Advocacy Dates and Current Issues

What are the issues for 2009

TBI in Oregon Fact Sheet HB2413 Fact Sheet SB 348 - Max's law Fact Sheet SB 381 Fact Sheet

BIAOR is sponsoring three pieces of legislation in the 2009 session. We will need your help to get these passed. Our legislative agenda is:

1 – HB 2413 A bill asking for an optional $5 on every moving traffic violation. This bill was passed in Washington State in 2007. The funds will go to DHS into a brain injury fund to be used for brain injury support services.

2 – SB 381 A bill requiring all medical insurance in the state of Oregon to cover cognitive rehabilitation. This bill was passed in Texas in 2007.

3 – SB 348 A bill requiring all coaches at the elementary, middle and high school levels to have annual concussion identification training. (See online PBS program on concussions - http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/0306/02.html.)

How to be an Advocate in your spare time...

Three activities you can do:

(1) Contact your lawmakers and urge them to support the legislation listed below;

(2) Make phone calls, attend town hall meetings, write letters to your local newspapers; and

(3) Get others involved! Educate your family, co-workers and friends about brain injury and what needs to be done to help those with brain injury.

Believe it or not, doing these three things is fast, easy, and incredibly effective! After all, you as a constituent are your lawmakers’ boss. They need to hear from you. You don’t have to be an expert or a professional lobbyist. It won’t take up much of your valuable time, and whatever time you do give will have a tremendous impact in our efforts to ensure access to quality healthcare. And if you follow a few guidelines, you can become a truly effective brain injury advocate in less than five minutes!

1. CONTACT YOUR LAWMAKERS

WRITE A LETTER

Lawmakers often calculate that each letter they receive from one of their constituents represents a similar view of at least 100 constituents. That’s why letters to lawmakers are so important. If you haven’t communicated with an elected official before, the best way to get started is to utilize a time-tested, results-oriented method—letter writing! Personally written letters to lawmakers can achieve results, as your letters allow you to present your position without interruption. And it’s your position that just might affect the way a lawmaker will vote on a specific bill. To make the most of your letter, be sure to:

· Keep Your Letter to One Topic · Keep Your Letter Short & To the Point

· Let Your Lawmaker Know How the Issue Affects You Personally

· Let Your Lawmaker Know You Live & Vote in the District

PLACE A PHONE CALL

When you need to get in touch with your lawmaker immediately and you don’t have time to write and mail a letter, the best way to communicate your thoughts is by telephone. Your call will take less than 30 seconds and could change the way your lawmaker will vote on an issue. Chances are you won’t speak with the lawmaker, but your call is still very important, will carry weight, and can achieve results. Here are several tips to help maximize the effectiveness of your telephone call:

A) Identify yourself as a constituent. Lawmakers are most concerned and interested in the thoughts and opinions of people who live and vote in their state or district, who may vote for or against them in the next election. Being a constituent gives you power, so always be sure to identify yourself as a constituent.

B) Be brief & clear. Be brief and specific. State why you are calling, identify a bill, and ask that the legislator support the bill.

C) Be courteous and ask for a response. Regardless of where your lawmaker stands on an issue, never threaten or use abusive language. If the lawmaker does not support your bill, let your lawmaker know you’re disappointed. If the office does not know where the lawmaker stands on the bill, be sure to ask for a response once they have had a chance to review the legislation.

PERSONAL VISITS

By far the most effective way to articulate your views to your elected official and positively affect the outcome of legislation is to speak with your lawmaker face-to face. And while it may take longer than five minutes to schedule, sit down, and speak with your lawmaker, and perhaps it appears to be a little intimidating, the truth is, it’s much easier than you may think and more than worth the effort! Here are some suggestions for meeting with your lawmakers:

A) Attend a Lawmaker’s Town Meeting. Your local newspaper should list where and when your lawmaker is hosting a town meeting. Ask a member of your family or friends to join you, be prepared to ask a simple and concise question, and attend! These meetings are generally quite informal and very small, so they are great places to get to know your lawmaker, and ask your question in an open and public forum.

