February
10, 2002
This Action Alert was sent to everyone on the Georgia Friends of Midwives
list in early January. This Action Alert is still in effect!! If you
have not contacted your Representative and especially the members of
the Rules Committee, please do so right away! All the information you
need follows below!
Dear
Friends,
Even
though you haven't gotten much e-mail recently (i.e., since last summer)
on this list, it hasn't disappeared! And, our study resolution bill
has not disappeared either -- it is just stuck in the Rules Committee
(Chaired by Rep. Calvin Smyre of Columbus). This message is an ACTION
ALERT to get HR 128 (our Study Resolution to study the Certified Professional
Midwife credential) out of Rules Committee and passed by the House
this winter! Here is how you can help move it forward! This e-mail
contains all the resources you need to be effective! Read on!
ACTION
ALERT!
To get HR 128 out of Rules, all the members of the Rules Committee,
but especially the Chairman, need to hear from all of us and from
our own Representatives.
Background
and update:
HR 128 is the same bill (HR 32) that the sponsor, Rep. Barbara Mobley
of Decatur, introduced in 1999. It calls for a Study of the Certified
Professional Midwife credential (you can read the bill on the GFOM
website www.gamidwifery.org/resolution.htm). You can find out more
about the Certified Professional Midwife credential and about midwifery
in general at www.gamidwifery.org/info.htm or at www.cfmidwifery.org/midwifery/faq.asp.
The original HR 32 was passed unanimously by the House on 2/14/00,
but the Speaker never appointed the committee so it "died."
Rep. Mobley introduced the resolution again last winter (2001), and
it was sent to the Rules Committee, where it has languished ever since.
The Rules Committee Chair, Rep. Smyre, has not heard from enough of
us to persuade him to do anything with HR 128. If it dies in committee,
we will have to start over again next year, when the next 2-year legislative
cycle begins again.
Action
Steps to Take NOW!!!
·
If you do nothing else, please contact Rules Committee Chair Rep.
Calvin Smyre RIGHT AWAY! and ask him to pass HR 128 out of Rules to
the House for a vote. You can reach him at: Rules Committee, 415 Capitol,
Atlanta, GA 30334, 404-656-5024 or csmyre@legis.state.ga.us.
·
Phone, fax or e-mail your own Representative and ask him/her to speak
to Rep. Smyre and ask him to pass HR 128 out of Rules. This is especially
important if your Representative is on the Rules Committee. Also,
ask them to vote YES when it comes to a House vote. (Don't know who
your representative is? To find out, call the local Board of Elections,
or go to http://www.sos.state.ga.us/elections/locator.htm on the internet.
Enter the requested information (your address etc.) and you will get
your polling place and district number -- click on your House district
number for a link to your Representative's page (with phone numbers,
address, etc.). It really is not complicated.)
·
Phone, fax or e-mail any or all of the other members of the Rules
Committee (see list below) and ask them to pass HR 128 out of Rules.
While
Representatives generally are most influenced by their own constituents,
as committee members they represent everyone.
Whenever you phone or write, make sure to:
·
Identify yourself as a voter (and constituent, if you are);
·
Identify the bill (HR 128 to study the Certified Professional Midwife
credential);
·
Say what you want the legislator to do; and
·
Mention that you are writing to the Representative in his/her capacity
as a member of the Rules Committee (as Committee members, for ALL
of us, not just for their constituents).
If appropriate,
note that this Resolution was previously passed unanimously by the
House, and is back again only because the committee was never appointed.
You might include a sentence about why this is important to you.
If you
write, the most effective note is short and clear, and is handwritten.
See a "template" letter below. If you phone, you will most
likely speak to a secretary or an aide -- be polite and clearly state
what you want the Representative to do with HR 128. If you are asked
questions, you can always say "That's a good question -- I'll
get back to you with that information!" and contact Debbie Pulley
or Susan Hodges (see below) right away!
Because
we have not identified any GFOM members or sympathizers in Rep. Smyre
district, it is especially important for many of us to contact Rep.
Smyre right away and ask him to report this bill out of the Rules
Committee for a vote in the House.
Having
been unsuccessful so far in setting up a meeting with Rep. Smyre,
on Wednesday 1/9 Susan delivered a letter (see below) to the Representative,
along with a folder of information (including the APHA Resolution,
see more below). However, nothing is as persuasive as hearing from
many voters!
