One way to influence health care is to determine which strategies would be appropriate and successful when advocating for or against proposed health policy and legislation. One way to demonstrate activism is to write a professional letter to the legislator who is supporting a specific legislation.
Research a legislator and current legislation that is important to your own community (e.g. water contamination, opioid epidemic, homelessness, etc. Choose a different topic from the ones discussed in previous modules.
Ensure the bill under discussion is currently on the legislator’s agenda. For example, discuss a state bill with a state legislator or a federal bill with a federal legislator. Include the bill # as identification.
Compose a short, formal position letter (one page) addressed to your legislator of choice. Refer to this Sample Letter to Your Senator which provides an example of the format for a formal letter.
Introduce yourself and explain your professional role in soliciting their attention to the legislation.
The letter should clearly and succinctly articulate the issue and the need for change. Include researched factual information that would or would not support the legislation based on either socio-cultural, economic, political, or legal variables. Discuss the stakeholders who would be affected by the outcome of the legislation if it passed or did not pass. Reference appropriately.
The following grading scale will be used to grade this assignment:
Content: 65%
Pertinent information introducing the specific bill information (name and number)
Bill under discussion is currently on the legislator’s agenda
Inclusion of factual information to support reasons to support/not support the legislation (based on socio-cultural, economic, political, and/or legal variables)
Identify who would be affected by the legislation and how
Identify your professional status
Mechanics: 10%
Use of proper grammar, punctuation, spelling
Information written in an organized, succinct manner
Resources: 15%
Information researched from two scholarly journal articles
APA Formatting: 5%
Appropriate referencing with references and corresponding in-text citations written in APA format
Appearance: 5%
Formal letter formatting
Written using a professional tone
Total: 100%
American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). (2023). The Essentials: Health policy concept.
American Nurses Association. (2015). Guide to nursing’s social policy statement: Understanding the profession from social contract to social covenant. Nursesbooks.org.
American Nurses Association (ANA). (2023). Nursing scope and standards of practice. (4th ed). Nursesbooks.org
Blais, K. K., & Hayes, J. S. (2016). Professional nursing practice: Concepts and perspectives (7th ed.). Pearson Education, Inc.
Capano, M. M. (2010). Take your legislator to lunch: The nurse leader’s role in political advocacy. The Maryland Nurse News & Journal, 11(1), 9-10.
Tomajan, K., & Dawson-Hatmaker, D. (2019). Nurses making policy: From the bedside to the boardroom (2nd ed.). (Patton, R. M., Zalon, M. L.. & Ludwick, R. Eds.). Springer Publisher Company LLC.
SAMPLE LETTER TO YOUR SENATOR
You may write any Member of the Senate at:
Post Office Box 142
Columbia, S.C. 29202-0142
Senate Mailing List (Word .docx) Merge format.
The sample letter below is provided to show the correct format for addressing your State Senator. It is impossible to provide one letter that would meet the needs of all students; so, you will need to personalize your letter to address your concerns or issues regarding legislation. Please use the left-hand column as a guide for the format but make the letter unique to your needs!
Return Address
Date
Senator’s Address
Salutation
Introduce yourself: your name, address and school to identify that you are a constituent
Why are you writing your Senator?
Ask for a response
Thank your Senator for his/her time
Closing with your name Your Name
Address
City, S.C. Zip Code
[Insert Date]
The Honorable [Insert Senator’s Name]
Post Office Box 142
Columbia, S.C. 29202-0142
Dear Senator [Insert Last Name]:
My name is [Insert Your Name] and I reside at [Insert Your Address] in [Insert Your City], South Carolina. I am in the fourth grade at [Insert Your School].
I am writing to you to ask that you help make school buses safer to ride. I ride the bus to and from school every day.
[Be specific with your suggestion, idea or request. If you are writing about a specific Bill, include the Bill Number –
for example, H. 5400 or. S. 2815]
I appreciate your help and ask that you please send me a response letting me know if you are able to pass a Bill that would make our school buses safer to ride.
Thank you for your time and considering my request.
Sincerely,
[Insert Your Name]
I live in New York City. Please use my legislative representatives. Please use the following Bill for the letter to the legislator.
These are the bills passed to assist the state with the handling of the increased population and high demand for services needed for the extra population coming into the city.
Friday, October 6
H.R. 5862the
To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 relating to authority of U.S. Customs and Border Protection to consolidate, modify, or reorganize Customs revenue functions.
Sponsored by Rep. Michelle Steel (R-California) (1 Cosponsor – 0 Republicans, 1 Democrat)
10/02/2023 Introduced in the House by Rep. Michelle Steel
10/2/2023 Referred to the House Committees on Ways and Means and Homeland Security
H.R. 5860
Continuing Appropriations Act, 2024 and Other Extensions Act
This bill keeps the federal government open until November 17, 2023. It provides appropriations to federal agencies, including renewing the National Flood Insurance Program and providing $16 billion in additional disaster relief to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It does not, however, include any financial aid for Ukraine.
Sponsored by Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas) (0 cosponsors)
09/30/2023 Introduced in the House by Rep. Kay Granger
09/30/2023 Became Public Law No: 118-15
