Legislative Liaison Best Practices

The roles and terms of the state legislative liaison position vary by state. However, there are a number of best practices which may guide state liaisons as they fulfill their role in the state chapter, including:

1. Track state health legislation and regulations that could impact state MGMA members, and keep state members apprised of these items.
2. Be available to the state membership as a resource for federal and state legislative and regulatory information.
3. Emphasize the importance of legislative issues within your state MGMA board and provide updates on legislative and regulatory matters at all state board meetings.
4. Inform and involve state members in federal advocacy by disseminating information to the state members, including federal grassroots alerts and the Washington Connection.
5. Foster communication among state members who are implementing state and federal requirements in their practices. Facilitate discussions and strategies for how to best approach challenges.
6. Be available to make presentations at educational programs.
7. Create a strategic advocacy plan for your state association.
8. Communicate with other state legislative liaisons; share information on state health policy changes, legislative priorities and concerns.
9. Network with other associations in your state that may share similar advocacy agendas, and collaborate with other associations on common issues.
10. Reach out to key state legislators focused on health policy. Make yourself available as a resource for legislators and build relationships with them and their staff.
11. Attend developmental conferences, including state, section and national MGMA conferences.
12. Keep members informed and engaged with state advocacy efforts. You can do this in a number of ways, such as providing educational materials and programs and arranging letter writing campaigns or meetings with legislators.
13. Establish a legislative committee of state MGMA members to help track legislation/regulation, build relationships with legislators and other groups, and educate members on advocacy issues.
14. Be available to consult with the MGMA Government Affairs Department staff by phone or email on the potential impact of federal legislation and regulations.
15. Establish a training program for an incoming legislative liaison to be thoroughly trained by the outgoing liaison. 16. Keep national MGMA apprised of any changes to contact information or legislative liaison turnover.