Lobbying Plan Foundations

Take a look ahead to Week 6 and see where we are going as we prepare for the final assignment for the course. The first two written assignments are building blocks towards the end-product assignment. Attention to detail the first several weeks will make the end product for the course easier in the draft and final stages. There is a lot of material to cover, and some of it can be complex, especially if you have never done research in this area. Get a feel for the final assignment, and you will find the preliminary assignments walk you right through the entire process.

For this assignment, you have two parts: selecting a topic and conducting preliminary research on the topic.

Part 1: Brief Introduction

Choose one of the following issues to develop a lobbying plan to your state representatives:

· Mental health parity

· Privacy of mental health records

· Reimbursement for couples/family therapy

· Medicare reimbursement for professional counselors

· Prescription privileges for psychologists

Develop a 100- to 200-word introduction about your topic. Briefly describe the issue upon which you will later develop your lobbying plan. What is the current status of this issue in your state today?

Part 2: Annotated Bibliography

Search the Ashford University Library databases and the Internet to find sources to create a preliminary reference list for your research project paper. Construct an APA-style annotated bibliography with a minimum of:

a. Ten peer-reviewed journal articles published within the last ten years.

b. Five reputable web site resources. This would include web sites from professional organizations (e.g., American Psychological Association), governmental agencies or clearinghouses (e.g., Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services), or academic institutions (e.g., Ashford University). Encyclopedia-type resources or those with questionable reliability (e.g., Wikipedia) should not be used.

c. After the citation for each source, write a short paragraph (100-200 words each) applying the main points to your lobbying plan.

The Learning Services Writing Center can help you with the structure of your assignment. Take a look at this annotated bibliography tutorial (Links to an external site.) from the Writing Center to help you get started, and feel free to use this annotated bibliography template (Links to an external site.) to guide the format of your paper. The Ashford Library has access to the EBSCOhost and ProQuest databases, and more. Click on the Library link on the left-hand side navigation to access the Ashford University Library, these databases, and contact information for the library staff.

Week 6 – Assignment
Lobbying Plan: Final Project Submission
Structure your lobbying plan following this standard outline incorporating appropriate heading levels:

I. Cover Letter (your letter of introduction) 350-525 words introducing yourself and the issue to your state representative. For the first part of the assignment, you may use any appropriate cover letter or business letter template that your word processing software (e.g. Microsoft Word) likely offers for free. It is important to keep the format simple and free from distracting borders, images, and designs. You can also use this template (Links to an external site.) to get started. Your letter must include the following:

a. Personal introduction, including any credentials or background information you feel are important to gain rapport.

b. Introduction of the issue, including what you would like to see happen with the issue.

c. A request for an appointment with the representative to discuss the issue.

You can continue your lobbying plan on the page proceeding your cover letter as follows.

II. An APA Style Title page

I. An Introduction Section (A Level 1 Heading) 575 – 1,050 words that introduce the issue

a. Description of Setting (A Level 2 Heading)

b. Statement of Objectives in Your Plan (A Level 2 Heading)

I. An Argument Section (A Level 1 Heading) 1,750-2,450 words where you summarize the research support for their issue.

a. Explain what you have found out about your issue and what areas need to be addressed. (A Level 2 Heading)

b. Analyze the current status of actions being taken in the professional and legislative areas to support your explanations. (A Level 2 Heading)

c. Provide examples of areas that are working well and may need to be enhanced, as well as areas that are not working so well and need to be changed. (A Level 2 Heading)

I. An Action Section (A Level 1 Heading) 350 – 700 words where define what action or legislative changes that they would like to see take plan to resolve their issue.

a. Explain what resources may be needed to execute the plan. (A Level 2 Heading)

b. Analyze how executing this plan will provide better services. (A Level 2 Heading)

c. Provide examples of the measurable improvements that you would expect to be the metrics for ongoing evaluations of the plan. (A Level 2 Heading)

I. Conclusion (A Level 1 Heading) 300 – 700 words bringing the paper to a logical end.

II. References

This is your final submission. Your paper should be 3,325 to 5,425 words in length and be based on articles from the last ten years. You are required to use APA formatting for in-text citations and references. For further guidance, refer to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.).

Your assignment should be complete and integrate the feedback you received from your instructor following the submission of your rough draft.