Legislative Advocacy

Legislative Advocacy

It is very important to ensure that Ohio's law makers hear from you as experts in the behavioral health field when formulating public policy. These resources are aimed at helping you become a more effective grassroots activist for behavioral health. As a member of OACBHA, you will receive action alerts from the CEO, a weekly legislative update when the General Assembly is in session, talking points, newsletters and other tools to help you in your role as an advocate.

Listed below are some basic tools to help you in the process:

Know Your Legislators

If you need assistance contacting your state representative or senator, please click on the County Board Directory or on the Ohio General Assembly.

Build a Relationship with Your Legislator

Elected officials view their constituents as a resource and they want to hear from you. Building relationships with your legislators is a critical step to advocating for behavioral health. Click here for tips on building and maintaining a positive relationship with your legislators.

Writing to Your Legislators

Whether you use e-mail, faxes or postal mail, click here for tips to help you make the most of your communications.

Understand the Legislative Process
Having a basic understanding of the legislative process will help you become a more effective advocate. Please click The Legislative Process for an overview of how introduced legislation becomes law in Ohio.

How to Present Testimony to a Legislative Committee
Committees are a significant and vital component to the legislative process as it provides legislators more opportunity to closely study a measure than would be possible during a floor debate. Please click the How to Testify Document for an overview of the testifying process.

Other Advocacy Tools

Ohio Legislative Service Commission