Advocacy
Legislative Lookup for Local, State, and Federal Officials
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Georgia General Assembly Information
Important Contact Information
| Jim Masiongale Government Relations Chair 706-721-8215 jmasiong@mcg.edu |
Steve Smith Federal Political Director 404-429-8553 slldt@comcast.net |
| Christy Dunkelberger, Esq. Executive Director/Legal Counsel 770-487-3900 ganaoffice@bellsouth.net |
Monty Veazey Lobbyist 229-386-8660 mveazey@gach.org |
| Mitchell Tobin, JD Senior Director, State Government Affairs 847-655-1131 mtobin@aana.com sga@aana.com |
Frank Purcell, BS Senior Director, Federal Government Affairs 202-484-8400 fpurcell@aanadc.com info@aanadc.com |
ACCESS CURRENT STATE AND FEDERAL ISSUES
Government Relations Report
As the newly appointed Chair of the Government Relations Committee (GRC) for 2009-2010, I would like to thank and introduce those that have agreed to join me on the committee: Brent Dubois, Dewey Galeas, Melanie Marshall, Steve Smith, Seth Claxton (SRNA Mercer), and Emily Dollar (SRNA MCG). We anticipate a very active legislative year and look forward to closely monitoring any legislative or regulatory changes that could impact our practice as CRNAs.
A meeting with GANA lobbyist Monty Veazey, GANA President Barry Cranfill, Executive Director/Legal Counsel Christy Dunkelberger, PAC Chair Carmen Simmons, Public Relations Chair Melanie Marshall, and I has been scheduled to discuss critical state and national issues for the coming year. We will formulate goals for the GRC for the upcoming year which I will share with you in my next report.
CALANDER
Georgia General Assembly starts on January 11, 2010 and runs for 40 calendar days
National Nurse Anesthetist Week January 24-30, 2010
Proclamation signing with Governor Perdue and GANA Capitol Day: Thursday March
25th, 2010 at the Georgia State Capitol
Mid-Year Assembly: April 25-28, 2010 in Washington, D.C.
We will keep you informed of the above events by way of the GANA website www.gana.org and email via the listserv. Also under the “Advocacy” section of the website are both government and federal political affairs information. Please refer to the following sites when accessing legislative lookup and general assembly information: www.congress.org www.vote-smart.org and www.legis.state.ga.us
Healthcare reform is the hottest topic in the nation at this time. I would like to encourage each of you to closely monitor via the GANA and AANA websites as legislators battle out what may have a tremendous impact on our profession, and act when asked to contact your elected officials.
The phrase “Now more than ever” is often over utilized, but:
“Now more than ever” your involvement in your State and National organizations are paramount. Change is coming to healthcare; if we sit by silently we will have no voice in this change. I encourage each of you to get to know your State and U.S. representatives and let your voice be heard.
“Now more than ever” your contribution to the GANA PAC fund (can give online at the GANA website) is needed to ensure continued support to those that support CRNAs and the wonderful service we provide.
James Masiongale, CRNA, MHS
Federal Political Director (FPD) Report
I am pleased to announce a record turnout from Georgia for this year’s Mid-Year Assembly that took place in Washington DC on April 24-27. There were a total of 35 attending from Georgia with 24 of those SRNAs and 11 CRNAs. A total of more than 700 AANA members and nurse anesthesia students attended this year’s MYA which was a new record. We all learned about federal policy issues affecting CRNA practice and then went to Capitol Hill on April 26-27 to educate members of the U.S. House and Senate about the quality and value of CRNA care. We were able to visit our 13 Congressmen (Nathan Deal has stepped down to run for Governor and was not available to be seen) and 2 Senators from Georgia.
The nurse anesthesia issues for Mid-Year Assembly 2010 were as follows:
Restore Funding for Medicare CRNA Rural On-Call Hospital Services
Strengthen Nurse and CRNA Workforce Development
Reverse Medicare Anesthesia Cuts
Implement Medicare Anesthesia Payment Teaching Rules Equally
Several of the CRNAs and SRNAs attended a fundraising reception that was held to benefit the CRNA-PAC, featuring political satire in song and dance from the Capitol Steps. MCG student, Maegan Brass and Mercer student, Katie Truitt shadowed AANA Committee members during the meeting. We all got the opportunity to listen and visit with the AANA candidates running for the 2011 AANA BODs. The GANA hosted a reception for Janice Izlar, our current Region 2 Director from Georgia running for AANA Vice President. The reception was well attended with AANA President Jim Walker in attendance.
If you have not yet given to the CRNA-PAC for this year please consider donating a generous contribution to be used at the Federal level to help keep those legislators in office that are friendly to our cause. Please feel free to contact me with any questions related to federal government issues.
Steve Smith CRNA, MA
Georgia Federal Political Director
404-429-8553
slldt@comcast.net
Mid-Year Assembly in Washington DC, April 2010
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Capitol Day March 25, 2010
Maegan Brass, MCG Program Director Jim Masiongale, Deanna Anselmo, and Steve Smith |
Marni Daniel, Maegan Brass, Deanna Anselmo, Ashli Bartlett and on the back row the famous 2 headed calf |
State Senator Mitch Seabaugh, Majority Whip with constituent SRNA, GANAS President Maegan Brass |
Deanna Anselmo, Jim Masiongale, Maegan Brass, State Senator Mitch Seabaugh, Marni Daniel, Ashli Bartlett, and GANA President Barry Cranfill |
Monty Veazey, GANA Lobbyist, Jim Masiongale, GRC Chair, Steve Smith, Melanie Marshall, BOD |
Katie Truitt, Roger Pierce, Anna Evans, Korie Agudelo, Lindsay Malone, Brooke Kessler, Jennifer Pottinger, William Parham, Amy Murdock, and Todd Greene. |
Deanna Anselmo, Paul Evelyn, and Maegan Brass |
Steve Smith, Immediate Past President and Rose Synsmir, President-Elect |
