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Legislative UpdateMichael Gough, CCP
There are several issues I would like to bring the rest of the membership up to date on concerning the topic of seeking licensure and the many other implications/needs it creates.
The Vote
First things first, the vote on licensure that began back in April 1999 has produced the following final numbers:
All Practicing Perfusionists in the State of Wisconsin
Yes 60 75% No 8 10% No Vote Cast 12 15% Total 80 Class A Members - WPS Yes 53 83% No 6 9% No Vote Cast 5 8% Total 64 Non WPS Members Yes 7 44% No 2 13% No Vote Cast 7 43% Total 16 With the overwhelming support of the membership, the WPS is forging ahead to formally seek licensure in the 2001 legislative session (spring 2001 to fall 2002). Due to the society's economical state, the Board of Directors did not feel it was necessary to increase membership dues for year 2000. If you remember, there was a projection of having to increase dues to approximately $250 for a two year period (2000 & 2001) to accommodate the cost of paying a lobbyist. Due to the fact that the cost for the lobbyist would not be economically felt until the first part of 2001 at the earliest, the corresponding period of increased dues would not need to occur until 2001 and 2002.
Carrying the Message
Next, I would like to take a moment to discuss the importance of everyone's involvement in the campaign for licensure. When speaking with various government officials and perfusionists from other states who have successfully campaigned for licensure, there is a singular message that is stressed by all parties: everyone needs to be involved with the campaign. The level of involvement will vary, but the minimum and most important contribution is carrying our message to our representatives. Your senators and congressmen need to be educated and informed on our plight towards being licensed. That means explanations as to our day to day responsibilities and why we need to be licensed. This exercise is somewhat complicated by the fact that your current representatives may or may not be in office for the next legislative session. The entire house (congressmen) and one-half of the assembly (senators) are up for election in the fall. This does not undermine the need to create a relationship with the individual currently in office, it only identifies the possibility to recreate those contacts with someone new in the fall. To access the state government's website and find out who is your representative, utilize the link found on links page.
