Issue link: https://nnumagazine.uberflip.com/i/447737
science and what's best for their constituents, not worry where the next campaign buck will come from if they offend big corpo- rations or industries. Another reason for the difference in leg- islative priorities is that candidates with a wider range of experiences, knowledge, and backgrounds now have a shot at getting elected. Candidates have also said that their experiences talking to people door to door while gathering $5 donations to qualify for clean money funds serve as a touchstone for what constituents need. In Maine, at least two nurses who currently serve in the House of Representatives would have had great difficulty or not been able to run if it hadn't been for the state's clean money elections system. One of these is Anne Perry, a family nurse practitioner and community activist on prescription drug abuse issues, who said she wouldn't have been able to run without public funds. "I was- n't part of the political hierarchy, so clean money offered me an opportunity to run for office," said Perry, who was elected to her first term in 2002 and is now finishing her second term. "It freed me up from having to fundraise, and let me spend more time meeting people and campaign- ing door to door and doing that kind of stuff out in the community." Through that strategy, Perry was able to beat an incumbent for the seat. Another is Timothy Driscoll, an emergency room RN at Mercy Hospital in Portland, Maine. "Clean money elections have allowed me to not be beholden to any special interests," said Driscoll, who was elect- ed to his first term in 2004. "I can go out and talk to individuals in my district and discuss the issues and make my decisions based on the people that I represent, not the people financing my cam- paign." As an ER nurse, Driscoll campaigned on the issue of af- fordable prescription drugs, and has kept healthcare at the forefront of the Legislature. He has introduced a bill to examine purchasing drugs from Canada, and is working on nursing load and shortage issues. Driscoll noted that although Big Pharma keeps many lobbyists in Maine, "clean money elections take [them] right out of the picture here. They are not effective." Both Perry and Driscoll are working professionals. Maine has a citizen legislature, which means that lawmakers are in session just part of the year and only earn $20,000 over the two-year term, so almost all keep their day jobs. (See sidebar for more on Perry and Driscoll.) All of these examples give Kay McVay hope. Hope that children won't have to die because their parents' jobs don't include health benefits, hope that all nurses get the number of patients they can handle and still give them the care they deserve, and hope that everyone can get the medication they need, regardless of their abili- ty to pay. "Clean money and getting a single standard of care go hand in hand," said McVay. "If we get clean money, then maybe we'll get single payer, and all these stories won't be a problem anymore." ■ C A L I F O R N I A N U R S E W W W . C A L N U R S E S . O R G M A R C H 2 0 0 6 11 patient is abusing them. The state Office of Substance Abuse sends the provider the patient's prescription history, and also treatment options available. Perry said that, as a nurse, she wanted to treat the problem as a medical and health issue, not as a criminal or law enforcement issue. It passed unanimously. "As a healthcare provider," said Perry. "I offer a different way of looking at what could have been a contentious bill." TIMOTHY DRISCOLL, RN Timothy Driscoll, an emergency room RN at Mercy Hospital in Portland, Maine, has always had politics in his blood. His father had served six years on the state legisla- ture, and though Driscoll had held posi- tions on school boards and the city council, he always knew he'd like to aim for that goal one day. He probably would have run even if Maine didn't have a clean money system, but he was very glad it did. "I think it's a better fit for me," said Driscoll, who lives just outside Portland in Westbrook. "This is a better way of being able to connect with people and not have to worry so much about financing your campaign. I like to be freer to make good decisions and not have that pressure to make decisions based on whether some- body gave money to my campaign." One of Driscoll's campaign issues was affordable prescription drugs, and the first bill he introduced would have helped resi- dents buy cheaper drugs from Canadian pharmacies through a state-run website. He is also working on tackling the nursing shortage, which has pushed up work loads and the numbers of agency nurses being used. Driscoll reports that lobbyists do still roam all over the state capital, but as a clean candidate, they have no influence on him. "I think clean money has worked re- ally well in Maine," said Driscoll. "It cer- tainly leaves you not beholden to the special interests. It leaves you beholden to the constituents that you represent." —Lucia Hwang Get involved with CNA's Clean Money Elections campaign! Volunteer to help collect signatures or educate other RNs and your community. Visit www.calnurses.org, and look for the "Clean Money Elections" button.