2016 FNA Book of Reports

2016 Florida Nurses Association
The Historic 2016 Final Legislative Report
Alisa LaPolt, FNA Lobbyist
The game-winning touchdown. The bride and groom saying “I do.” The first steps
taken by an infant. These are all moments we want to remember, a task made
easier when captured by video. As a professional lobbyist, the moment I hoped to
preserve was passage of legislation in which I played a part. Legislation that would
make a difference in the lives of people for years to come.
That opportunity came Friday, the last day of the 2016 legislative session, with
passage of HB 423. This legislation had been pursued by the nursing profession for
22 years to allow advanced practice nurses to prescribe controlled substances. As
I sat in the gallery of the Florida House, I hit the “record” button. “This is it,” I say
simultaneously with my colleague Chris Floyd, lobbyist for the Florida Association
of Advanced Practice Nurses (FLAANP). The House clerk announces the vote:
“One hundred and seventeen yays, one nay.”
I have watched the video no less than 10 times in three days, and posted it on Facebook. Yet, there is so
much more it doesn’t show:
• The 21 legislative sessions that similar language was filed, mostly by the FNA and its lobbyists
Barbara Lumpkin, Bob Levy, and Anna Small.
• The multimillion-dollar fundraising efforts by organized medicine to paint ARNPs as “quacks”
and sway lawmakers to oppose our efforts.
• A 2013 meeting with me, Bob, and Rep. Richard Corcoran about the cost-effectiveness of ARNP
prescribing. Rep. Corcoran asked for supporting studies, and Bob loaded him up with documents.
The next year, the House filed legislation calling for independent practice by ARNPs.
• The emergence of Sen. Denise Grimsley, a registered nurse, and Rep. Cary Pigman, a physician, as
key players in the fight for prescribing rights.
• Campaign walks and other efforts by the FLAANP, FNA, and others to get nurse-friendly
lawmakers elected.
• Growing support from members of House leadership, due in large part to relationships fostered by
the Florida Nurse Practitioners Network (FNPN) and other nursing organizations.
• Backing from AARP, Florida Chamber of Commerce, Associated Industries of Florida, Florida
TaxWatch, the nursing home industry, and others.
• A surge of support and resources by Phillis Oeters of Baptist Health South Florida and the Florida
Hospital Association (FHA).
• A key partnership with the Florida Association of Physician Assistants, under the guidance
of lobbyist Corinne Mixon. They, too, were seeking authorization for controlled substance
prescribing.
• More than 100 visits to lawmakers at the state Capitol by members of the Florida Association of
Nurse Anesthetists. Some visits coincided with FNA’s Advocacy Days, where members similarly
lobbied lawmakers on ARNP prescribing.
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