National or Federal Politics is handled primarily by our national organization, the AAPA. The Constituent Chapter Officer's Workshop (CCOW) held every year in Washington is a chance for PAs to lobby their federal representatives on PA related issues. For more information about CCOW and the many initiatives which the AAPA has on national government affairs, see their website.

Local or State Politics is the responsibility of the Maryland Academy. Although not endowed with the finances or resources of our parent, national organization, MAPA nonetheless serves a critical function for Maryland PAs. As one wag said; "All politics is local". Maryland has made effective strides in the last five years, going from a state with one of the worst PA practice acts to our current statute, which is one of the best. You can read more about the Academy's efforts along these lines in our "History of Maryland PA Legislation".

For you to be successful in influencing your state legislature, you must have a basic understanding of the organization and structure of the state government. There is a normal system of state government operation taking place as well as an informal one, and it is important to have insight into both. To better acquaint you with the whole process, here are some things to know:

Legislation: is the crafting, submission, negotiation and hopefully passage of laws or statutes by the state assembly (senators and delegates). All legislation must be signed by the governor following the legislative session before it becomes law (statute). Bills (proposed legislation) may originate in the House or the Senate. Bills which originate in one chamber must crossover and be agreed on in the other before passage. House Bills are prefixed with HB before the number and Senate bills are prefixed with SB. Maryland's PA laws or statutes are found under the Code of Maryland at the LexisNexis site (not to be confused with COMAR or Code of Maryland Regulations - see Regulations below). Statute regarding physician assistants is under Maryland Code, Health Ocupations, Title 15.

Session: the 90 day period from the second Wednesday in January to the first or second Monday in April (Sine Die). This year's session is the Maryland Legislature's 424th Session and begins January 9, 2008 and adjourns April 7, 2008. For other important session dates see the Maryland General Assembly session calendar .

Regulations: are the more specific and detailed rules which provide for the enactment of the statute. It is the regulations which are the written embodiment of the statute. They are usually written with the help of attorneys related to the body which the statute affects. Occasionally, people writing regulations can misinterpret statute when writing regulations. This can cause problems. Maryland's PA regulations are in the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) under Title 10, Subtitle 32 (10.32.03).

Lobbyist: an individual who helps craft and promote legislation for a group. Lobbyists are essential to providing a power base for an smaller group (such as MAPA).

Political Action Committee (PAC): Raises money for lobbyist and contributions to legislators friendly to our cause. Mandated because non-profit groups (such as MAPA) have limits on how much and in what way they can spend money on legislation.

Reimbursement: the paying for services rendered by a Physician Assistant by insurance companies. This issue is key to the marketing of Physician Assistants. It may be necessary to craft legislation to insure PA reimbursement for services in Maryland.

MAPA's Government Affairs group is headed by its Director Tom Killmond. The PA practice act continues to be assaulted by interest groups which are hostile to PAs. We are always in need of hard workers. Knowing your legislator is the most important thing you can do as a PA in Maryland. If you are interested in helping further by serving on the legislative committee, E-mail Tom Killmond.