National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable
Public Policy Position Process
Background
In the process of achieving the mission of the National Viral Hepatitis
Roundtable to eliminate viral hepatitis, the organization will express
its views on matters of public policy. These views will be expressed
in written documents such as letters, reports and testimony, as well
as orally in speeches and hearings.
The following is the process by which the Steering Committee will determine
which public policy statements the Roundtable will make.
Criteria for Public Policy Positions
The NVHR will consider policy positions proposed by its members that
contribute to the elimination of viral hepatitis in one or more of
the following ways:
By increasing the visibility of viral hepatitis disease;
By increasing public awareness of the burden of illness suffered
by those with hepatitis and their families, communities and workplaces;
and
By increasing funding to support research, prevention and screening,
care and treatment, and education.
Proposal Submission
This statement should be submitted to Martha Saly, Interim Administrator
Any
member may submit a policy position for consideration, in the following
format. The proposed policy position should be submitted in writing,
and be no more than two pages in length.
Page one should include the following:
- Definition of the problem, issue or opportunity
- Description of the proposed NVHR policy action (e.g., testimony
before Congress, letter to Congress, letter to Secretary of DHHS)
- Description of how taking this action/making this statement will
help to eliminate viral hepatitis
- Notation of whether the issue is time-sensitive (that is, Hearing
date is one week from date of this submission, quick action is necessary)
along with a deadline date for action by the NVHR
- Description of likely groups (outside the membership of NVHR) who
will support, and who will oppose, the policy action/statement.
Page two should provide the policy statement that the NVHR should
make, and should begin with the following paragraph:
The National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable is a diverse public-private
partnership composed of 114 organizations addressing hepatitis A,
B and C. The goal of the Roundtable is to eliminate viral hepatitis
in the United States, and to that end, it is currently developing
a comprehensive plan to address the research, screening and prevention,
education, care and treatment needs of the nation. That comprehensive
plan will be completed and released in mid-2005. In the meantime,
the NVHR views this (insert the name of the opportunity, e.g., hearing
on ….) as an opportunity to inform you of our concerns about
(insert the topic of this proposed policy position).
The remainder of the page should describe the proposed text of the
policy position statement.
Proposal Review and Recommendation
Martha Saly, Interim Administrator will review the proposed statement.
If required information is missing, she will contact the proposal
sponsor and describe the additional information required. If the
proposal does not align with the criteria for an NVHR statement,
likewise, she will notify the sponsor so that modifications can be
made.
If the proposal is complete and fits the criteria, it will be forwarded
to the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee will review each
competed policy proposal, and recommend approval or disapproval action
to the Steering Committee.
Steering Committee Review and Disposition
The Steering Committee will review all proposed policy statements,
regardless of the recommendation for approval or disapproval by the
Executive Committee.
The Steering Committee approval will be sought via conference call
or in-person meetings, or via email when the proposal is time sensitive.
For a policy position to be taken, a majority of “aye” votes
from the Steering Committee will be required to approve the statement.
Government agency representatives may abstain or vote ‘nay’
Proposal sponsors will have an opportunity to participate in meetings
at which the proposal is addressed. If sponsors do not participate,
they will be notified of the Steering Committee’s decision immediately
following the meeting.
Policy Position Action
NVHR staff, and others as appropriate, will take the next steps as
determined by the Steering Committee, taking account of the tax-status
of the Roundtable, which preclude direct lobbying efforts. The appropriate
actions will involve creating awareness of viral hepatitis and educating
the public and policy makers about the pathways towards eliminating
the disease and reducing its burden of human suffering. In addition,
all members will be notified of the action, and if appropriate, encouraged
to take similar actions. The policy positions and actions of the
Roundtable will be posted on the NVHR website.
