ASHA's Advocacy Priorities

Every year, ASHA's Government Affairs and Public Policy Board (GAPPB) is charged with developing a public policy agenda (PPA) listing the Association's advocacy priorities for the coming year.

Who Determines ASHA's Advocacy Priorities?

The GAPPB—comprised of member volunteers—identifies priorities based on input provided by ASHA members, certificate holders, and affiliates through a variety of sources, including:

Conversations with advocacy related boards and committees;
Online CEO chats and townhalls;
Social media interactions;
Member-initiated contact;
Input from staff on trends they are tracking in audiology, schools, clinical practice, and health care; and
Advocacy priorities online survey.

Completing the advocacy priorities online survey is the best way to make sure your voice is heard. The survey is emailed to a random sample of 15,000 members. If you don't receive an email, don't worry! Links to the survey are shared on asha.org, social media, ASHA newsletters, and the ASHA Community site.

Your response is critical to help GAPPB better understand the issues impacting you!

What is the PPA?

The PPA is the document that identifies the top advocacy priorities for the year and serves as a framework for ASHA's Government Affairs and Public Policy team to develop specific actionable objectives to make meaningful progress in these areas. It's important to note that just because something isn't identified as a priority does not mean ASHA will not advocate for/against it. The PPA is used as an advocacy tool to raise awareness of the professions and the issues ASHA is advocating on. It is distributed broadly to lawmakers and policymakers as well as coalitions and other stakeholders. Members from ASHA's Board of Directors present at state association conferences throughout the year and will also share the PPA and the importance of members advocating for the professions.

What is the Process for Developing the PPA?

January–April	GAPPB convenes for the new year and volunteer members are brought up to speed on the current climate in Congress, policy trends across states, and anticipated regulations.
May–June	GAPPB begins collecting input from members to help inform their discussions for developing the PPA.
July–August	GAPPB reviews all input and drafts the PPA.
September–October	Text for the PPA is finalized and ASHA staff design the overall layout and look.
October	The PPA is presented to ASHA's Board of Directors for discussion and approval.
November	The PPA is officially introduced during ASHA's annual Convention and then shared broadly with membership in January.

Revisiting Past Years

Making changes to federal and state policy can take years. Priorities often carry over many years in order to achieve these long-term goals. We are always growing and changing to advocate for what matters most to members. Curious about past year's advocacy priorities, actions, and accomplishments?