Advocacy
101
TOPICS
Why advocate?
Who is my Legislator?
Where do Legislators work?
What is the Legislative Process?
How do I communicate with my Legislator?
When is the best time to advocate?
The 11 Commandments of Advocacy.
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Why be Advocates?
1. Maintain Persons in their Own Homes with Dignity.
2. Remove Barriers to Economic and Personal
Independence.
3. Provide a Continuum of Care for Vulnerable Elderly.
4. Provide Managed In-home and Long Term Care
Services.
5. Protection from Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation.
6. Opportunity for Employment & Community Service.
7. Empower Elders to Volunteer and Serve the Community.
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The Legal Basis for Advocacy
• Older Americans Act Regulations Section
1321.61: AAA advocacy role includes:
– Serve as the public advocate for the development
of community based systems of care.
– Solicit comments from the public on the needs of
the elderly
– Represent the interests of older persons to local
level and executive branch officials, public or
private agencies on organizations.
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Allowable AAA Advocacy Activities
• AAA’s may respond to specific requests for information,
technical assistance and their opinions from elected
officials or other agencies.
• AAA’s may provide unsolicited communication to
influence legislation if the issues are of bona fide interest
to the AAA by their effect on the AAA or its constituents,
i.e. budgets or Medicare.
Prohibited AAA Advocacy Activities
• Support of individual candidates for elected office.
• Use of federal funds to advocate for issues that are not
in keeping with the purposes and principles of the Older
Americans Act. (Non-federal funds may be used.)
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How AAA’s Advocate
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Identify local, state and national Aging Issues
Develop Public Policy Recommendations
Recommend Legislative Solutions
Inform Elders, Families and Elected Officials
Testify Before Legislative Committees
Participate and Provide Local Leadership
Mobilize citizens to advocate.
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Board Legislator
Visitation
The Senior
Advocate Alert
Seniors Want to
Know Hotline
Advocacy
Training
Each Senior Services Board member is visiting
their Delegate and Senator in August to present
senior needs and issues.
The Senior Advocate Alert is published during the
Virginia General Assembly Session every other
week. Special issues are published as needed.
Call (757) 222-4525 and leave your message!
What should the General Assembly do for
seniors in the 2011 legislative session?
Advocacy 101: Summer 2010
Advocacy 102: Fall 2010
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Who is my Legislator?
• http://legis.state.va.us/1_cap_class/68/6_8_how_bills.html
• http://www.ssseva.org/advocacy/represent
atives.shtml
• http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/cms/Cidate_Inf
ormation/Index.html
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An Example of an Issue:
Challenge: Senior Home Owners
Problems faced by Senior Home Owners
• Senior Services local needs assessment reveals
that affordable housing is the second highest
concern to seniors.
• ¾ of seniors own their homes.
• People are concerned about affording the
housing they own.
What can the General Assembly do to help?
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An Example of an Issue:
Challenges to Seniors Home Owners
Idea: “Senior Home Ownership Support Act”
– Increase property tax relief income and property
value limits for municipalities throughout Virginia.
– Cap Utility rate increases based on income for 60+
– Create tax incentives to older home owners and
builders to increase the number of accessory
apartments
– Study of local comprehensive plans with regard to
strengthening code requirements for universal design.
– Increased penalties for illegal home repair schemes.
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The
Legislative
Process
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How a Bill Becomes Law
Committee Action
All bills are referred to a committee that hears the
patron and any other witnesses.
• The committee has several options when they vote:
Option 1: Report it to the floor:
Option 2: Pass by Indefinitely (PBI)
Option 3: Defeat
Option 4: Continue/Carry Over
Option 5: Pass by for the day
Option 6: No Action or Left in Committee
Option 7: Incorporate into other Legislation
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How a Bill Becomes Law
The Governor
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The Governor has three options:
1. Sign
2. Veto
3. Offer amendments.
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If the Governor does not act on a bill, it becomes law
without his signature.
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The Governor's vetoes may be upheld or overridden. If
the veto is upheld, the bill dies.
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Governor's veto’s requires a two-thirds vote of both the
House of Delegates and the Senate to be over-ridden.
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The Tale of SB446
• http://leg1.state.va.us/cgibin/legp504.exe?ses=101&typ=bil&val=sb
446
• http://leg1.state.va.us/cgibin/legp504.exe?101+bil+SB0556
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Communicating with Your Legislator
Some
Do’s & Don’ts
of
Communicating
with
Your Legislator
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Communicating With Your Legislator
Legislators want to know:
1. The problems we have, our feelings
about laws that affect our lives.
