Gearing up for the 2019 Legislative Session
New faces will be a common sight at the State Capitol this year. Of the 149 legislators in the House and Senate, more than one-third—58 of them—are freshmen. Prior to the 2019 Legislative Session’s start on Feb. 4, those newly-elected lawmakers will be busy learning about the legislative process and delving into the many issues facing our state.
Past AONP president Toni Pratt-Reid spoke to new lawmakers during an orientation—Legislative Boot Camp—hosted by the State Chamber on Dec. 6. We need you to contact legislators, too!
We must take advantage of this time to get our message to the new lawmakers and reiterate that message for returning legislators. Nurse practitioners can do more to increase access to health care in every part of our state, but the outdated requirement for a collaborative agreement is holding us back. Red tape and the financial interests of a few physicians are key components limiting increased health care access for Oklahomans.
Contact your state legislators now, before we get into the full swing of the holidays! Tell them about your education, training and what you do every day to care for patients. Share with lawmakers the ways you, as a nurse practitioner, could serve more of your community’s citizens all while increasing consumer choice and providing more health care options to underserved parts of our state.
If you’re unsure of how to get started, we have some talking points and other resources on the legislative page of the AONP website. While you’re on our website, take a moment to sign up for text alerts through Voter Voice. That way, we can contact you quickly with action alerts during the legislative session.
If you’re unsure who represents you in the legislature, you can find that information here. Once you’ve talked to your state House and Senate members, let us know how it went. Email us at Benny@npofoklahoma.com.
In recent years, we’ve been building support in the legislature and working to elect the candidates who support us. The 2019 session is full of promise and the time is right for legislative victory.