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Why Your Voice Matters: How You Can Help to
Drive State and National Conversations
 What is Advocacy?
 Why should you advocate?
 Legislative Update on federal issues related to
Substance Abuse/Mental Health
 Most Effective tips for Public Advocacy
What is Public Advocacy
 Advocacy encompasses a wide range of activities that influence
decision makers
 Examples include capacity building, relationship building, forming
coalitions, and leadership development
 Lobbying is NOT a dirty word but lobbying and advocacy are NOT
interchangeable
 Generally speaking, advocacy encompasses many different kinds of
activities designed to promote a cause or idea through public
education. Lobbying refers to specific activities intended to
influence specific legislation. It only counts as lobbying when you
ask a decision maker to vote for or against a specific piece of
legislation. (Public Policy, 2016)
Why Should You Advocate
 Nonprofit organizations and constituents play a vital role in the
development and implementation of public policy to promote an
informed, healthy, and strong democratic society.
 Effective advocacy builds your capacity to achieve the greatest good
for the greatest number of people and communities you serve.
Engaging in public policy advocacy can also raise awareness of your
organization’s mission, mobilize your constituents, and attract
positive media attention.
 Greater leverage with decision-makers. By creating popular buy-in
for an initiative and by generating press coverage, policymakers and
others are more likely to join, support, and protect your
organization’s vision and goals (Advocacy vs. Lobbying, 2003).
Relationship Building
 Utilize staff. They have more time than the member
and if you can get staff buy-in, you have a strong
inside advocate
 Offer to be a resource, or expert on your topic when
bills come up in your issue area
 Follow-up, do what you say you are going to do
Coalition Building
 A coalition is a group of interdependent people focused
on advancing or opposing a particular issue. A coalition’s
power lies in its ability to present a united front
 The more diverse the coalition, the better
 A coalition is effective only when its issue has merit and
the coalition members are organized, informed, and
dedicated to communicating the importance of the effort.
 Coalition building calls for establishing and developing
contacts that work well together (Advocacy vs. Lobbying,
2003).
Update on Federal Activities Related To
Substance Abuse/Mental Health
In October 2015, the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a
hearing to advance the following bills:
 HR 2536, The Recovery Enhancement for Addiction Treatment Act
 HR 2805, the Heroin and Prescription Opioid Abuse Prevention,
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Education, and Enforcement Act of 2015
HR 2872, the Opioid Addiction Treatment Modernization Act
HR 3014, The Medical Controlled Substances Transportation Act of
2015
The Synthetic Drug Control Act of 2015
The Improving Treatment for Pregnant and Postpartum Women
Act of 2015
The Co-Prescribing to Reduce Overdoses Act of 2015
(Office of Congressional Research, 2016)
Mental Health Reform
 H.R. 2646 by Tim Murphy- Health Committee
hearing in late 2015, passed along partisan lines
 Rep. Matsui and Rep. Green (Democrats) will file the
Comprehensive Behavioral Health and Recovery Act
to deal with similar issues addressed in 2646
 Negotiations will occur prior to either bill moving
forward. Difficult to find common ground on mental
health reform (Office of Congressional Research,
2016)
Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act,
S.R. 524
 Bipartisan bill in the Senate (passed 94-1)
 Aims to tackle Rx drug abuse and heroin overdose
 Increases availability of naloxone
 Promotes evidenced based interventions for treatment of opioid addiction
 Promotes use of diversion from criminal justice system
 Authorizes $5 million for a grant program for current or former recipients
of Drug Free Community grantees to combat these issues on local level
 Speaker Ryan on 3/15/16 lauded passage and said House will work quickly
to pass legislation and conference will occur (Office of Congressional
Research, 2016)
Congressman Bilirakis Initiatives
 Pasco designated as a HIDTA
 Mental Health/Substance Abuse Forum
 Drug Czar to visit Pasco
 COVER Act passes House
 PROMISE ACT clears first committee panel
 Supports Bipartisan Substance Abuse Reform,
working on funding and CARA companion in House
(Bilirakis, 2016)
How Can You Advocate
 Get to Know Your Lawmakers at all levels
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(understand difference of state/federal/local issues)
Prioritize Requests/Top 2 issues at a time
Visit in District/Develop Relationships with Staff
Offer Yourself as a Subject Area Expert on your topic.
Keep all correspondence original and to less than the
front of one page
Ask Questions and Follow-up
Build a relationship over time and be positive
References
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A D V O C A C Y V S . L O B B Y I N G , C O A L I T I O N B U I L D I N G A N D P U B L I C E N G A G E M E N T.
(2003). RETRIEVED MARCH 14, 2016, FROM
H T T P : / / W W W. C T N O N P R O F I T S . O R G / C T N O N P R O F I T S / S I T E S / D E FA U LT / F I L E S /
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BILIRAKIS BRIEFING [TELEPHONE INTERVIEW]. (2016).
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C O N G R E S S I O N A L R E S E A R C H S E R V I C E : S U B S TA N C E A N D M E N TA L H E A LT H
POLICY REVIEW [TELEPHONE INTERVIEW]. (2016, MARCH 15).
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P U B L I C P O L I C Y A D V O C A C Y: W H AT, W H Y & H O W. ( N . D . ) . R E T R I E V E D M A R C H 1 4 ,
2016, FROM
H T T P S : / / W W W. N O N P R O F I T O R E G O N . O R G / A D V O C A C Y / N O N P R O F I T _ A D V O C A
CY