Government Relations

How To Be A Successful Advocate

Despite the complexity of modern politics, one thing remains as true today as it was when our government was conceived...legislators do listen to their constituents!

Regardless how effective your Association representatives are in monitoring legislation and communicating with legislators on a daily basis, nothing makes an impact like hearing from local constituents. A few letters or telephone calls from the folks back home can often make the difference in swaying an elected representative on a particular issue. Ordinary citizens still make the most extraordinary advocates!

Encouraging the passage, defeat or modification of specific legislation is called "lobbying", a term going back to England when those seeking to influence elected officials gathered in the Great Lobby outside of Parliament. Today, many organizations employ paid lobbyists who not only express their organizational point of view on proposed bills, but who serve as experts to legislators who have questions about the impact of a variety of legislation.

However, anyone can lobby. As a citizen acting on your own interests, or as an individual connected to a specific hospital or health system (or any other group), you are able to contact your legislator at any time to express your views on a particular issue.

As you are aware, modern health care is highly regulated. Each year there are literally dozens of bills introduced in the Iowa Legislature which would impact either positively or negatively on the ability of your local hospital to succeed in a changing health care environment. You can make a tremendous difference in how your local legislator chooses to vote on health care issues.

Understand The Process

Before you begin lobbying, it’s important to have a basic understanding of the legislative process (see below). This will help you track the progress of various bills, time your efforts to coincide with key periods in the legislative process, and avoid wasting time on bills that are already "dead."

Each year the Iowa General Assembly convenes in January and is normally in session for a few short months. Because Iowa conducts a two-year General Assembly, bills introduced in the first year are still eligible for debate in the second. Bills which do not clear the legislative process and go to the Governor by the end of the second year must be reintroduced and begin the process over again if they are to be pursued in subsequent years. The General Assembly receives payment for 110 days in the first year of a session and for 100 days in the second year. On occasion, the Governor has convened special assemblies at other times to request the legislature to deal with a specific issue.

However, the legislative process is a year-round effort. One of the best times to contact legislators can be in the fall, as they prepare for the session to begin. Meeting with legislators outside the General Assembly can give them a better understanding of the overall concerns of your local hospital and can help you establish a more personal relationship with your elected representatives.

Contacting Your Legislator

The Iowa Hospital Association is continually strengthening its grass roots political base, calling upon hospital and health systems representatives to make key contacts with legislators. You can be part of this important effort! All you have to do is to be willing and to understand the issue at hand and how it affects your local institution.

Because there are so many issues facing legislators each year, it’s important that you know exactly what you’re talking about when you contact a legislator. Each piece of legislation has a particular bill number assigned to it. It can be helpful to know the bill number of the piece of legislation you wish to discuss, as well as having a general understanding of what the bill will or won’t do. When contacting legislators, it’s important to be brief, focused and knowledgeable. (IHA staff can always assist in identifying bill numbers; health care bills of interest are noted during the session in the Association’s weekly Legislative Bulletin.)

Face-to-face visits are probably the most effective way of communicating with legislators. Opportunities such as the 1997 IHA Legislative Day are an excellent way to provide you with this type of access. You can contact legislators any time during the legislative session. However, if you’re coming in from out of town to visit with an elected representative, it’s probably best to call ahead for an appointment.

Even without an appointment, you can generally find your legislator at the Capitol. During breaks in the daily schedule, many legislators can be found meeting with constituents in the rotunda between the Senate and House Chambers. In addition, you can always go to the appropriate chamber and fill out a message slip requesting to see your senator or representative. If available, most legislators will be more than happy to meet with you.

More often than not, though, you’ll probably find yourself wanting to contact your legislator by mail. This method of communication offers several advantages, including providing your legislator with a written summary of your position...making it easier to remember. Writing letters also helps you communicate your position clearly and helps avoid traveling to Des Moines.

When IHA asks for your assistance in writing letters to legislators, it will provide you with the points to highlight. However, the Association generally doesn’t develop form letters because the impact of individually-worded letters is much more profound.

When writing to elected representatives, a few tips may be helpful:

•   Be concise. Keeping your letter to one page (whenever possible) is most effective.

• Identify your connection with the issue, either as part of the Iowa Hospital Association or your position with your local organization; your return address will indicate to your senator or representative that you are a constituent.

• State your case positively; avoid emotionally charged statements or negatively attacking the opposing point of view.

• Use facts for support whenever possible, particularly pointing out the impact to your local hospital in dollar figures, personnel time, etc.

•   Don’t forget to contact both Senate and House members on a given issue.
•   Follow up with letters of thanks for a favorable response.
•   Handwritten notes and letters are okay!

• Whenever possible, send copies of your letters to (and responses from) legislators to the government relations staff at IHA.

When addressing a letter to a State Senator:

      The Honorable Jane Doe
      Iowa Senate
      Des Moines, IA 50319

When addressing a letter to a State Representative:

      The Honorable John Doe
      House of Representatives
      Des Moines, IA  50319

Telephoning your legislator can also be effective, especially whenever IHA makes request for immediate response (such as when a bill is about to be discussed on the House or Senate floor). Again, IHA staff will provide you with the information that needs to be communicated. Remember, though, that telephone messages by their very nature need to be much more brief, along the lines of expressing your support (or opposition) to a particular bill for one key reason.

Many legislators now have voice mail so you can leave a message. This does allow you to be as detailed as you need to be. In addition, it’s important to fully understand the issue in case you do make contact with your legislator; often he or she will want to discuss the issue briefly to get a better understanding of your position.

Again, always be positive and factual; emotional diatribes generally won’t sway a legislator in your favor. Also, just because a legislator doesn’t agree with your position doesn’t mean that he or she won’t hold a key vote you’ll need on another issue.

Whenever possible, try to get your legislator to commit to a position on whatever bill you are calling about.

To contact your legislator call:

        The Iowa Senate 515/281-3371

        The Iowa House 515/281-3221

And keep trying! When many people are calling on the same issue, it’s possible you may receive a switchboard busy signal.

Being An Advocate

Remember, it’s important to always be able to back up your views with accurate, up-to-date information; show that you’ve done your homework. Legislators often rely on lobbyists and other advocates to provide them with information they wouldn’t otherwise have at their disposal.

Being an effective advocate is a year-round proposition. Grass roots political activity needs to go on at the local level even during the interim. Consider hosting legislative days at your hospital in order to become better acquainted with area legislators...and to let them become better acquainted with you. Having them come into your hospital can help them better understand the wide variety of services your institution provides your community.

Following the election cycle is also important. Today’s candidate could well be tomorrow’s legislator, so it’s important to make effective contacts with a wide variety of people.

And always express your appreciation for legislative activity that’s gone our way. Legislators remember how they voted; knowing that you cared enough to follow the issue to its conclusion and that you know how they voted, too, is essential to future contacts and making sure that the voices of Iowa’s hospitals and health systems are heard in the years to come.