ANA Advocacy Toolkit

HOW AND WHY WE ADVOCATE

The RN Action team is the advocacy arm of the American Nurses Association. When nurses speak, Washington, D.C., listens and it is our job to make sure that nurses speak with a unified voice. The RN Action team uses a multi-pronged approach to ensure that nurses are aligned when it makes sense. ANA leadership, its members, and staff continuously develop new and evolving legislative priorities while ANA’s federal lobbyists work in a bipartisan fashion to educate lawmakers and develop legislation on these priorities.

Meanwhile, the RN Action team alerts ANA members and nurse advocates across the country on important legislative developments such as a new bill on a nursing issue being introduced or voted out of committee. There are also times where the RN Action team will call on ANA members and concerned nurse-advocates to take action and help amplify the work ANA is doing on Capitol Hill.

The same careful coordination applies when it comes to advocating state legislatures as well. The Constituent and State Nurses Associations (C/SNAs) take the lead in advancing their state legislative agendas as ANA maintains constant contact, coordination, and amplification to ensure any state legislative priority has the full backing of ANA.

The reason why we advocate is simple. Registered nurses are 4.2 million strong and lawmakers in Washington and across the country need to hear about the issues that are important to nurses and their patients. It’s ANA’s members who are on the ground and understand the problems better than anyone. As our RN Action team engages in grassroots advocacy, please reach out to us with any questions or concerns. Members drive the issues and it is up to the RN Action team to amplify members’ voices to effectively make the lives of nurses and their patients better.

THE FIRST STEP OF ADVOCACY - GETTING TO KNOW YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS

It may seem obvious, but before you can weigh in or schedule a meeting on an issue of importance to the nursing profession, you have to know who your Member of Congress is and where they stand on the issue in question. If you need help identifying your Member of Congress, you can go to the House of Representatives’ website and enter your zip code. You might have to enter your street address as well since some zip codes have more than one representative. From this page, you can go directly to your Member’s website to find out more information.

For example, we suggest you read their short biography which will give you an idea of the perspectives they bring to your district and to Congress. Most websites will also have background information on your congressional district, such as the boundaries and the cities and towns it covers. Please sign up for your representative’s newsletter to stay up-to-date on all the happenings in your district. Look also at the press releases the office has issued in regard to the recent work of the Member of Congress as well as official statements. Similarly, follow them on Twitter or Facebook as more legislators have embraced social media as another way to keep their constituents informed.

Finally, most Members' websites will include their voting records, committee assignments, caucus memberships and bills that they support. Take advantage of these tools as they will give you an idea of where they stand on issues affecting nursing and healthcare. Another place to find voting records is Congress.gov. If you need any assistance with bill numbers or issues of importance, your RN Action team is eager to assist you.

EMAILING YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS

To send an email to your Member of Congress on specific issues identified as important to ANA, its members and the broader nursing community, please visit our Issue Action Center.

Sending a personal email is the quickest and best way to communicate and is an important part of the legislative process. It is essential for lawmakers to hear from nurses and nurse advocates who can provide personal stories and expertise on the nursing profession.

By clicking on an issue you care about, you are then free to personalize the message however you see fit. Lawmakers are always interested in specific, concrete examples, so advocates should feel free to add their own personal story to the sample letter. With just a few simple clicks, that email will go directly to your Representative and Senators in Congress, taking no more than a minute or two! Once the email reaches Capitol Hill, Congressional staff members will read your letter and pass it along to the Member of Congress. In many cases, they will send you a personalized email response which is always exciting! As with any advocacy campaign, it is valuable to have strength in numbers so please make sure you share your letter with your colleagues on Facebook or Twitter.

CALLING YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS

Calling your Members of Congress is the most direct way to connect with your congressional offices when you cannot be there in person. This method allows you to go into as much detail on an issue as you want.

Dial (202) 224-3121 to reach the Capitol Switchboard and an operator will connect you to your Senators’ office. To call the House of Representatives, dial (202) 225-3121 and you will similarly be connected.

