Legislative Advocacy

Legislative Committee

The MCAAP Committee on Legislation tracks legislation relevant to children’s health care and related issues, provides testimony on bills, and updates the Executive Board on the state budget process and the specific ways in which it may impact children’s health care.  The Committee works in collaboration with other AAP subcommittees and groups who are invested in children’s health care.  The goals of the Committee are to consider issues of importance to the children of Massachusetts that have been affected by local, state, and national legislative action; to research and discuss such issues as they are brought to the attention of the Committee by its members, Chapter members, and others; and to recommend appropriate actions to the Executive Committee after such study and discussion.

Some highlights:

• The Chapter continues to advocate for increased funding for vaccines in order to return Massachusetts to its status as a universal distribution state.
 
• The Chapter testified against a bill that would allow nurse practitioners to practice without physician supervision.
 
• The Chapter continues to advocate for passage of a School Nutrition Bill and the Omnibus Mental Health Bill.
 
• Recently, the Chapter successfully advocated to restore funding in the House budget for the Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Project and the passage of the Booster Seat Bill.
 

The Third Annual “Residents’ Day on Beacon Hill” took place on April 8th and was an enormous success with its highest number of attendees to date.  All the residency programs were represented at this event. There were presentations by legislators, residents and others. The residents met with their legislators to lobby for legislation of importance to children’s health.

Co-Chairs –Dr. Katherine Zuckerman and Dr. Michael McManus