Forwarded Action Alert - Biennial Budget Public Hearing tomorrow 3/5, 1pm

​Forwarded Action Alert – Maine Disability Alerts – Public Hearing tomorrow, 3/5 at 1:00pm, regarding portions of the Biennial Budget that affect people with intellectual/developmental disabilities – including funding for slots on the waitlist
 
Dear Friends,
 
Tomorrow afternoon (Tuesday, 3/5/2019, starting at 1 pm) the Appropriations & Financial Affairs and Health and Human Services (HHS) Committees will have a joint public hearing to go over the portions of the budget proposal that deal with: (i) Substance Abuse and Adult Mental Health, (ii) adults w Developmental Disabilities, (iii) Brain Injury, and (iv) Children's Services.  This portion of the budget includes waitlist funding. 
 
There are currently about 1600 people on the Section 21 waitlist, (about 600 people in the Priority 2 section of the Section 21 waitlist, and about 1000 people in the Priority 3 section of the Section 21 waitlist), 25 people on the Section 29 waitlist, 30 people on the Section 18 (Traumatic Brain Injury) waitlist, and 25 people on the Section 20 (Other Related Conditions) waitlist.
 
The budget proposes to fund up to 300 people off the Section 21 waitlist.  The budget does not propose any funding for anyone else off any of the waitlists.   
 
Please consider weighing in by testifying in person or submitting written comments.  Your message can be simple:

• If you think that the waitlists should be eliminated then you may consider thanking them for including funding to address a portion of the Section 21 waitlist, asking them to fund the budget initiative, while also advocating for additional funding to eliminate all of the waitlists. 
• If you are concerned about the rates providers are paid you could also speak to the needs to have adequate direct care professional wages.

 
If you choose to testify in person helpful information is provided below:

• The public hearing is tomorrow, 3/5 at 1:00 pm, in front of the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee, and the Health and Human Services Committee.
• The public hearing will occur in State House Room 228.
• You do not need to prepare written testimony in advance – you can simply provide spoken testimony.  Spoken testimony will be limited to three minutes.
• If you provide written copies of your testimony you must provide 40 copies for distribution for the Committee Clerk to distribute copies to committee members,
• You must arrive by the time the gavel opens the hearing (prior to 1 pm) and provide your 40 copies to the Committee Clerk so that if can be scanned into the legislative web site.

 
If you're unable to attend the hearing, or even if you are, you can email members of the committees with your thoughts.  Contacting members of the committees is simple – their email address are below, and your message can be simple – simply tell your story and the importance of sufficient funding for services for people with intellectual/developmental disabilities, including fully funding the waitlists.
 
Appropriations & Financial Affairs Committee Members:
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
 
HHS Committee Members:
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
 
 
Thank you for taking action and raising your voice