The ACR State Legislative Program: What It Does for You


The state legislative program of the American College of Radiology represents and assists chapters on state legislative issues important to the profession of radiology. Under the leadership of Brad Short, director of council and chapter services, the program works closely with chapters' government relations chairs, lobbyists and presidents as well as the newly formed ACR State Government Relations Committee. The day-to-day activities of the state legislative staff include:

  • Monitoring and tracking state legislation and regulations: Each year, state legislatures across the country introduce as many as 150,000 bills; approximately 2,000 of these will have some effect on College members. The ACR uses a digital database to identify these bills, and then examines each closely to pinpoint as many as several hundred with the potential to directly impact the radiology profession. ACR state legislative staff then alert chapters about particular bills and provide information that may be helpful in promoting or stopping legislation.

    Unlike congressional sessions, state legislative sessions are typically 60, 90 or 120 days in length, and special sessions are often held to cover specific issues not finalized during the short sessions. The need to respond quickly to legislation is critical. The ACR can assist chapters in responding, but it is vital that chapters take the lead in monitoring legislative activity and keep the ACR informed of the issues they address.

    Because issues do not disappear once laws are passed, the ACR also monitors state regulatory activity and encourages chapters to establish relationships with regulators who impact the practice of radiology.

  • Writing and disseminating resources to chapters: ACR state legislative staff, together with the State Government Relations Committee, develop talking points and model legislation to assist chapters and lobbyists preparing for discussions with state legislators. State legislative staff also research and analyze state-specific legislative issues in order to identify health policy trends that could impact radiology.

  • Building a government relations infrastructure for chapters: To assist individual chapters in creating an infrastructure that will allow for the tracking and influencing of state legislation important to them, the ACR state legislative staff offers guidance on forming a volunteer government relations committee and hiring a lobbyist to represent a chapter's interests before the legislature.

  • Communications and chapter outreach: The ACR state legislative staff take advantage of several College publications to keep members informed of their work. Legislative news and highlights from states across the country are compiled for the State Legislative Network, a biweekly electronic publication. Chapter-specific state legislative activities that could serve as examples for all chapters are discussed in the monthly ACR E-Bulletin, also a Web-based publication. The quarterly ACR Advocate also will continue to update members on the work of the state legislative staff.

  • Staffing the State Government Relations Committee: In addition to developing model legislation, issue-specific talking points and other resources that chapters can use to enhance their state legislative efforts, the State Government Relations Committee conducts research and develops strategies to address specific issues. Certificate of need, radiologist assistant scope of practice, self-referral and telemedicine are just some of these issues. The committee, which is staffed by Brad Short and chaired by Alan Kaye, MD, is currently working on a state legislative forum for the ACR Web site that members of chapter government relations committees and lobbyists can use to exchange ideas on a variety of state legislative issues.

Other functions of the state legislative office include working with the government relations staff on federal government issues, programs and communications; identifying members interested in participating in grassroots efforts; and communicating the importance of federal and state government relations to chapters and members. Currently the staff is working with the State Government Relations Committee to plan a forum on state legislative issues during the Annual Meeting and Chapter Leadership Conference. For more information on the forum, which is scheduled for Saturday, May 8, contact Brad Short at (800) 227-5463, ext. 4975, or brads@acr.org.