Advocacy

Advocating for Ohio

• Speaking for Ohio – OLS advocates on behalf of member organizations and Ohio’s life sciences industry in legislative settings and participates in legislative meetings at the local, state, and federal levels to ensure public officials understand the needs of their constituency.

• National Issues – Get involved on a national level. OLS can help you engage and partner with national organizations and patient advocacy groups such as AdvaMed, BIO, MDMA, and PhRMA.

• Policy Events – Participate in legislative and policy-focused events organized by OLS and our national partners, such as local roundtables with public officials and stakeholder fly-ins in Washington, DC.

• Legislator Visits – OLS can facilitate legislator visits to member facilities, providing excellent exposure and a forum to discuss issues relevant to your business.

• Letters of Support – Engage OLS to join in sign-on letters regarding policy issues, positions, white papers, etc. concerning the industry.

Advocacy and Education Efforts

Informing and shaping public policy is an important part of our work at OLS. Many of our elected officials are interested in learning more about the health and life sciences, and we are working hard to serve as a resource for them, offering information and guidance as they consider policies that impact our industry. April 2022 Update

The Purpose of Advocacy, Government Relations, and Public Policy

Public officials make decisions every day about funding, regulations, and policy initiatives that have a substantial impact on Ohio’s life sciences industry. Legislators rely on the engagement of industry leaders and constituents for on-the-ground, real-time understanding of the industry. Effective engagement and dialogue with legislative officials can:

• Educate elected officials – most are not industry experts and value constituent guidance
• Influence regulations within executive agencies
• Shape legislative process and policies – industry has the unique experiences and job-creating power that makes life sciences issues a top priority
• Impact polling and media coverage to ensure support from champions of constituents’ causes
• Empower constituents to forge partnerships across the life sciences business community

Why Constituents Matter

Some of the strongest guiding forces behind state and federal policy are the collective positions within a lawmaker’s local community. Individual voices matter because they have the power to influence representatives in the following ways:

• Increase their credibility with the community
• Employ other constituents
• Help with fundraising and re-election efforts
• Secure local media coverage to highlight activities in their district
• Mark the district and the state of Ohio as nationwide leaders in advancements within the life sciences field

Constituents can engage with state and federal legislators, communicate with them on issues that impact their company or institution, deliver fact-based information, and be part of the process to effect change.