Marilyn Lands believes in the power of constructive communication – listen, share, find common cause. That’s how she’s building relationships to get things done as the newest member of the Madison County delegation in the Alabama House of Representatives. She won a special election for the District 10 seat on March 26 with a margin of 25 percentage points.
Lands developed her communication skills at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH). She earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in marketing in 1981 and a Master of Science in administrative science in 1987. UAH is a part of The University of Alabama System.
“My family came here for my dad’s job at NASA,” she says. “I wasn’t born here, but I was 2, so I feel like a native Huntsvillian. My husband was born here, and he also did a master’s at UAH.”
Lands worked as director of marketing at the Huntsville-Madison County Airport Authority, now Port of Huntsville, and as a market analyst for the Boeing Company before deciding to return to school to earn a counseling degree.
Although she enjoyed marketing, she says, “It was almost like a calling that I felt led in that direction. People are always sharing details of their life with me.”
Lands looked into the psychology program at UAH, but it focused more on research and did not meet the criteria for licensure in the state of Alabama. So, she went to Alabama A&M University. After graduation, she worked for the Mental Health Center, which later became Wellstone. Then she went into private practice. She remains a licensed professional counselor, participating in workshops and training programs when the legislature is not in session.
When crafting her political platform, Lands combined her expertise and experience in business and counseling to focus on three key areas: improved health care, economic opportunities and education for all residents.
Lands, a Democrat, supports Medicaid expansion to close coverage gaps in Alabama, but she realizes many of her Republican colleagues oppose it.
“I have to keep an open mind if I’m going to understand someone else’s perspective. We are far more similar than we are not. We forget that sometimes, but when we talk to each other and listen to each other, we find we have common ground, and then we can build from that. So, I’m focused right now on building relationships.”
Lands wasted no time tackling health care when she arrived in Montgomery. She introduced the Maternal Healthcare Access Act, HB494, to extend presumptive Medicaid eligibility to pregnant women.
She calls Alabama’s current Medicaid situation a “Catch-22” for pregnant women without insurance. Yes, they probably will be approved for Medicaid, but the process takes time. They could be in their second trimester before they’re covered. Her bill offers a presumption of eligibility so women can receive care in the first trimester as soon as they realize they’re pregnant.
“You can identify things early on, especially pre-existing conditions with the mother like high blood pressure and diabetes. Early prenatal care results in better maternal outcomes – and a big cost savings.”
The bill had strong bipartisan support but not enough time to make it through the legislative process. Lands says she is promoting it this summer and plans to reintroduce it in the next session.
“I felt like it is a healthy thing that we’re beginning to have this dialogue. A conversation has begun that I think is changing the narrative around women’s reproductive health issues.”
