Transcript Legislative Grassroots Network

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 – Advocacy
Under 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]