Governmental Affairs Committee

Purpose

To monitor all health related legislation and regulatory rules and to represent the interest of the PA profession to legislators, health agency authorities, and other health professional organizations.

COMMITEE GOALS

  1. Advocate the development of health care changes in the Commonwealth directed at improving health care access and assuring the safe provision of healthcare to the public.
  2. Represent the interests of the PA profession through contact with legislators, health professional organization representatives, and regulatory agency authorities.

COMMITTEE COMPOSITION

  1. The Committee shall consist of a chairperson appointed by the President and approved by the Board of Directors.
  2. The committee shall consist of PSPA members appointed by the chairperson.
  3. The President-Elect or Immediate Past President will serve as the board advisor to the committee.
  4. The President is an ex-officio member of the committee.

COMMITTEE CHAIR JOB DESCRIPTION

  1. Be a PSPA member in good standing.
  2. Appoint committee members.
  3. Appoint one member of the committee to serve as the vice-chair. The vice-chair’s responsibility will be to assist the chair with all the functions of the committee as well as be prepared to take over the committee in the unlikely event that the chairperson is unable to complete the functions of the committee.
  4. Submit a written, quarterly committee report to the Board at least 2 weeks prior to each Board of Directors Meeting.
  5. Monitor and update governmental affairs section on website on a regular basis.
  6. Estimated time needed to fulfill the duties of this position is 15-20 hours per month in addition to the Board of Directors’ meetings.
  7. Attend at least three (3) Board of Directors’ Meetings per year.
  8. Make policy recommendations to the Board of Directors when appropriate.
  9. Submit at least one article per issue of the PSPA NEWS.
  10. Submit a proposed budget to the treasurer in March of each year.
  11. Submit a yearly committee report for the PSPA membership.
  12. Oversee all expenses by the committee.
  13. Participate in the development of the PSPA Action Plan.

COMMITTEE MEMBER JOB DESCRIPTION

  1. Be a PSPA member in good standing.
  2. Attend the scheduled meeting held at the annual conference and be available to attend others as the need arises.
  3. Submit a written report to the chairperson before each Board meeting, discussing the activities that the individual member has performed.
  4. Estimated time needed to fulfill the duties of this position is 4-6 hours per month.
  5. Expenses for committee business are reimbursable if approved by the committee chairperson.

COMMITTEE GUIDELINES

  1. Abide by all PSPA and AAPA bylaws and policies.
  2. Board of Director’s approval is necessary in order to enter into any legal or financial agreement on behalf of the Society.
  3. The committee will act with the approval of the Board of Directors when all or certain matters are determined by the Board of Directors.
  4. After consultation with the President, the committee has the authority to act in an interim capacity on issues not clearly defined by policy until such issues can be formally addressed and acted upon by the Board of Directors.
  5. Any member of the committee representing the Society to an outside group may not act on behalf of the Society without the approval of the Board of Directors.

COMMITTEE PROCEDURES

  1. Monitor all health related legislative activity and health agency rule making.
  2. Regularly monitor the State Board of Medicine and State Board of Osteopathic Medicine’s meetings.
  3. Provide official comment on health related legislative activity and/or regulatory rule making as directed by the President or Board of Directors.
  4. Maintain ongoing communication with the professional government affairs consultant (lobbyist) when such services are contracted by the Society.
  5. Encourage active liaison with health related legislative committees, government agencies, and professional organizations.
  6. Mobilize support and/or input from members concerning health related interests.
  7. Provide regular reports to the Board of Directors on committee activities.
  8. Keep the membership informed of government actions regarding health care through the report given at the annual membership meeting, as well as contributions to the newsletter and/or special mailings.
  9. Accept additional charges as directed by the President or Board of Directors.
  10. Budget, disburse and account for those funds allocated to the committee for the administrative function of the committee.

RESIGNATIONS

A 2-month notice of resignation is requested of the chairperson. It is also recommended that the outgoing chairperson supply the names of two physician assistants that could step into the position, if possible. The resigning chairperson should submit all files and copies of the correspondence regarding the committee’s activities to the new chairperson or to the Board Advisor for the committee.

Approved 10/10/00; Reviewed/Revised 11/1/22

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