To turn these legislative priorities into real-world change, EMS professionals need to act as “subject matter experts” for their local representatives. Legislators often have to vote on hundreds of bills they don’t fully understand; your job is to make sure they understand these five.
Here is the TASA 2026 Member Action Plan.
🛠 Step 1: Identify & Prepare
Before reaching out, you should know exactly who you are talking to and what those legislators care about.
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Find Your Legislators: Use the Tennessee General Assembly Find My Legislator tool to send to each of your legislators. You have one Senator and one Representative.
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Check the Committee List: Does your legislator sit on Health, Finance, or State & Local Government? If so, their vote is twice as important because they see the bill before it ever hits the floor.
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Print the Assets: Have the Legislator Leave Behind printed on high-quality cardstock. This is your “leave-behind”—it stays on their desk after you leave.
📞 Step 2: The Outreach
Legislators prioritize their own constituents. When you call or email, start with: “I am a constituent and an EMS professional in your district.”
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Email: Send the Constituent Letter – Protecting Emergency Medical Services we’ve drafted for you. We encourage you to dowload print and sign or use the elecetronic signature block in the PDF.
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The Phone Call: Keep it under 2 minutes.
“I’m calling to urge Representative [Name] to support SB2536 for EMS retirement parity and SB1805 for TennCare fund 02132026ing. These bills directly impact the ambulance response times in our home district.”
- Local Grass Roots Advocacy Toolkit – Use this Toolkit to advocate locally
🏛 Step 3: Visiting the Cordell Hull Building (Nashville)
If you are coming to Nashville for a “Day on the Hill,” follow these protocols to ensure you actually get seen.
Navigating the Building
The Cordell Hull State Office Building (CHB) is located at 425 Rep. John Lewis Way N.
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Security: You must enter through the main security checkpoint. Bring a valid photo ID. You will go through a metal detector and bags will be X-rayed.
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Parking: Use the Public Square Garage or the Nashville Municipal Auditorium parking.
The “Hallway Huddle”
You don’t always need a formal appointment. Many constituents can “catch” their legislator in the hallways between committee meetings.
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The 30-Second Pitch: “Hi, Representative [Name], I’m [Your Name] from [Local Service]. I just wanted to hand you this flyer on the EMS priorities. Specifically, we need your help on the TennCare funding shift to keep our local trucks running. Can we count on your support?”
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Hand over the flyer. Point to the bill numbers so they can circle them.
📝 Step 4: The Follow-Up
The “win” usually happens in the follow-up, not the first meeting.
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Thank You Note: Send a quick email or a handwritten card the day after your visit.
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Provide a “Local Data” Point: If they asked a question you couldn’t answer (e.g., “How many emergency calls did your service do last year?”), find that number and send it. This builds your 1-on-1 relationship as a trusted advisor.
🗓 Key Dates and other Tools
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Now – February 20: Awareness building during the Mid-Winter Conference.
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February 23 – March 2: “The Final Push” before Day on the Hill.
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March 3: EMS Day on the Hill. Post photos of yourself in uniform (if permitted) or with your local crew.
2026 Session Timeline
| Date | Milestone | Member Action |
| January – February | Bill Introduction & Subcommittees | High-volume emails and phone calls. |
| March | Full Committees | In-person visits to Nashville. |
| April | Floor Votes | Final “push” phone calls to leadership. |