Mental Health Association in New York State

DEVELOPING A RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR LEGISLATORS

Ensuring that public policy reflects the best interests of mental health consumers is rooted in consumers’ ability to work with Legislators. Too often, we expect that because we have met with an elected official once, they will remember us and do what we asked them to. The reality is, they meet with many people, on many topics, many of which are in direct opposition to each other. Therefore, those people they remember, and those people they pay attention to, are those people with whom they have a relationship.

Your ability to develop a relationship with local legislators will ultimately determine your ability to fight for sound mental health policy on a state and local level. Therefore, we offer you this resource to provide you with some helpful hints as to how to go about doing so.

Inherent difficulties of establishing a relationship with Legislators

Let’s face it, there are several things that make it difficult for people to even begin to establish a relationship with their legislator, be it a federal, state, county, or city/town level. There are several reasons why this may be, and in order to overcome them, we have to know what they are. Below, I have outlined some of the difficulties you might incur as you visit.

Many still buy into the stigma associated with mental illness. Therefore, as part of building your relationship, you will have to break down possible stereotypes about consumers of mental health services. Some of the arguments you will hear are:
1. “You seem to be ok, but what about the others”
2. “This is a population that needs our protection.”
3. “We need to protect them from themselves and us from them.”
We are also in many cases dealing with multiple messages. The criminal justice community says one thing, the families of mental health consumers say another, and consumers say yet another. In this instance, we have to realize that consumers have the least political clout. Families stories can be equally heart-wrenching, and legislators can identify with them much more naturally (Well, if my kid had this, it’s what I would want)
There are limited resources. While legislators might care about mental health services very much, they also care about healthcare, education, safety and numerous other issues of equal importance to other constituents. While every program should be funded, what will we make sure IS funded?
1. Medicaid is the 8,000 lb. Gorilla in the middle of this discussion. Medicaid is the main provider for much of the mental health community, and is one of the leading expenses for the program. With counties complaining about the tax burden that they face due to Medicaid costs, legislators are under pressure to dramatically decrease the program, while still providing services for those who need it. Because we are a small population within the program and account for so many of its costs, we are often on the chopping block.
Legislators are extremely busy people, so it is often difficult to get time to see them and maintain their full attention. There are different circumstances that come into play at each level of government, and recognizing these and trying to work around them will greatly increase your ability to continue to work with them in the future.
1. Your state legislators see many people every day. They can meet with up to 35 different organizations, on 35 different issues, in one day. In addition to this, they have committee meetings, Conference, and the regular Session. Because of this, you will most likely get about 15 minutes to meet with them, and you very well may meet with staff.
2. County legislators have different problems. They work on a part-time basis, and therefore have to balance the responsibilities of their position with their “real jobs”. They have no staff to help them, and they still have numerous constituents trying to get in touch with them. Plus, they have no solid place, such as the Legislative Office Building, or even a District Office, to meet with you.

So, there’s difficulties, that just makes things fun.

Okay, so there are obstacles to developing a relationship. That much is probably not news to anyone. But, we cannot just say, “This is too hard, I give up.” There are ways to fight through these obstacles and create a solid relationship of lasting value with a legislator. Some of the more tried and true methods are described below, but be creative. There are always more ways.

The number one way to overcome these obstacles, VOTE! I can not say this loudly, or often, enough. Whenever you communicate with an elected official, the first thing they check is if you are registered. The second thing they check is if you voted in the last election. While we all like to think that legislators do the right thing because it is the right thing to do, the truth is, they do the right thing because their constituents who vote think they should. There is an old saying, “You can’t please all of the people all of the time.” Lawmakers know this, and therefore, if it comes down to angering a non-voter, or angering a voter, they will anger the non-voter everytime.
VOTE in an educated manner. Consumers of mental health services represent one-fifth of the population. If 20% of the population were to vote based upon mental health issues and the proper stands, no politician ever would vote against our interests. Think of it this way, politicians are scared of frightening other minority voting blocks, and they represent 8-10% of the population. We represent twice that!!! Jesse Jackson once said, “An organized minority is a political majority. We need to take this to heart. One way to do this is to visit the Mental Health Voter Empowerment Project.
Once you have registered and identified a candidate whom you want to vote for, volunteer for them. A campaign offers an opportunity to have regular contact with a candidate, a situation that allows you to breakdown any possible stereotypes and develop a relationship that can last into his or her tenure in office. Just be sure to follow up and continue the relationship once they are elected.
Politicians love the opportunity to look good. If you provide them with opportunities to look good, they will like you. It is fairly easy math. Whenever you do anything, I mean if you hang a clock in your office, invite them to participate, and invite the press. One famous politician was once quoted as saying, “I will attend the opening of an envelope.” I say, let them.
In addition to making them look good, visits to your office help legislators learn. By providing opportunities to visit existing programs or learn about new programs, we are building a relationship while reinforcing the good that these programs do. If you give them the opportunity to learn about a program, they will be more hesitant to cut it.
Make yourself the expert. Once you begin to develop a relationship, build upon it by becoming their “go to” person on mental health. Legislators see lots of legislation on lots of topics. If you can give them the reasons they need to support or oppose different pieces of legislation, you will be providing them with major assistance. Think of how appreciative you are when someone does your research for you. Exactly.

That’s all well and good, but I need to get stuff done now.

So, you are laying the groundwork for a relationship, but the County Legislature is planning on cutting mental health spending next week. Obviously, your fledgling relationship will not save your program yet, but something needs to. While a future Skills Development sheet will deal with this topic in more depth, here are some helpful hints for the short-term.

Always have a clear “ask.” Too many times, people write a wonderful, very eloquent, five page letter to a legislator, and at the end of it, nobody knows what they want. In this case, the wonderful, eloquent, five page letter, is useless. Always spell out in the first sentence what it is you want. Then back it up with supporting facts and figures as to why they should do it. Then close with what you want. A clear ask will allow you to go far in this business.
Make your voice heard. There are numerous ways to do this, from writing a letter to making an office visit to holding a rally. You want to assess the situation and determine what is needed, but in each case, remember “What is my ask.”
1. A letter, or letter writing campaign, is a good tool to get numerous people to show support for an issue. In this instance, try to keep the letter brief, one page is best if possible, and remember, lead and close with your ask. Also, if possible, keep track of the letters that are sent, so you know how may they have gotten. This will help you make your case later.
2. A phone-in campaign is another way to get those with minimal interest to participate. Make sure your phone message is one or two lines, “I want you to pass Timothy’s Law.” If you can clog their phones for a day, it will send a strong message.
3. E-mail is a new tool that many are beginning to utilize for efforts. This can be effective, but it can also be inflammatory (think if your e-mail box was full with e-mails from people asking for X service). You also have to know the legislator, some older members just will not use computers, in which case, your message is lost.
4. Meetings with legislators are sometimes effective. It shows a high level of interest, as it is most time intensive. They are good for filling a legislator in on greater details as well, as you will have more time to talk. Plus, they are interactive, allowing a lawmaker to ask questions. Remember though, they may try to take you off topic, so as not to discuss your issue. Small-talk can be good to help develop a relationship, but don’t let it go on too long, or your ask will be lost. Also, no matter how much they frustrate you, remain calm. Especially in our situation, hostility will only reinforce existing stereotypes.
Start small and work your way up. Don’t hold a rally right away. Give people the chance to do the right thing off the bat. A strong action, flooding someone with e-mail, letters, or phone calls, could cause someone that would have been an ally to be hostile, merely because they feel offended that you didn’t just ask them to begin with.