Many nurses think that legislation and politics in general are not a part of their role. You may not have realized that regulations, policies, procedures, and reimbursement systems dictate much of what nurses do, and how they do it.  One important way to influence health care, insure better quality, and protect patients is through legislation. An example is AB394, the nurse staffing bill recently signed by Governor Davis.

As you learned in your baccalaureate program, legislation can be initiated by any interested individual or group. Groups of nurses often contact an interested senator, assemblyman, or representative about authoring a bill, which may ultimately become a law.

In this class, your group will conclude its policy analysis by proposing or opposing a piece of legislation. As an graduate level nurse, part of your role includes being informed about relevant legislation that affects your workplace, your role, and your clients. Below are some websites that are excellent resources.

www.calnurse.org/cna/gr/ California Nurses Association. Click on the Government Relations and Nurse Alerts buttons to see examples of legislation with implications for nurses.

www.senate.gov A list of US senators by state, and pending legislation       

www.house.gov A list of US representative similar to above 

 www.ca.gov The governor's website

www.leginfo.ca.gov California legislative information, you can search bills by number or keyword  

www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html  Links to California legislators                                                            

www.leginfo.ca.gov/legsite.html Links to other legislative sites 

What are some legislative or political issues that affect what  you do as a nurse? What ideas do you have for improving care of your clients? What ideas do you have for improving your role as a nurse each day? What policy, law, or procedure would have to be changed to implement one of these improvements? Remember that competent, smart nurses have the best ideas for improving patient care and saving money.