No Hearing May 28 on HB 4688

UPDATE 5/22/13  The May 28 hearing has been cancelled but this is not due to a problem with the repeal bill. Because it is getting towards the end of the legislative session the House will be holding an extra long session on the day the Regulatory Reform Committee meets so the entire committee meeting is cancelled. Please check back. Or like our FB page to get regular updates. We are hoping the hearing will still be scheduled in June. PLEASE CONTINUE TO CALL AND EMAIL MEMBERS OF THE REGULATORY REFORM COMMITTEE AS WELL AS YOUR OWN LEGISLATOR.

A bill to repeal the MI Dietetics/Nutrition Law has been introduced, HB 4688. The sponsor is Rep. Ed McBroom, vice-chair of the House Regulatory Reform Committee. After thorough review, deregulation was recommended in April 2012 by Michigan's Office of Regulatory Reinvention, and ORR is strongly supportive of such a bill.  We have suggested actions for you to take below, but continue to check back here often in May and June to stay up to date on progress. This bill will require citizen support expressed to legislators as it makes it's way through committees in both houses, and is voted on the floor of each house. This is all likely to take place in May and possibly June. We are recommending sending letters of support or making calls to both House Regulatory Reform Committee Members, and your own House member starting now urging support of HB 4688 to repeal PA333. The Regulatory Reform Committee hearing on this bill will be sometime as yet undetermined at the House Office Buidling (room 521) in Lansing. We encourage you to go to show support for this repeal bill (speaking isn't required), or if you want to go to speak in favor of the bill, click the Get Involved link and let us know. Someone will contact you. You can download information about going to the hearing and tips for giving testimony here:

http://www.nutritionadvocacy.org/michigan

HTN Members,

This information came to us from one of our Leadership Team members. It is a very important action alert. Please read the information below and take action. We very much need to repeal the Dietetics Nutrition Law. 

Here is what our wonderful, Anne Baker, CN, LE, sent us in addition to the MNA bulletin below that went out to practitioners. The bulletin is geared toward those who practice nutritional consulting, but is valid information for all of us to familiarize ourselves with the issue.

          After 6 years we finally have our opportunity to repeal a law that would make it virtually illegal for anyone but a Registered Dietician to discuss nutrition with a consumer. Because I have reached out to you for support in the past I am doing so again.

Your support is vital to helping us convince the legislators that this is a bad law that will only hurt preventative health care in Michigan by limiting freedom of chioce.

Would you take a moment to add your name to support repeal of HB 4688?

I have attached a letter you can use and the list of committee members to whom you can email this. Please copy and paste this letter, with any changes you wish to make and email it to all the committee members by Friday May 17. The hearing is set for Monday May 21 @ 9:00 am in Lansing. If you or someone that represents you can attend and testify in person at this session we would greatly appreciate your support.

Much more on this law as well as others that have been introduced around the country that are attempting to limit consumer freedom of nutritional choice can be found at: http://www.nutritionadvocacy.org/michigan

Michigan Nutrition Association
May 9, 2013

Dear Friends,
We have a huge opportunity staring us in the face on Tuesday May 21st when the House Regulatory Reform Committee will consider HB 4688 to repeal the Dietetics Nutrition Law.

If this law is not repealed here is what's at stake:
• Most of the people currently providing nutrition care in MI will not meet the standard for licensure, not because they aren't qualified to practice but because the standards for licensure were set by and for dietitians. They (you?) will lose their (your?) job
•You will lose the right to see who you choose for nutrition advice
• Doctors and all other professions will lose the right to refer to whomever they believe would best serve their clients for nutrition care
• The Dietetic Association's alliance with junk food companies will set the standard for dietary advice/philosophy in Michigan

Can you take a morning off on Tuesday 5/21 to make sure this law dies?
What is it worth to you to make sure the licensure law doesn't go into effect? Can you afford to assume this repeal will happen without your help? You can be sure the dietitians will be there in force to fight for their monopoly law. Will you be there to fight for your rights?

Please make this a priority if you care about your right to practice, your right to see the provider you choose, and protecting access to a diversity of nutrition information and philosophies.

Help get more people to support the Repeal
•Share this email with family, friends, clients, customers
• Arrange to carpool to the hearing May 21st; participating in democracy with others is fun!
• Keep making calls and sending emails http://nutritionadvocacy.org/michigan
• Stay updated at http://nutritionadvocacy.org/michigan

Your Efforts Mean Something!
Over the last two years we have seen the payoff of grassroots organizing. Last year 12 states rejected legislation to give dietitians monopoly rights. And just yesterday Governor Mike Pence of Indiana VETOED a monopoly for dietitians that the Center for Nutrition Advocacy had been working hard to oppose all winter.

Thanks for doing your part. Please keep spreading this information through social media, forwarding this email, word of mouth, etc., so others will act.
YES on HB 4688!

On behalf of the Board,

Judy Stone, CN, MSW
Executive Director, Michigan Nutrition Association

Representative List