MAMFT Legislative Update by Kevin McKinney, Lobbyist
Just the successful turnout at the MAMFT Legislative Day (September 28), in which we had nearly 100 professional members and students all advocating the need for the proposed clarification, made a strong impression on legislators and staff of the profession and the need for our clarification. I believe the high turnout also spurred additional interest among those MAMFT members coming to Lansing to advocate for the first time. I fully expect that our Legislative Day will continue to grow, especially with the professional members as we impress upon them the need to engage and advocate for the desired changes, not only to our scope of practice but for future efforts to address reimbursement matters. Only through trusted relationships developed between LMFT members and their elected representatives will we be able to convince them of the need for our legislative agenda. And, those relationships are not built overnight nor based on one annual visit to the Capitol Building. So, over the coming months we will continue to encourage you to contact your state representative and senator and discuss our issues as well as be a friendly and trusted resource to them on issues dealing with family, marriage and mental health issues. If anyone ever has any questions about the legislative process, please do not hesitate to contact me at 517-487-2811.
