Advocacy

Advocacy at the National, State, and International Levels

For current information about osteopathic advocacy, click here.

DO Day on the Hill

Save the date for DO Day 2024!

Join us in 2024 for DO Day. The virtual conference will take place from Saturday, April 13 through Sunday, April 14. The in-person congressional meetings will follow on Wednesday, April 17 and Thursday, April 18. Registration and Housing Open in early 2024.

April 13-14, 2024 | Virtual Conference
April 17-18, 2024 | In-Person Congressional Meetings

Join us for the osteopathic profession’s largest public policy and advocacy event of the year, hosted in conjunction with National Osteopathic Medicine (NOM) Week. DO Day offers unmatched opportunities to hone your leadership skills and raise your voice to educate members of Congress on the issues that matter most to you and your patients. Participate in-person alongside your osteopathic colleagues in Washington, D.C., or join the virtual leadership and professional development conference from the comfort of your home or office! Participants may earn dually-accredited CME.

Two ways to participate

Virtual Only: The virtual leadership and professional development conference, set for Saturday, April 13 and Sunday, April 14, will offer specialized learning tracks for physicians, medical students and affiliate leaders focused on advocacy leadership, federal and state legislative priorities, regulatory and payment policy, state grassroots advocacy and more.

In-Person: Registration for this option includes both participation in the virtual conference as well as the in-person briefings and congressional meetings in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, April 17 and Thursday, April 18. Please note: Space is limited for in-person congressional meetings.

On-demand content will be available for viewing on the conference platform through June 17 for all DO Day registrants.

Visit this link for more information.


How to Read a Bill

Legislation does one of three things: creates a new act, adds to existing statutes, or deletes a portion of existing statutes. If the bill creates a new act, it will state this in the first line of the bill: “This is an Act to create…”. It is important to know this because as you read the bill all of the language in the bill is new language. If the bill is adding new language, the new language is underlined. If the bill is deleting language, the language to be deleted has hash marks through it. Let me know if you have questions about this.

New Legislation

For the next several weeks, legislators will be busy introducing legislation. As bill are introduced, we will review them to determine if they could have an impact on the IOMS membership. We will send bill updates to the IOMS Legislative Committee to review. Please contact the IOMS if you have any concerns or questions about pending bills or legislation in which you have concerns. We want to hear from you! Call or email us here.

Meeting with Your Public Officials

A face-to-face meeting with an elected or appointed official, or with the official’s aide who handles the issues of importance to you, is often the best way to voice your concerns. Meetings with your member of Congress can take place in the member’s state or district office or in Washington, D.C. Meetings with state legislators can take place at the state capitol or in their districts. Meeting with local officials can be more informal, taking place at a neighborhood function or county courthouse. Here are some tips for meeting with your public officials:

  • Make an appointment and arrive on time.
  • Arrive prepared with the facts about the issue you wish to discuss. Contact IOMS for talking points on issues related to Osteopathic Medicine in Illinois.
  • Be brief and specific about the purpose of your meeting.
  • Whenever possible, provide an alternative to the issue you’re address. It’s much more powerful than just saying ‘this won’t work’.
  • Have support materials (e.g., articles) available to leave with your representative.
  • Follow up your meeting with a short thank you note. It provides another opportunity for you to state your message.

Legislative Links

State of Illinois

Illinois Governors Office

Illinois General Assembly

Illinois State Board of Elections

Find your State Legislator

Illinois Department of Finance and Professional Regulation

Illinois Department of Human Services

U.S. Library of Congress THOMAS Legislative Search (Notice: The Web Archives are undergoing maintenance at this time and may be intermittently unavailable.)

U.S. Senate

Find your Senator

U.S. House of Representatives

Find your Representative (U.S. House)

The White House