Enactment of the Proposed Policies
The proposed policies will be enacted through modification and enhancement of the existing laws. The present day health care system faces a lot of challenges and therefore the health advocacy is important as it will introduce a number of enhancements to the existing policies. The experiences that nurses go through in the health care system inform the decision to carry on with the advocacy on responsible alcohol service. The advocacy will influence enhancement on the existing laws, policies, and regulations on alcohol consumption. The advocacy, therefore, requires one to step beyond his/her own practices and into a world that he/she is less familiar with. Effectiveness of the health advocacy will therefore be determined by the will, the time, the commitment as well as the political proficiency of the participants in legislative field. The existing health care system has many policies and laws levied by government agencies among other institutions. Some of these laws, and especially the law on responsible alcohol service, are not as effective as they should (Health, 2015).
How the Existing Laws Could Affect the Advocacy Efforts
The impact of the existing laws on the advocacy efforts will possibly be positive. This is because most of the specifications of the laws are in line with the proposed policies. The only possible problem will be on making the policies stricter and to impose heavier fines in case the policies are violated. The advocacy intends to complement the laws with more stringent policies. This will help in minimizing incidents of violation of the laws on responsible alcohol service (TABC, 2015).
The laws that directly affect the advocacy on responsible alcohol service are stated under the Liquor Act. These laws specify that all licensed people and employees need to adhere to given specifications so as to avoid conflicts with the authority. For instance, the laws state that one has to deny more drinks to a person who is already drunk. The laws further states that one has to ask the drunken individual to leave the bar. The licences are also directed to inform the police if an individual who is drunk refuses to leave the premises where alcohol was being served. Lastly, the laws require the licences to prevent any person from getting intoxicated (TABC, 2015).
The Liquor Act defines a person who is intoxicated as the one whose speech, behaviour or coordination is affected by excessive alcohol consumption. If an individual who is intoxicated is found on a bar, the staffs in the bar are required to prove to the authority that the drunken person did not take alcohol in the bar. If they are not able to do so, a fine of up to 11000 US dollars could be imposed on them. The Liquor Act also provides a guideline to help licensed people, as well as their staffs, to determine if a person is intoxicated or not. The purpose of these guidelines is to minimise harm and abuse brought about by alcohol consumption. The laws also encourage a more responsible approach with regards to the sale, promotion, services as well as alcohol consumption (TABC, 2015).
Analysis of methods used to influence Legislators and Policymakers to support the Advocacy
There are three methods that will be used to influence Legislators and other policy makers to support this advocacy. These include legislative advocacy (the capitol leg), media (media leg) and grass root mobilization (the community leg). Legislative advocacy refers to everything that is done where laws and policies are enacted. They include the state legislature, the county and so on. Part-time and full-time lobbyists will be assigned the onus of testifying the need for the policies to the law makers and lobbying for supporters of the policies. They will also be tasked with sending regular alerts to citizens and law makers. The lobbyists will also visit the places where legislators and other policy makers meet with citizens during legislative sessions. Here, they will be able to meet with individuals who staff the legislators and the various legislative committees. After the policies are enacted, the lobbyists will meet with staff from the executive branch of the government to plan on the procedure for implementing the policies. With adequate interaction with the legislators and policy makers the proposed policies will easily pass through the legislative process (Loue, 2010).
Grass root mobilization will involve campaigns to educate the community about the policies. Forums will be organized to help inform the public on the importance of the proposed policies. Policy makers and legislators supporting the proposed policies will be hosted in the forum to help in conveying important information on the policies. Media leg involves the use of media, such as TV, radios, emails, newspapers and so on, to pass more information to the public of the proposed policies. The media leg is important as it will help in capturing the attention of the legislators and other law makers. It will also help in reaching more people than those who have already been convinced. Moreover, media leg will help in countering the inaccuracies in information that had been conveyed through other means (Loue, 2010).
Possible Obstacles in the Legislative Process
Potential obstacles in the process include but not limited to: financial constraints, convincing the legislators on the need to enact the policies, educating the community on the importance of the policies and inaccurate information. To convince the legislators, we will hold a number of forums where the legislators will be hosted. The forums will help them understand the importance of the policies. We will also try to reach them through the media. The community will be educated through informed campaigns to help them understand the importance of the proposed policies. To avoid inaccurate information, different communication methods will be used. Lastly, the problems that come along with inadequate finances will be dealt with through lobbying for support from the government and other charitable organizations (Towle, 2014).
References
Health, (2015). Let us keep alcohol under control. Retrieved from
http://alcoholthinkagain.com/Campaigns/Campaign/ArtMID/475/ArticleID/5/Lets- Keep- Alcohol-Under-Control
Loue, S. (2010). Community health advocacy. Journal of Epidemiology and Community
Health, 58, 79-90
TABC, (2015). Responsible alcohol service. Retrieved from
https://www.tabc.state.tx.us/enforcement/responsible_alcohol_service.asp
Towle, P.R. (2014). Advocacy: the three elements of an effective program. Retrieved from
http://institute.uschamber.com/advocacy-three-elements-of-an-effective-program/
