Welcome to Legislative Day 2013 Virginia Association for Hospices and Palliative Care

1. Welcome to Legislative Day 2013Virginia Association for Hospices and Palliative Care A primer for making the day a success Becky Bowers-Lanier, VAHPC legislative liaison becky@B2Lconsulting.com

2. What we hope to achieve by our presence • Increased visibility among Virginia’s legislators and their aides • Better understanding by legislators and aides of the work we do • Communication to them about our issues of importance • Beginning (or continuation) of an ongoing relationship with legislators

3. What can I do to prepare for VAHPC Legislative Day? • Make an appointment with your delegate(s) and senator(s). • Click here if you do not know who they are and also for information on them and their contact info. • Call for your appointment. Do not email. Use their capitol telephone number when making your appointments. • If your hospice catchment area extends beyond legislative districts, make appointments to meet all of the legislators in your catchment area. • Know the issues that VAHPC is working on. (Review any bills or fact sheets that you may receive beforehand).

4. How do I get to the General Assembly Building? • The GAB is located at the southeast corner of E Broad Street and N 9thstreet on Capitol Square. The entrance is on the “square” side. • Legislators’ offices and our briefing room are located in the GAB. • Parking lots are close by. Click here to find them and for directions. • Give yourself at least 30 minutes from the time you arrive in downtown Richmond.

5. Where do I go? • Enter into the GAB on the Capitol side (follow the crowds). Pass through security (like the airport). • The elevator bank is behind the receptionist desk. Walk to the right or left. • Elevators to the floor to the fifth floor • When debarking from the elevator, look to the right and left. One side is clearly marked 5 West Conference Room

6. How the morning begins. . . • We will meet beforehand in the 5 West conference room. • Coffee and breakfast are served in the 6th floor GAB cafeteria, if you arrive early • Briefing in 5 West conference room. • Go over bills and budget issues of importance • Discuss the climate for legislating • Answer any questions you might have

7. What to expect at the GAB • Chaos (many people wandering the halls doing the same thing we are doing) • Last minute schedule changes (even if you make an appointment, it may need to be changed) • Getting lost (although there is fairly adequate signage, sometimes it’s hard to find) • Lots of walking. Wear comfortable shoes. • An exercise in participative democracy!

8. When I get to the legislator’s office, what is the protocol? • Look for the secretary for your legislator and announce who you are and that you have an appointment. • Offer your business card. • Follow the secretary’s instructions. • Be kind and courteous (there are lots of people doing the same thing you are doing).

9. What is the protocol for meeting with the legislator? • Be on time. If you are going to be late, call the office (make sure you have their capitol number) and offer apologies. Try not to be late. • Be courteous and polite. • Deliver your message and ask for the support of your legislator. • Listen to what is said and ask questions. • Thank them for their time. • Offer yourself as a contact person for hospice and palliative care issues in the district.

10. Advocating vslobbying • Legal Definitions "Lobbying" has a strict legal and IRS definition for nonprofits which generally only includes activities that ask policymakers to take a specific position on a specific piece of legislation, or that ask others to ask the same. In contrast, the common language definition of lobbying usually includes any discussion of issues with policymakers. "Advocacy" encompasses any activity that a person or organization undertakes to influence policies. There is great latitude in this definition, and some people consider advocacy to be all activities that are not specifically lobbying, such as public demonstrations, or the filing of friend of the court briefs.

11. IRS Definitions

12. Remember • You are educating

13. What should you do after the meeting? • Write a personal letter of thanks when you get home. (very important) • If you learn something that you believe the VAHPC lobbyist should know, email Becky at becky@B2Lconsulting.com with the information.

14. Thank you for participating in VAHPC Legislative Day!! We in America do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate." --Thomas Jefferson