If YOUR
Representative is sitting on this committee, it is ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT
for you to contact him/her AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! Make a phone call
or write short letter -- just let your legislator know that you want
the study resolution HR 128 passed. Look at the GFOM and CfM websites
for tips on communicating effectively with your elected officials.
As always,
you can help GFOM be effective by spreading the word! If you have
friends or acquaintances whom you think would be interested and supportive,
please let them know, and encourage everyone who has e-mail to sign
up on the e-list (see box above). Everyone who has e-mail is encouraged
to get on the e-list (see box above) to get news faster and to make
GFOM funds go as far as possible!
Susan Hodges <shodgesmwy@earthlink.net>
Debbie Pulley <debbie@gamidwife.com>
Rules Committee Members
NOTE: if you go to the website http://www2.state.ga.us/Legis/1999_00/house/gahrules.htm
for this list, you will find most members with links to legislative
pages that include fax numbers and sometimes e-mail addresses that
do not show up on this list here.
(title,
name, city, party-district, capitol phone, district phone)
Chairman
Smyre, Calvin of Columbus D-136 (404) 656-5024 (706) 563-1794
Vice-Chairman Skipper, Jimmy of Americus D-137 (404) 656-5024 (912)
924-7398
Secretary Stanley-Turner, Lanett of Atlanta D-050 (404) 656-5024 (404)
794-8357
Member Birdsong, Kenneth W. of Gordon D-123 (404) 656-7149 (912) 986-3581
Member Buck, III, Thomas B. of Columbus D-135 (404) 656-5103 (706)
324-2716
Member Burkhalter, Mark of Alpharetta R-041 (404) 656-0213 (770) 418-9098
Member Byrd, Roger C. of Hazlehurst D-170 (404) 656-9198 (912) 375-0092
Member Campbell, Jr, Thomas of Roswell R-042 (404) 656-0152 (770)
640-6243
Member Childers, Buddy of Rome D-013 (404) 656-5141 (706) 291-8203
Member Connell, Jack of Augusta D-115 (404) 656-5072 (706) 736-5932
Member Davis, J. Max of Atlanta R-060 (404) 656-0109 (404) 252-5487
Member Dix, Scott of Lilburn R-076 (404) 656-0126 (770) 978-2675
Member Ehrhart, Earl of Powder Springs R-036 (404) 656-5058 (770)
943-8568
Member Holland, Ray of Ashburn D-157 (404) 657-8443 (912) 567-3535
Member Holmes, Bob of Atlanta D-053 (404) 656-5115 (404) 755-9528
Member Hudson, Newt of Rochelle D-156 (404) 656-5115 (912) 365-2387
Member Mueller, Anne O'Quin of Savannah R-152 (404) 656-0109 (912)
925-2219
Member Parham, Bobby Eugene of Milledgeville D-122 (404) 656-5132
(912) 452-5152
Member Parrish, Butch of Swainsboro D-144 (404) 656-5096 (478) 237-7032
Member Smith, Jr., Charlie of St. Marys D-175 (404) 651-7737 (912)
882-2264
Member Stancil, Steve of Canton R-016 (404) 656-0265 (770) 345-0194
Member Teper, Doug of Atlanta D-061 (404) 656-7855 (404) 347-9242
Member Walker, Larry of Perry D-141 (404) 656-5024 (912) 987-1415
Member Westmoreland, Lynn A. of Sharpsburg R-104 (404) 656-5058 (770)
252-0851
Letter to a Legislator “Template”
Your Name
Address
City, State, Zip
phone and fax (if you have one)
E-mail (if you have it)
[Date]
The Honorable
[Senator or Representative]
[Address at State or federal Capitol]
Dear
[Senator Name or Representative Name]:
I am
writing as a concerned [constituent or citizen or voter] regarding
[name of bill, including bill number]. This bill is coming up for
a vote on the [name of committee, or floor of chamber] on [date] and
I am asking that you vote [yes, or no] on this bill.
The [passage,
or defeat] of [bill designation] is important to [me, my family, my
community…], because [something specific, something personal,
how this would affect you, your family, your town, etc.] [optional:
something you know about the factual basis, or quality of the bill…
for example, as a mother who has given birth x times, I have studied
the facts and the credentials, and I can say that…., or, the
bill would accomplish what is recommended by xx national organizations
or experts…, etc..]
Your
[yes, or no] vote [in committee, on the floor or the House or Senate,
or whatever is appropriate] will help [move this bill forward, or
will help defeat this bill], which would [greatly improve the quality
of life for constituents in your district or whatever is appropriate].