B) Schedule an Appointment with the Lawmaker’s Office. Scheduling a formal face-to-face meeting is by far the most effective way to communicate with your lawmaker. It’s not as difficult as you may think; in fact it’s easy! Remember, you, as a constituent, hold the key to your elected official’s future. Constituents determine who gets elected. So as a constituent, your thoughts and positions are important to your lawmaker. Your lawmaker wants to hear from you. Your lawmaker needs to meet with you. Most meetings do not exceed 10 minutes, and you do not need to be an expert on an issue or a professional lobbyist to make it a successful meeting. All you have to do is believe in the reason you are there. Lawmakers will do their best to put you at ease and make you feel comfortable.

Remember, the lawmaker works for you, and keep focused on why you are there.

To schedule an appointment, call your lawmaker’s office, ask for the “scheduler” and set a meeting.

When meeting with a lawmaker or staffer, be sure to discuss how the legislation will directly affect you. Personal stories carry weight and truly achieve results. Always be polite, and follow-up your visit with a personal letter thanking the lawmaker or staffer for their time.

2. MONITOR THE MEDIA

Keep BIAOR Issues Alive in Your Local Newspapers, TV & Radio Stations and Magazines.

You can help maximize the potential of this resource by writing letters to the editor and participating in radio call-in programs. As a newspaper or magazine subscriber, or a member of the listening audience, your letters and phone calls carry weight and achieve results. Here are some tips to following in monitoring and utilizing your local media:

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. Letters to the Editor provide you with an opportunity to comment on articles, editorials, and advertisements appearing in local newspapers or on the radio. Studies show that people read the “Letters to the Editor” section more than they read the editorials by journalists. Even more importantly, Letters to the Editor are widely read by lawmakers and community leaders to gauge public sentiment about current issues in the news

A) Know the Rules. Check the paper’s guidelines for writing letters, which should be clearly stated on the editorial page of your newspaper. Be sure to include your name, address, and telephone number, as papers do not print anonymous letters, and often times will call to verify authorship. Always address your letters to “The Letters Editor” or “Dear Editor.”

B) Be Specific. Letters should never exceed one page (preferably less than 125 words) Be sure to state the purpose of your letter in the first paragraph.

C) Keep it Current. Respond promptly to recently printed stories or editorials.

RADIO TALK SHOWS

Participating in the radio talk shows in your area is a great way to get your message across to thousands of listeners—free! Call your local television and radio stations to see if they have any open forums. If they do, dial-up during the show and make short, concise statements about a current issue -- what the issue is, why it’s important, what it will do for the community. If there is a bill making its way through the legislative process, the host may keep the topic on the air for several minutes, or even dedicate an entire program to the debate. Even better, contact the producer of the call-in show and urge the producer to cover a specific issue on an upcoming show. Provide the producer with the telephone number of the BIAOR to secure a participant for the program. Once the program is scheduled, be sure to tell your family and friends and encourage them to listen in and actively participate!

3. GET OTHERS INVOLVED

Make sure your family, friends, and co-workers are aware of legislation affecting people with brain injury and encourage them to get involved. The more people involved in our efforts, the better our chances of creating a future we can all live with. Start a phone tree to alert friends and co-workers quickly when a bill is up for a vote, or in danger of being ignored. Let them know the outcome of that vote, and how your specific lawmaker voted on the measure.

So there you have it, the tips for becoming an effective BIAOR Advocate in less than 5 minutes. Simple, time-tested methods of how you can make a tremendous impact on the legislative process.

For more information, please contact the BIAOR via e-mail at

[email protected].

::FINDING YOUR OREGON LEGISLATOR

To find your legislator and easily email them:

1) go to BIAA Legislative Action Center at http://capwiz.com/bia/home/

2) enter your zip code

3) Click on the “State” option where (in small print) is says: “Write to your Federal or State elected officials with one click....."

4) Fill out the form and send your views on these issues (be sure to include your name and address