Letter from AOTPAC

Thank You
Dear Colleagues and Students,

Thank you for your generosity in contributing to the American Occupational Therapy Political Action Committee (AOTPAC) during the first 6 months of 2019. We truly appreciate your support.

Those of you who contributed during the AOTA Conference in New Orleans, a special thank you for helping us exceed our conference fundraising goal by 29%–we raised over $71,000.

Your support helped AOTA’s federal affairs staff connect, personally, with key lawmakers on critical issues, and allowed our staff to maximize their outreach at crucial times in the legislative process. These interactions and opportunities play a critical role in educating lawmakers about the value of occupational therapy services and the implications of certain policy approaches. During this period, your partnership helped us gain victories such as:

– Introduction of the Home Health Flexibility Act in this Congress, including finding a new lead sponsor in the Senate.
– Introduction of brand new legislation, the Allied Health Workforce Diversity Act, to help increase the diversity of the occupational therapy workforce. This bill has already passed out of committee in the House and should be voted on by the full House this fall.
– Inclusion of occupational therapy in the Mental Health Professionals Workforce Shortage Loan Repayment Act when it was reintroduced this Congress
– Senate passage of a resolution to recognize “National Specialized Instructional Support Personnel (SISP) Appreciation Week.” Passage of this legislation reflects the continued sense of Congress of the importance of SISP, including occupational therapy practitioners, in our schools.

Without your support, we would be missing a key component of our lobbying strategy. The AOTPAC Board and I applaud you for recognizing how important it is to have a strong political presence and for your investment in our efforts!

We look forward to your continued support.

Many thanks,
Yvonne M. Randall, Ed.D, OTR/L, FAOTA

AOTPAC Chair

On behalf of the AOTPAC Board of Directors and AOTA Federal Affairs team.