Thank
you for your attention to this issue. Please vote [yes, or no] on
[bill number].
Sincerely,
Your Name
For more
tips and suggestions about communicating with your legislator, take
a look at http://www.cfmidwifery.org/advocacy/ NEW! APHA Resolution
Supports Midwifery and Out-of-Hospital Maternity Care
After five years of revising and refining, the resolution “Increasing
Access To Out-Of-Hospital Maternity Care Services Through State-Regulated
and Nationally-Certified Direct-Entry Midwives” was approved
by the American Public Health Association (APHA) Governing Council
at the annual conference in Atlanta, Georgia, on October 24, 2001.
The intent of both the authors as well as APHA was to draft a resolution
that supported access to out-of-hospital maternity care by qualified
providers, not to support a specific credential. Currently both Certified
Professional Midwives (CPM) and Certified Midwives (CM) would qualify
as state-regulated and nationally-certified direct-entry midwives.
The text of the resolution, including the footnotes, is available
on the CfM website www.cfmidwifery.org. In addition it has been posted
on the APHA website.
Susan's 1/08/02 letter to Rep. Smyre:
The Honorable
Calvin Smyre, Chairman
House Rules Committee
415 State Capitol
Atlanta, GA 30334
Dear
Representative Smyre,
I am
writing to you regarding House Resolution 128 "to study the Certified
Professional Midwife credential," which has been in the Rules
Committee since last winter. The citizens and families who belong
to Georgia Friends of Midwives urge you to report this Resolution
favorably out of committee and on to the House for a vote.
We would
like to bring to your attention several important considerations about
HR 128:
1. As
you may be aware, this same Resolution (as HR 32) already passed through
Rules and was unanimously approved by the House on 14 February 2000.
Had the study committee been appointed as directed by the House vote,
this Resolution would not be in your committee today. We are asking
that you allow the study committee to proceed since this Resolution
already was approved by the House.
2. HR
128 calls simply for a study of the Certified Professional Midwife
credential -- a rigorous, competency-based midwifery credential developed
especially for midwives who attend births in out-of-hospital settings.
The need for nationally credentialed midwives like Certified Professional
Midwives to provide access to maternity care in non-hospital settings
has been recognized by the American Public Health Association and
by the Pew Center for the Health Professions in its study "The
Future of Midwifery" (see enclosures). Almost every state that
regulates these "direct entry midwives" uses the Certified
Professional Midwife credential itself (or the credential examinations)
as the basis for licensing. HR 128 would just provide Georgia Legislators
the opportunity to learn about this credential and the experiences
of other states where licensed Certified Professional Midwives are
providing their services.
3. HR
128 is needed as a first step toward "protecting the general
welfare" of Georgia citizens when it comes to maternity care
and midwifery. At this time there are no physicians or nurse-midwives
attending out-of-hospital births in Georgia, other than at the only
free-standing birth center (outside Savannah). Furthermore, the state
government has no mechanism for knowing who is attending out-of-hospital
births or what their qualifications might be, or how many families
are opting for the legal but statistically risky choice of giving
birth at home alone. A study of the Certified Professional Midwife
credential would give our Representatives the opportunity to learn
about a possible solution that is proven and cost-effective.
4. HR
128 was initiated not by any special interest provider group but by
"consumers." We are women and families who are seeking a
safe, legal maternity care alternative that provides the Midwives
Model of Care, rather than being limited to medically managed hospital
births with many unnecessary interventions, or risky unattended home
births. We do not have professional lobbyists to speak for us. We
will not make money or gain prestige from this Resolution. We are
depending on you in your capacity as Chair of the Rules Committee
to listen to our request and address our needs by giving this Resolution
a favorable passage to the House.
We appreciate
that you sit on the Boards of Directors for at least two distinguished
medical schools in Georgia, and that the medical community historically
has not looked favorably on midwives, especially independent midwives.
HR 128 is only a study resolution. Moving favorably on HR 128 will
demonstrate your integrity as a legislator as well as your commitment
to seeking the best for all of Georgia's citizens.
Thank
you for your attention to HR 128. If you have any questions or need
any additional information please do not hesitate to contact me. I
can be reached at 706-546-8591 (phone and fax), or 706-549-7023, or
by e-mail: <shodgesmwy@earthlink.net>.
Sincerely, Susan Hodges, Co-Chair
