Legislative Action Alert - March 1, 2010
Good afternoon friend of the DLC,
Week 5 not see much movement on the budget as leadership continues to work to hammer out a final agreement. As such, please use this time to continue to push for the items on my list from last week including community mental health centers, Adult Protective Services, JJS community-based supports, and assistive technology.
Unfortunately, the co-chairs of the Commerce and Workforce Services Appropriations Committee discovered that Utah State Office of Rehabilitation's pass-through money was inadvertently slated to be reduced. Part of this money goes to help fund the operation of Utah's independent living centers. While the co-chairs and others are working hard to restore funding, the Executive Appropriations Committee needs to hear how important these programs and services are to those who benefit from them.
It was brought to my attention last week that if the Executive Appropriations Committee accepts the recommendation of the Health and Human Services Appropriations Committee to make low-income pregnant women ineligible for Medicaid, aged, blind, and disabled individuals as well as those who are medically needy could lose coverage, too. This is the result of federal regulations which say that if a state chooses to cover any of these other groups, it must also cover pregnant women and their children. Therefore, when you contact your elected representatives please make sure they are aware of this potentially devastating additional consequence of eliminating coverage for these parents and their children.
On another note, thank you to the almost 100 people who have signed on so far to the Grassroots Advocacy Partnership's letter expressing concern with SB 160. To everyone's frustration, it passed second reading in the Senate 22-3 on Friday afternoon. It will be up for final passage later this week. In preparation for the House debate, we will be working to update the factsheet with responses to some of the statements made in support of the bill. In the meantime, please continue to educate your elected officials about the cost and the need to design and support a system in which an individual and their family truly can make the choice that works best for them.
Finally, Rep. Newbold will present Sen. Christiansen's bill restoring the DSPD board before the House Government Operations Committee this afternoon. Please thank her for her efforts. Also, contact the members of the Committee and ask for their support, if possible.
For more information, visit http://www.le.state.ut.us/ or www.disabilitylawcenter.org/legislative-advocacy.htm. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. As always, thank you for your interest and support,
Andrew Riggle
Public Policy Advocate
1-800-662-9080 (Voice) or 1-800-550-4182 (TTY)
801-557-9182 (Mobile)
ariggle@disabilitylawcenter.org