CNAP Legislative Visits

CNAP Supports Visits with Legislators Close to Home

In order to garner legislators' support for independent APRN prescriptive authority, CNAP is launching a year-long effort to lend unprecedented assistance to APRNs willing to visit their legislators in their home districts . Instead of having monthly CNAP meetings, CNAP board members will go with APRNs who are making in-district visits with their legislators. The goal is to build the confidence and capacity of local APRNs to continue meaningful, ongoing contact with their state legislators.

Success at the State Capitol requires local APRNs meeting legislators where they live and work. However, APRNs consistently report lack of confidence as a major reason they avoid talking with their legislators. Any successful project begins with overcoming the internal barriers that prevent constructive action. Therefore CNAP drafted a concrete plan and designates the following dates to unleash the power of local APRNs in specific counties.

Dallas and Collin - November 9 - 18

Bexar and surrounding counties – January 16 - 20

Harris, Galveston, Ft Bend, Brazoria, Montgomery – February - March 3 to work in selected primary campaigns

Tarrant and Denton – April 9-13

Valley Counties – June 4-8

Panhandle Counties – July 10-13

Travis and Surrounding Counties- August 13-16

Designated Rural and West Texas Counties – Early October

When CNAP makes an appointment with your legislator, we will send the date and time to constituents, and ask those APRNs who can join us to reply. This will mean asking some of you to take time off work, but we promise it will be worth the effort. Please organize your local APRN organizations to actively participate. Please respond when you receive notice of a meeting.

 Having good lobbyists in Austin does not eliminate the need for your personal involvement. If we want to succeed, each of us must do our part, and that means you knowing your state senator and state representative, and those legislators knowing you.