GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

LEGISLATION NEWS

The Government and External Affairs Program promotes and protects YOUR livelihood.

The mission of the Government and External Affairs Program is to protect and enhance the massage profession by promoting and supporting, political and legislative awareness and demand for massage therapy as healthcare.

One of the primary jobs of The Government and External Affairs Program is to work with AMTA-WA lobbyist, Melanie Stewart on legislative issues that impact us and the profession. We work to inform legislators about massage and the massage profession in WA State. We are constantly building relationships with legislators and staff in order to create a base of understanding and relationship that will support the Chapter’s advocacy for legislative support.

 We also work with healthcare attorneys, John Peick and John Conniff to provide you, our members, with all the information you might need. Whether you have questions with regard to business practices or insurance billing, Peick and Conniff have the answers for you. Most importantly, lately they have been doing their best to keep us informed about and explain the changes coming down the pike with regard to health care reform.

The Government and External Affairs Program sponsors Massage Awareness Days at the Capitol during each legislative session. We do this, with your volunteer help, to educate our legislators and their staff about who we are, what we do and what our concerns are.

Year round we are communicating with you via our Journal, the e-news, e-mail blasts and planned Chapter events such as Convention. We are striving to give you all the information you will need to be able to make wise choices for your practice and your future. We also are communicating with Department of Health, law enforcement and the media making sure they know that AMTA-WA is committed to public safety and regulatory compliance.

If you would like to join this program as a volunteer, we always need more eyes and ears on the ground helping us to watch out for obstacles as well as opportunities. I would love to have you join us in protecting and promoting our profession.

Together our voice has a powerful impact.