership informed
of the groups activities and progress, and was also responsible
for activating the grassroots network.
Grassroots Coordinator:
The grassroots coordinator is responsible for developing and
maintaining an active list of members from across the state that
are willing and able to contact legislators or other decision
maker groups on a moment's notice. If the state association
does not have an up-to-date e-mail list of the membership, than
one will need to be developed including each member's address
and legislative district. This allows the group leader and
grassroots coordinator to activate the grassroots network quickly
and efficiently.
Legislative liaison/lobbyist:
The legislative liaison may be the state association's
lobbyist or committee member whose job it is to keep the members
informed of legislative or regulatory activity, develop
legislative language for proposed bills, and most importantly to
track and inform the committee when membership involvement is
needed. It is also important for the state's lobbyist to
convey to the membership how the legislative process works in the
state.
Consumer Coordinator:
The consumer coordinator identifies and gathers a list of
consumers willing to assist state association efforts.