2. The facts on which our thinking and
conclusions are based.
3. The ideas we have to make things
better.
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Communicating With Your Legislator
• A personal visit, is most effective.
• A personal letter is the next most effective
tactic. Writing sincerely and simply from
your knowledge makes an impression.
• As a taxpayer, constituent and someone
knowledgeable in your field, what you say
does make a difference!
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Communicating With Your Legislator
• Make personal contact with your legislators via
personal visits especially in the “off-season”.
• When legislation of particular interest is
scheduled for consideration respond quickly but
this is not the best time to be introducing
yourself.
• Try to know your legislator personally.
• Encourage your co-workers, colleagues, and
friends to contact their legislators to promote
elder issues in your community.
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Communicating With Your Legislator
• Be Honest, Direct and Clear
– Use plain or personal stationery, or
– Identify the organization you represent and
use the organization's letterhead.
– Be sure to include your name, best way to
contact you and your mailing address.
– Legislators and their staff will follow up!
• Send a follow-up letter
– Acknowledge their involvement with legislation
when it has been acted upon (passed or
defeated).
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Communicating With Your Legislator
– ALWAYS
- ALWAYS
–ALWAYS…….
Be courteous and
reasonable.
The golden rule applies –
remember how you would want
someone to speak to you.
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Communicating With Your Legislator
• Do your homework: Cite the correct
name, number and contents of the bill.
• Do what the Legislator asks when they
want more information.
• Do be brief and to the point. Time is of the
essence in written correspondence,
especially when the Legislature is in
session.
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Communicating With Your Legislator
• Remember that legislators must decide
how to vote on thousands of bills each
session.
• They need and want your help in telling
them how these bills will affect their
district.
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Communicating With Your Legislator
DON’Ts
• DON'T guess at facts or base your letters on
rumors.
• DON'T use mimeographed letters, printed post
cards or form letters under any circumstances.
• DON'T use generalities or be wordy.
• DON'T use threats or promises ... ever.
• DON'T inject party politics or criticize legislators
or other organizations.
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Communicating With Your Legislator
DON’Ts
DON'T apologize for writing or taking their
time. If your letter is short and expresses
your opinion, they are glad to give you a
hearing.
DON'T send a carbon copy to other
legislators or House and Senate
leadership. Write each one individually.
(There are exceptions to this DON’T)
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"10 Commandments"
Bernie Henderson, a former director of the
Health Regulatory Boards, and a successful
participant in the legislative process passed
this along many years ago.
Whether professional or citizen lobbyist,
these guidelines are very helpful.
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1.
Politics is both the art of compromise and
the science of accomplishing the practical.
To go to the legislature with the attitude
that your way is the only way to address
an issue is a virtual guarantee for
disappointment and defeat.
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2.
It is almost always better to gratefully
accept half a loaf than no loaf at all. Take
as much as you can get and wait until
another time to try for the rest. If your
position is right, it will stand the test of time
- if time proves you are not right - chalk it
up to the wisdom of the legislature.
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3.
Don't fight the inevitable; instead try to use
it to your greatest advantage or to at least
minimize the damage.
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4.
There is a new day with every dawning
and your strongest adversary today may
be your closest ally tomorrow, so when
opposing someone's position, be sure you
don't oppose the person. Don't write off
anyone, regardless of how wrong you
believe they may be.
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5.
Intelligence is not only knowing the
correct information, it is realizing what
you do not know and having enough
sense to admit when you don't have the
answer to a question. There is no
advantage in risking being considered
unreliable, foolish, or untruthful. There
is no substitute for honesty and candor,
even if it means putting your proposal in
jeopardy.
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6.
Pick your battles carefully. There is no
need to waste everyone's time or
consume your own influence on matters
that have no chance or that are being
sufficiently and fully considered without
your involvement. Know when to keep
quiet and when to sit down.
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7.
Never ask a legislator to take a position
that you know will get him in trouble with
his constituents.
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8.
Take time to say a sincere "thank you"
even when a person has done no more
than listen.
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9.
Be careful to give your word only after you
are sure you can keep whatever
commitment you make - and then never
go back on it.
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10.
Success is not measured by getting
everything you want - it is measured by
doing the best you can and by being sure
that no one could have done a better job
under the same circumstances.
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Finally:
The Bonus Commandment
• Be very careful what you ask
for…
you may get something very different and
not at all what you were after. When the
session is done you don’t want to be
wishing you had never asked.
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Some Helpful Websites
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http://www.ssseva.org
http://legis.state.va.us/
http://www.seniornavigator.com/
http://www.vaaaa.org
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