APMA News - October 2011 - (Page 24)

Federal Advocacy Forum By Phillip E. Ward, DPM Twelve Thousand Lobbyists Although the term “lobbyist” is frequently viewed with suspicion, the role of a lobbyist is as old as government itself. Lobbying is, in fact, expressly protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution: “Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech ... or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” The term “lobbyist” came into use early in the 19th century, although stories of its origin vary. One account describes “lobby-agents” as the petitioners in the lobby of the New York State Capitol waiting to address legislators. Another version of the story describes the lobby of the Willard Hotel in Washington, DC, where Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant would escape to relax, and where favor-seeking citizens would petition them on issues of importance to them. Another story pegs the origins back to 17th-century England, describing one of the lobbies in the House of Commons as the place where the public could go to speak to members of Parliament. This month I will use this column to address two simple questions: Why does APMA need lobbyists? Who are our lobbyists? Simply put, a lobbyist is an advocate of a point of view, usually on behalf of groups or individuals. While most people think of lobbyists only as paid professionals, there also are many independent, volunteer lobbyists—all of whom are protected by the same First Amendment. APMA has many issues about which it tries to influence legislators and/or administrators. For that, we need lobbyists. Foremost on that list is the recognition of podiatrists as physicians in all federal and state legislation. This recognition is a key component of Vision 2015, and we will be unable to attain this goal without the ability to lobby the decision makers. At APMA, we count on our staff to direct and coordinate our lobbying efforts. The director of the APMA Legislative Advocacy Department is the chief lobbyist for the profession. In recent years, this position has been filled successfully by both the late John Carson and Faye Frankfort. They both performed tremendously for the profession. Upon Frankfort’s retirement in July, and after a prolonged national search for her replacement, APMA hired Peter Stein to become the director of Legislative Advocacy. Stein has a tremendous track record of influencing opinions in Washington, DC. He graduated from Georgetown University with a bachelor’s degree in government and history and earned a master’s degree in legislative affairs and political management from George Washington University. He has served as legislative correspondent for US Rep. Harris Fawell (R-IL) and as senior policy advisor to US Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA). He has been director of federal affairs for PhRMA and vice president of 24 APMA News October 2011 congressional affairs for the National Association of Health Underwriters. Most recently, he was a consultant to the Nolan Group; LeClair Corporation. He has also worked for the Cook Political Report, US Rep. Dick Armey (R-TX), and the US Department of Justice. Stein joins Ben Wallner on the APMA Legislative Advocacy staff. Both are experienced and well positioned to continue to move our legislative agenda forward. Lobbying involves much more than persuading legislators. Its principal elements include researching and analyzing legislation or regulatory proposals; monitoring and reporting on developments; attending congressional or regulatory hearings; working with coalitions interested in the same issues; and then educating not only government officials, but also employees or professional members as to the implications of various changes. What most people regard as lobbying—the actual communication with government officials—represents the smallest portion of a lobbyist’s time; a far greater proportion is devoted to the other aspects of preparation, information, and communication. The APMA Legislative Advocacy Department staff is small, however, and our staff alone cannot lobby enough members of Congress to be completely effective. This is where you, the members of the association, come into play. Each US citizen has the right and frequently the duty to express his or her opinion to elected officials. You, as one of the 12,000 APMA members, have the right and the duty to make your opinions heard in Washington. We as leaders of the association count on you, the members, to help us promote our profession. Working together, we can produce 12,000 lobbyists to advance our agenda, which is to promote the value of podiatric medicine and ensure podiatrists’ equal recognition with other physician groups. You can be one of APMA’s 12,000 lobbyists by keeping aware of the legislative issues we are following and forging relationships with your elected officials and their staffs. At www.apma.org/eAdvocacy, you can see a full list of issues, respond to calls to action from APMA, and write letters to your federal legislators. You can meet with your members of Congress when they are home in their districts. You can donate to APMAPAC at www.apma.org/PACDonate, as well as to state podiatry PACs and local campaigns. You also can donate time to your favorite elected officials’ campaigns. Without your help, we cannot lobby effectively. But with your help, 12,000 podiatric lobbyists cannot be ignored. n APMA Trustee Phillip E. Ward, DPM, can be reached at peward@apma.org. http://www.apma.org/eAdvocacy http://www.apma.org/Donate/vocus.cfm

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of APMA News - October 2011

APMA News - October 2011
President’s Message
Contents
ICD-10 in Practice: Coding for Fifth Metatarsal Injury
ICD-10 Benchmarks and Timeline
Team APMA Runs Away with the Show
Medical Mission to Costa Rica: Identifying Fungal Infections of the Foot
Federal Advocacy Forum
Resolutions Submissions
IT Consultant
Can They Really Do That?
Reimbursement
Members Who Know Media
Technofile
Young Voices
Small Business 101
APMAPAC Chair Report
APMA All Stars
In Short
Worthy of Note
Affiliates Corner
List of Affiliated Organizations
Insurance Advisor
New Members
Death Notices
Annual Scientific Meeting Registration Form
Annual Scientific Meeting Sponsors
APMAPAC Update
Development Update
Classified Advertising
Dates to Remember
Advertising Index
10 Questions

APMA News - October 2011