Advocacy
Legislative Advocacy
Legislative advocacy refers to efforts to influence legislation for your cause. The results of legislative advocacy are seen in the many laws that now protect the rights of individuals with disabilities.
Lobbying
The most common form of legislative advocacy is direct lobbying which involves contacting your legislator and expressing your views and asking them to
vote a specific way on a bill. Since most new laws originate in the
legislature, legislative advocacy can be an extremely powerful tool for
shaping policy. Lobbying can be done with
something as easy as a phone call or letter, or by a formal meeting with
the legislator or their staff.
Find your Georgia Legislators.
Find your Representative in Congress
Call, e-mail, or mail U.S. state and federal elected officials and government agencies.
Unlock the Waiting Lists!
As of March 31, 2015, “Unlock the Waiting Lists” reports the following numbers of people in Georgia are waiting for a Medicaid Home and Community Based Service waiver.
NOW/COMP
4682 Active on NOW and 7124 Active on COMP
2890 on Short Term Waiting List and 5014 on Long Term Waiting List
Community Care Services (CCSP): 10,364 Active and 1900 Waiting
Independent Care Waiver (ICWP): 1352 Active and 125 Waiting
The Unlock the Waiting Lists Campaign!’s mission is to reduce and eliminate these waiting lists for home and community based services for thousands of Georgians with disabilities and their families. Find out more about Georgia’s Unlock the Waiting Lists!
How a Bill Becomes a Law in Georgia
A member of the House can initiate a bill on any matter.The Constitution provides
that all appropriations and revenue-raising bills MUST originate in the House.
To introduce a bill, a member files it with the Clerk of the House not later than an hour after adjournment in order that it may be introduced and read the following day.. . . Read more about How a Bill Becomes a Law In Georgia
Understanding Georgia’s Budget Process
Find out more about State Government of Georgia.
Megg – Advocating for her son and other children with autism.
We adopted Devan in 2011. He has brought so much joy to our lives! We have seen Devan grow and progress by leaps and bounds over the last two years. He has many obstacles still ahead, but he’s such a fighter. I do my best to clear him a path and provide the tools and support he needs, then he does all the hard work. One of my greatest joys as a mom is being able to advocate for Devan and other children with autism.
I am very hopeful that Georgia will be one of the next states to pass meaningful autism insurance reform. As the state advocacy chair, I’ve had the good fortune to meet hundreds of amazing parent advocates this year and there are thousands more out there across Georgia. That’s really been the best of this whole experience so far – parents are getting involved, learning and taking action, and in the the end they feel empowered to be leaders. They’re out there doing great advocacy work for our community and soon they will have empowered many others. I’m pretty sure that’s how change happens 🙂