Here are some pointers to guide your conversation:

• Share your name and your town or city so they’ll know you’re a constituent: Congressional offices maintain a database of everyone who contacts their office so that they can effectively respond to each call, email or fax.
• Next, let them know that you are a RN and the issue that you’re calling about: For the 17th year in a row, nurses are rated as the most honest and ethical profession according to Gallup polling and nearly every Member of Congress has had some level contact with a nurse. By clearly indicating why you are calling, it will enable the office to mark your call and deliver the appropriate response.
• Make a specific ask: Once you let them know what issue you want to discuss, tell the office to take a specific action, i.e., “Please ask the Congressman to support H.R. 728 which extends Title VIII nursing education and workforce grants.”
• Be knowledgeable: Before you ask a member to support a certain bill, make sure they do not already have a specific position on the bill or have already signed onto the legislation. The RNAction team is happy to provide additional guidance as you research.
• Make the issue personal: As a nurse, talk about how this issue affects your profession and/or the patients you serve.
• Be patient and understanding: Congressional offices can often be chaotic environments and chances are the person answering your callis an entry-level staff member or an intern. They probably will be unable to get into a detailed conversation on the issue but value the importance of your opinion as a constituent and nurse.
• Say thank you: At the conclusion of the call, be sure to thank the staff member for their time.

Let us know about your experience calling your congressional office. We love hearing stories about members advocating for the issues that they care about and it is our job at RN Action to assist you and to highlight your experiences.

HOW CONGRESSIONAL OFFICES WORK

Washington D.C. Offices

• Intern: Not all offices have an intern(s), but most have at least one. Just about all Senate offices have an intern(s). Interns answer phones, take notes on briefings, maintain the office database, sort mail and give constituents Capitol Hill tours.
• Staff Assistant: These are the point of contact for every Congressional office and the first person you see upon entering an office. In a Senate office, there is usually two or three Staff Assistants to handle the workload of managing the front office. Staff Assistants answer phones, help constituents schedule their trips to Washington, schedule tours of the Capitol for constituents, process flag requests and run office operations.
• Legislative Correspondent: In smaller offices, Legislative Correspondent (LCs) might also serve as Staff Assistant. Senate offices will generally have around three Legislative Correspondents (LCs) to manage the output. LCs manage the mail that the office takes in and write the responses that congressional offices send back to their constituents. If a letter pertains to a specific issue, they will forward that letter to the appropriate staff member with expertise in that field.
• Legislative Assistants/Counsels: The Legislative Assistant (LA) is one of the policy experts within the office. The number of LAs in an office depends on the seniority of the Member of Congress and its budget, with newer members often having one or two LAs while party leadership or Senate offices will have several. Their expertise can extend across several issue areas. Every office will have a healthcare LA who will join meetings with constituents, lobbyists and associations pertaining to nurses.
• Legislative Director: The Legislative Director (LD) is a more senior level position with broad say over legislative policy. Nearly all Congressional offices have an LD, but if that is not the case, some of those high-level policy responsibilities might instead fall to the Chief of Staff. They may join legislative meetings with lobbyists, constituents and associations.
• Chief of Staff: The Chief makes many of the final decisions in consultation with the Member of Congress. They advise on policy, communications and run much of the higher functions of the office and the staff. They often accompany their Member of Congress to meetings, briefings and floor votes.
• Communications Director: This position is responsible for sending out press releases, replying to media requests and managing social media posts. Many offices also have a press assistant.
• Scheduler: The scheduler is the point-of-contact for any meeting request with the Member of Congress. They must make sure that the legislator has the availability to accommodate the meetings. Schedulers also arrange travel for the legislator and often staffs them at events as well.

District Office: A district office handles casework within the specific district or part of the state. These are the local, constituent issues where staff will personally correspond and work with constituents. Most Members of Congress will have more than one district office unless it is a very densely populated district. Make sure you locate the district office closest to you.

• Caseworker: The caseworker handles day-to-day constituent issues within the district or portion of the state. There are typically two to three caseworkers per office. This is another high-volume position.
• District Director: Manages the district office and coordinates with the DC office to staff the Member of Congress when they are in the district.

SCHEDULING AND MEETING WITH YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS

Whether on Capitol Hill for ANA’s annual Hill Day or at your legislator’s local office, speaking with members of Congress and their staff in person is the most effective tool in your advocacy toolkit. Here’s a quick guide to planning your office visit.

