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at the finish line in 2017. Our bill had made its way through the com-
mittee process. We had received so much positive feedback. We
thought we were going to get a vote, and then it didn't happen. The
truth is that state legislatures are not rubber-stamping bills 12 months
of the year. They actually vote on legislation in a very limited window
of time. Even if you have bipartisan support — and buy-in from those
medical groups and societies listed above — your bill might not make
it up for a vote. The wheels of government tend to turn slowly. You
need to be patient and think about the big picture.
Yes, we were disappointed that we didn't get a vote in the first year,
but we came back reinvigorated in year 2, with even more proponents
on our side to make our case.
3. Analogies and anecdotes
When you work in the OR, you assume everyone knows about the per-
ils of surgical smoke. Once you get started down this legislative path,
you'll learn that's not the case. The best way to raise awareness of the
dangers of surgical smoke? It really hits home for lawmakers when
they learn a day in a smoke-filled OR is like smoking 27 to 30 unfil-
tered cigarettes. Paint a vivid picture with anecdotes, like the nurse
who testified about how a passer-by could see the smoke seeping
under the door when surgery was in session. That kind of vivid detail
shows just how much smoke we're dealing with on a daily basis.
4. Show, don't tell
Think about ways you can drive the message home that go beyond
the talking points and testimony. As we were making our pitch, we
invited the chair of the House committee on Health, Education and
Welfare to our AORN conference in Boston. It was one thing for him
to hear about the dangers of surgical smoke. It was another for him to
