Which issues do you think could have been strengthened and how?

Your Task
For
this assignment, you will attend a public hearing, or other meeting open to the
public, being conducted regarding the social policy area the student is
interested or would like to learn more.
The purpose for attending the meeting is to collect data regarding the
policy area and to observe how testimony is organized and presented. The student may also view a public hearing
via television or video on the internet.
If the student chooses to view a public hearing via a video, it must be
related to their topic of study or interest. Each student will prepare a 4- 6 page paper regarding the hearing that
was attended which will be turned in no
later than February 8th.

Students
are encouraged to attend a public hearing before this time, but availability of
hearings vary, thus this is the latest. Public hearings are listed on local,
state and federal government websites.

Your
paper should include the following points:

Introduction:
·
Identify the date of the hearing, where it was
held and the purpose of the public hearing.
What topic or proposal was being discussed? If this was related to a bill, please identify
it by number and title. If it was related to a regulation or policy, please
identify by name and number (if a regulation, for example; “Draft Chapter 9999,
Home Health Regulations.” Identify the
committee or panel and chair names.

Details
of Hearing Process:
·
Discuss the agenda for the hearing
·
Provide details about how the hearing opened up
and how it proceeded, who spoke and what groups they represented
·
Note if
there were any changes to the original agenda or if any business items were
deferred for a future date and why

Testimony
Discussion:
Who
presented testimony and what group did they represent?
Did
they make compelling arguments for or against the particular issue(s)
being proposed?
What
was strong about their testimony?
Which
issues do you think could have been strengthened and how?
What
types of questions were asked?
What
was the tone of the meeting? Did
the tone change at all? How did
people react to the change in tone?

Conclusion:
·
The student is to summarize what they learned
from this experience.
·
How did this experience help you as a future
MSW policy practitioner better understand your potential role on the policy
development process?
·
Did anything discussed or presented conflict
with the goals (e.g., promotion of social justice) of social work? Please explain /expand

Process Stages to be
followed:
Read through the assignment and
rubric carefully. Identify areas needing clarification and ask questions
in class. After you are done with this, create a personal timeline for you
to complete the following stages by the requisite deadlines.
Choose the social policy area you
are interested in and identify public meetings scheduled during the
semester on this topic.
Attend the hearing and take notes.
Write a draft of the paper. Review
APA and grammar checklists. Review with the rubric and fill out your
self-assessment.
Turn the paper in via Canvas by 11:59
PM on February 8th.

Format
The written paper
should be 4-6 pages total, including
your cover page and reference page, using Arial 11-point font size, single-spaced,
and one-inch margins. Follow the formatting style as described in the Publication Manual of the American
Psychological Association (6th edition). No abstract is needed. Per
the syllabus, the paper is due on February 8th via Canvas. Ten percentage
points will be deducted for every 24 hours your paper is turned in after 11:59
PM.

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