Setting up your meeting:

• If you wish to meet with a Member of Congress in a local office, please plan ahead and ask when the member or the relevant staffer will be there. The RNAction team team can assist you with this.
• Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask for your one of your Senator’s offices or call (202) 225-3121 and do the same for your Representative. Tell the staffer you’d like to request a meeting with the staff at your nearest district office about health care.
• When you schedule a meeting, please let us know so we can work with you in preparation of your meeting and, where applicable, provide office-specific information to help make your meeting more successful.
• Congressional “recesses” are also known as district work periods and Members of Congress want to spend their time meeting and hearing from their constituents.

Once you’ve scheduled a date and time:

• Do your homework: Find out where your representative stands on specific issues important to nurses and their patients. You can often find press releases on their websites and information on whether they support specific legislation at congress.gov. Don’t forget: ANA staff is here to help! Contact us if you have any questions.
• Plan how you’ll introduce yourself: This should include your background in nursing, your current role and setting, what kind of patients you see and/or what classes you teach.
• Pick no more than three issues to which you will speak. It’s more effective to talk about a few issues where you can go into greater detail. For additional background information on our legislative priorities, please visit the RN Action. issues page.
• Use your personal perspective and provide context: Members of Congress like to hear personal concrete examples and facts. If you can draw a personal connection with the issue and have numbers to back up your story, you will have a more effective meeting.
• Be patient and flexible: Whether on Capitol Hill or in a local office, the atmosphere can be chaotic and things are always subject to change. You could have a meeting scheduled with a Member of Congress, but something could come up and you might meet with a staffer instead. The member may have to run to an unexpected vote and they could ask you to walk with them. This is the opportunity to have your short elevator speech ready. Be prepared for staffers to ask you to explain technical terms. Because they are also closely involved with drafting and passing legislation, speaking with a staffer will be just as productive as meeting with the legislator. Don’t worry if you don’t know the answer or aren’t certain how to answer a question: you can always have the office contact ANA staff and we can do the necessary follow-up to get the office the information they are looking for.
• Say thank you: At the conclusion of the meeting, make sure you thank them for their time.
• Stay in contact: Advocacy does not end after your visit, so continue to reach out to an office and keep in regular contact with relevant staff. If you are in regular contact, it is much easier to make an ask when you have a continuous, well-established relationship with an office.
• Let us know about your experience: We love hearing stories about members advocating for the issues that they care about and it is our job at RN Action to assist you and to highlight your experiences.

SUBMITTING LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Writing letters to the editor (LTEs) of your local media outlets is a great way to energize other nurses and spread the word about important issues. If you wish to promote ANA visibility in the community, please check with us first to ensure you are using the most up-to-date messaging. In your letter, be sure to provide a brief description of your education and background to validate your expertise. LTEs can be used to correct and clarify facts in a relevant news story, comment on the actions of an elected official or agency, direct attention to a problem, spur coverage of an issue that is being overlooked, or urge readers to support your cause. LTEs are especially effective in local and community media. Be sure to familiarize yourself with your employer’s media guidelines before getting started on your LTE. Click here to see a sample LTE.

Tips on Effective Letters To the Editor

• Pick a timely topic: Letters on topics that are not already being covered in the news are rarely published.
• Research Guidelines: Most LTEs are around 250 words. Some media require a typed letter. Others may want it sent over e-mail. Often they’ll ask for your address and phone number so they can verify that you wrote the letter. If you can’t find guidelines, call the paper directly or visit its website.
• Assume nothing: Do not assume that your readers are already informed on your topic. Give a concise but informative background before tackling the main issue. Refer to any newspaper article or editorial to which you are responding by date and title. Also include any relevant credentials that show you are informed about your topic.
• Be brief: State your position as succinctly as possible without eliminating necessary detail. Most paper's length limit on LTEs is around 250 words.
• Find a local angle: Readers are more interested in an issue when they see how it affects their lives and communities.
• Avoid form letters: Do not send the same letter to two competing papers in the same circulation area, or many copies of an identical letter to a single paper.

VISIT A CONGRESSIONAL TOWN HALL NEAR YOU

Town halls represent the very best of democracy, allowing constituents to directly interact with their elected officials. It’s important to keep in mind that Members of Congress work for their constituents, who should always have the power to discuss ideas, ask questions and be critical of their representatives in a free and fair democracy.

If your Member of Congress does not have a town hall scheduled, consider organizing your own town hall and invite your representative to join. To locate your nearest upcoming town hall please visit Town Hall Project.

Let us know about your Town Hall experience. We love hearing stories about members advocating for the issues that they care about and it is our job at RN Action to assist you and to highlight your experiences.