CNDA Legislative TOWN HALL
Learn more about:
Updates on our scope modernization efforts
Our new PAC (Political Action Committee)
Answers to your legislative questions
The CNDA is committed to the advancement and protection of our profession. We are hard at work for you behind the scenes! This page details current advocacy efforts and how you can help.
Click here to see past legislative successes from our work.
2025-2026 Main Legislative Initiative
Our current legislative initiative is to introduce a bill to remove MD oversight for prescribing. Bill introduction and the ensuing process to get it passed is no easy feat. We have been busy building relationships with legislators and securing funding to enable this process to move forward. Be sure to subscribe to Legislative email updates and follow the CNDA Facebook and Instagram accounts, to keep up-to-date on this process.
2025-2026 Current Issues
In addition to working towards full independent prescribing rights, we monitor for and advocate against other issues that arise that have implications for our profession. In the last year these issues have included:
Growing activity from “unlicensable NDs” and title protection concerns
Overreach by the California Board of Pharmacy in procuring sterile injectables and attempting regulation of IV hydration clinics
Bills introduced that would limit our ability to call ourselves doctors or infringe upon aspects of our scope
Keeping informed of the changing landscape around tools such as peptides and thyroid glandulars
Ways to Support CNDA Advocacy
1. DONATE TIME
👉 Build Relationships
Legislative movement is built on relationships.
Find your local legislator [hyperlink to https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/who-are-my-representatives], sign up for their email list, attend events and introduce yourself/what you do.
Recruit monetary support: do you have patients, neighbors, or acquaintances that are proponents of naturopathic medicine and can offer monetary support?
Consider: do you know anyone that may have a connection or personal relationship to your legislator or a relevant professional organization? E.g. California Medical Association, California Board of Pharmacy, other allied professional medical groups, etc.
👉 Recruit new CNDA members
Tell your non-member colleagues about the work the CNDA is doing and why membership is valuable and helpful toward our efforts.
Robust membership numbers show legislators a strong presence, and dues help to fund advocacy efforts.
👉 Attend Lobby Day
Lobby day is an opportunity to educate legislators about what naturopathic medicine is and why what we do matters.
When running legislation, this is an important time to introduce our bill and why passing it is meaningful to Californians. It’s also a wonderful way to connect with your colleagues!
More information about Lobby Day here [working on this page]
👉 Join a Committee
The CNDA is only as strong as those that represent it; the more hands on deck, the more we can get done. It also helps you understand the scope of work that goes into maintaining a professional organization.
👉 Attend Town Halls
This is an easy way to keep informed of the status of current advocacy efforts and ask questions.
2. DONATE MONEY
Passing legislation costs money. A lot of money. We are anticipating our current legislative initiative may cost up to $200,000. What factors go into this number?
Time. California has a two-year legislative process, thus passing new legislation may occur over a two-year period. If legislation does not pass within a current legislative term, we’re subject to another two-year process.
Paying our lobbyist. A lobbyist is essential to passing legislation. They help bridge relationships and make things happen. Our Lobbyist, Monica, has numerous well-built relationships with legislators, their staff, and other professional organizations and helps liaise between everyone. She also keeps us abreast of what is happening legislatively, including tracking bill introduction or changes in political appointments that may have implications for our profession.
Travel Expenses. While our executive legislative team donates their time (and through lost clinic time, an indirect loss of money), it would not be fair to also ask them to cover travel expenses as it relates to advocacy needs. Travel comes up when we need to attend in-person meetings at our State capitol in Sacramento (sometimes at the drop of a hat as we did for the Board of Pharmacy’s sunset review process Spring 2025) or elsewhere to meet legislators locally.
Building a PAC. At the advice of many, we established a PAC to cement a bigger political voice when it comes to our advocacy efforts. Learn more about our PAC here [need to create this page].
PR Team. We’ve engaged a political PR team to help us create a broader reach in our advocacy efforts.
Paying CNDA Staff. We have a small number of paid employees that are integral to keeping CNDA operations running smoothly. Town Halls, submitting legislative questions, and organizing legislative campaigns and events all engage their paid time.
👉 How to Donate?
We would first and foremost like to build our PAC. Our goal is to reach a minimum of $20k, although $40k would be amazing!
Donate directly to the CNDA. The more we have, the more we can fund. A large portion of CNDA funds goes to legislative efforts, including paying our lobbyist and covering travel expenses as outlined above.
Discussion on CNDA Advocacy
2026 Lobby Day
We had a great Lobby Day engaging with legislators and advocating for the advancement of naturopathic medicine.
CNDA has decades of dedicated advocacy supporting the Naturopathic Doctors (and patients) of California. Learn more about our Legislative Wins.
Why support CNDA Advocacy?