Legislation 101

(aka Why Should I Care About Politics?)

 

In a nutshell, because politics and the legislative process set many of the rules we have to live by as nurses and as citizens.  And if we have to live by them, we better have a voice in making them!

 

Welcome to the MANS Legislation 101.  Over the next several issues, in this column we will be discussing the fundamentals of the legislative process, giving primers on ways to communicate with your legislator, providing updates on legislation of interest to us as nursing students and future RNs, and more.

 

In this issue:  so what has been going on in the Maryland Legislature recently and what do we have to look forward to?

 

The 2007 legislative session in Maryland was only 90 days long (January 10 – April 9), but in that time, our legislators covered a lot of ground.  They considered several bills on subjects that concern nurses:  from the nursing shortage (HB 279 Higher Education – Workforce Shortage Student Assistance Grants), to workplace conditions (SB 879 Hospitals – Safe Patient Lifting), to nursing scope of practice (HB 236 Health Occupations - Nurses - Dispensing Methadone), to public health and disease prevention (SB 91 Clean Indoor Air Act of 2007).

 

Though not all of these bills were signed into law, keep an eye out for them returning in the next legislative session, which starts in January 2008!  Other items that we will be watching for next year will be Universal Health Care in Maryland, and legislation regarding the retention and disposal of medical records.

 

Also, in early February 2008, MANS will be holding a Lobby Day in conjunction with the Maryland Nurses Association.  Come meet your representatives and let them know how you feel about nursing issues.  Watch for further announcements and mark your calendar!