Legislative Advocacy and Updates
Advocacy is a time-honored way to make
your voice heard by those who make decisions that affect your life,
liberty, and pursuit of happiness.
Advocacy 101
Advocacy and lobbying are often confused.
One is warm and fuzzy--and your right as a citizen. The other is surrounded
by legal issues.
Anyone can be an advocate. The U. S. Constitution
guarantees us freedom of speech, the right to peaceably assemble, and
the right to petition our government for redress of grievances.
A decision maker is someone who makes a decision. That could be a legislator
or a board member or an employee of a public or private agency or a
newspaper editor or others. The first step in successful advocacy is
finding out who makes the decision
§ Federal decision makers
§ State decision makers
§ Local decision makers
Advocacy in Person
Making direct contact with a decision
maker is the most important strategy for advocacy. Direct contact does
not have to be made in person, but the in-person contact is the most
effective form of advocacy and includes:
§ Making an office visit
§ Making a district visit
§ Testifying at a public hearing
Advocacy from a Distance
Sometimes it is not possible to see a
decision maker in order to make direct contact. Fortunately, electricity
and the U. S. Postal Service can do the job for us when decision makers
are too far away to see or there is not enough time to visit them.
§ Writing a letter
§ Making a phone call
§ Sending email
Making Advocacy Personal
When you are personally involved in an
issue, it is pretty easy to tell what is going to work and what will
not. Sometimes you have a better idea about the impact a particular
policy will have than the policy makers do. That is why it is important
to make sure that decision makers get the opportunity to learn about
how policies, both old and new, affect individuals and their communities.
§ Telling your personal story
§ Telling your community's story
§ Telling The Women's Center’s story
Advocacy in a Group
Advocates never have to be lonely.
There are always others around who care about your issue as much as
you do. The trick is to find them and then work with them.
The State of Ohio Calendar
of Activities for the 2006-2007 Ohio Budget Process
| Date |
Activity |
| January |
The Govenor outlines the budget proposals during the State of the
State Address. |
| February |
The Govenor releases summaries of the Executive budget proposal
to the General Assembly and the public. The proposal is then introduced
as an Executive Budget bill in the Ohio House of Representatives |
| February - March |
The House holds hearings, makes amendments, and passes its version
of the bill. |
| April - May |
The House version of the budget is introduced in the Senate. The
Senate hold hearings, makes amendments, and passes its version of
the bill. |
| June |
A Conference Committee reconciles differences in the House and Senate
version of the bill. The Govenor may sign, veto, or sign it with line-item
vetos. Vetoes are sent back to the House and Senate. A three-fifths
majority of both the House and Senate is required to override a veto. |
| July |
The new Operating Budget begins on July 1. |
TREATMENT COSTS = SAVINGS
Based on SFY 2004 statistics, a
course of outpatient substance abuse treatment costs approximately $1,500.
This cost-effective treatment for Ohioans includes services for more
than 30,000 Medicaid-eligible clients. In the past fiscal year, $19.6
million in state and local funding pulled in $30.4 million in federal
funding for treatment services.
Although Medicaid payments for treatment
services account for only .4 percent of the total state Medicaid budget,
that $50 million means thousands of Ohioans and their families can stop
the cycle of addiction, job loss, poverty and crime.
Every addicted person impacts Ohio’s
economy on many levels. According to a recent national study, addiction
costs every Ohioan $259 a year. Effective treatment results in massive
savings for all taxpayers.
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