Legislative Update Michael Gough, CCP There are a couple of significant developments that I would like to report on regarding our legislative campaign.    First and foremost, is the decision by the Board Members to retain the services of  Hilbert & Tenuta Lobbying Firm.  Many of you may recall that Lisa Hilbert was our lobbyist during our first campaign and she is very enthusiastic about our pursuit of licensure in the upcoming session.  Since our previous campaign, Lisa has formed a partnership with Jim Tenuta.  Jim will bring added experience in the health care arena to the lobbying team, creating a formidable ally in our attempt for licensure.  Lisa and Jim have been kind enough to address the society in a welcoming letter which is also in this issue of the Reaction Times.  So please take the opportunity to listen to their thoughts and become involved in our campaign.   The second development that needs to be announced is the creation of the Preliminary Bill.  We are fortunate enough to be able to take advantage of the hard work that was done by Scott Garavet and many others during the initial campaign.  From their hard work, we are able to utilize the drafted and amended bill from the previous attempt.  The document that is included is a summarized analysis by the Director of the Legislative Fiscal Bureau from 1994.  Because of existing state statutes, the actual bill is quite difficult to read and draw important information from.  For that reason, I thought it would be best to publish an easy to read document that contained all of the pertinent information.  The Board Members have not approved the Preliminary Bill for draft at this time, but I expect that to occur soon.  I also expect other WPS members to have questions and concerns regarding certain aspects of the bill.  So please, express any concerns that you may have about the licensing bill with myself and other board members.  Utilize this time and subject matter to once again stimulate discussion about the Licensing of Perfusion in Wisconsin.   I would like to leave you with one thought.  As Jim and Lisa have pointed out, the most important thing we can do at this time is ensure that all perfusionists are aware of the different aspects of the Licensing Bill.  So read the preliminary bill, discuss with a colleague, and be prepared to disseminate that information accurately to your legislators.

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