As many of you have become aware, Iowa has become the next state facing deregulation. Their state legislature introduced a bill on February 21 that eliminates several licensing boards, including the board of respiratory care. Not surprising, the Iowa Society for Respiratory Care (IASRC) is opposed to this bill, and nearly all organizations that face deregulation oppose this bill.
The respiratory care community is close and when something like this occurs, we want to act. Thankfully, the IASRC is an engaged and organized society. With the assistance of their lobbying firm, they quickly recorded their opposition. Since then, we have received a note from the IASRC president thanking everyone who has offered concern and support. The IASRC, though, has received advice from their lobbyist that letters from outside of Iowa can be detrimental to their cause. Even the Change.org petition is meant for Iowan’s. So, we are asking you, our membership, to show support through social media but do not contact Iowa legislators or interfere with their petition.
The next question you may ask, could it happen here. The short answer is, yes, why not. What would you do if the Board of Directors notified you that our state legislature was deregulating respiratory care? Likely you would contact us. How prepared are we? Currently, we only monitor activity in Trenton but we are not nearly as well organized as Iowa. This means if something like this happens, our reaction could be delayed. The next question you should ask, how can I prevent this delayed response from occurring? Engage with the society, respond to our call for action requests, attend meetings, etc. In just a few weeks, virtual lobby week will begin. Will you be ready to engage?
For more information feel free to contact us.
Sincerely,
Lori Ann Ligon, RRT
President, New Jersey Society for Respiratory Care
