2017 PACT Meeting Washington, D.C.

Your AARC House of Delegates are hard at work supporting what you do! Thank them when you have the chance!










 



Dear AARC Student Member:

It is mid semester and it is a busy time for students as you prepare for finals and either graduation or your summer semester. I wanted to bring to your attention an exciting opportunity to attend the House of Delegates Meeting on July 18 and 19, 2014 at the Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort, 400 S. Collier Blvd., Marco Island, Florida. The House of Delegates Meeting follows the Summer Forum Meeting for managers and educators. The House of Delegates encourages all students who are interested to apply for the program and participate and experience the inner workings of your professional organization.
The House of Delegates is comprised of elected representatives from all 50 states and Puerto Rico. They are an advisory group to the AARC.
What have other students, who have participated in the experience said?  "This experience has been great! I learned so much about what goes on ‘behind the scenes’.  This has sparked an interested in the future for me." "This was a wonderful experience. I am extremely thankful for the opportunity. It is good to know that voices and concerns are addressed." "I ABSOLUTELY enjoyed my time here. I learned so much today. One day I would like to become a delegate, so I can make a difference with this profession."
Attached is the HOD Student Mentoring Application that must be completed and returned by June 15, 2014.
Unfortunately there is no financial assistance available at this time to assist you with the cost of your travel or lodging. You might want to contact your state society to see if they offer such a program.
If you have any questions about the application or the process, please contact the any of the Student Mentoring Co-Chairs using the following information:
Kerry McNiven
860-512-2716 or 860-967-7642
kmcniven@manchestercc.edu
Dana Evans
314-610-0124
danaevansrrt@gmail.com
Kristi Hack
307-247-4986
kristihack@gmail.com

Sincerely,
The Student Mentoring Committee of the House of Delegates
<<Downlolad HOD Student Mentor Application Here>>


Advocacy & Legislative Action



AARC Resources:

How To Find Your U.S. House of Representative Member of Congress

There are 435 members of the House of Representatives. A Congressman or woman represents a district of approximately 650,000 citizens. Every state has two United States Senators.

To find your members of Congress, just go to the House of Representatives website or the Senate website.

How to Find the Sponsors and Co-sponsors of Congressional Bills
To find out which members of Congress have co-sponsored legislation of interest or to track to see if your member has already co-sponsored legislation just follow these steps:

  • Use the Thomas website, which is sponsored by the Library of Congress
  • In the Search Bill Text type in bill number
  • On the next page that comes up the bill you are looking for, usually the very first one is highlighted. Click on it
  • On the next page, you can click on Bill Summary and Status
  • That takes you to the next page which lists among other information the total number of co sponsors, who they are and the date that they co-sponsored the legislation.

How to Find Information on State Respiratory Therapy Licensure Information
Check here for a Matrix (which lists licensure fees, CEUs, renewal times, etc) and the Licensure Board or Committee contact information.

How to Find Medicare and Medicaid Information
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, CMS, is the federal agency that oversees these massive federal and to an extent state health programs.  This link takes you to the main page of the CMS site.

How to find Medicare Coverage Information
CMS has coverage policy site within its main site. This includes a link to Local Coverage Decision Policies. This is a somewhat more difficult site to navigate, but it will take you to the insurance contractors overseeing state and regional Medicare, including local policies that may address respiratory issues such as pulmonary rehab.

Political Advocacy Contact Team (PACT)

These individuals have been appointed by their state respiratory therapy societies to be the key contacts for lobbying federal legislative issues. These individuals also represent their state and the AARC at the annual Washington, D.C. Hill Lobby Day.

You can access our PACT resource page and a list of PACT members here.

Federal Government Affairs

To read about federal issues AARC is involved with:
AARC Federal Activities

Other Federal Issues

State Government Affairs