Action Alerts
June 4, 2010
URGENT ACTION ALERT!!!
State Budget Will Soon Move to 2-House Conference Committee
Legislators must hear from you soon to avoid a payment cut!
There is one issue before the Budget Conference Committee of critical importance to you as a provider of services to people with developmental disabilities.
The Governor has proposed to reduce the payments to virtually all providers by an additional 1.25% - bringing your total cut to 4.25%.
The Senate has approved this proposal. The Assembly has rejected the proposal. The solution will be worked out in the conference committee beginning next week.
URGENT ACTION REQUEST!
You have received several background briefs on the issue. Rather than take the time and space to reiterate the background, I am attaching a sample letter with important identifying information. Write a letter and FAX it to the appropriate Legislators listed below, and send a copy to your own Assembly Member and Senator even if they are not on the Conference Committee.
Timing: Senator Ducheny has just announced that human services could be heard as early as next Tuesday, so there is no time to waste. Thus the need to FAX!!!!
You can write the same letter and address it separately to each of the 10 conferees, or you can write a single letter to the Chair and copy the other 9 members. Either way is fine, although the more personal the content the better. If your Legislator is on the conference committee, your efforts are the most important on behalf of both you and your colleagues. Whatever letter you write to the others, you MUST write an “I AM YOUR CONSTITUENT” letter to this member and make it very local and personal!
!
I am putting in red some information that is very important be included in the letter to assist very busy offices to sort and compile your input.
SAMPLE LETTER
DATE
Senator Denise Ducheny, Chair
Senate Budget Conference Committee
State Capitol, Room 5035
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: Department of Developmental Services (DDS);
Item 4300-101-001, Conference Agenda page 39
SUPPORT ASSEMBLY VERSION
Dear Senator Ducheny,
I am (introduce yourself; executive director, manager, direct care staff, board member, business partner, supporter etc.) of (Name of agency) serving the communities of (list your communities!)
We SUPPORT the Assembly version of the DDS budget item before you and STRONGLY URGE YOU TO APPROVE this version when the issue comes before you.
The Governor has proposed to reduce funding for my programs by 1.25%! That cut is worth (what does a $1.25% cut cost you???). That amount of money would make me (reduce wages? lay-off staff? reduce program enrollment? eliminate programs? Be as specific as you can!)
We understand the terrible budget situation faced by the State. But we want you to understand how difficult it has been for our agency to keep our doors open and provide services to hundreds of people with disabilities with more than $500 million in cuts to the general fund in the last two years!
We are already subject to a 3% payment cut which has cost us ($$$). We are carrying another loss of ($$$$) from cuts to adult education and various cuts to a long list of programs that state-wide add up to more than $334 million carried over from last year.
This additional cut would be devastating. And it isn’t necessary! Rather than take $48.2 million (TF) from services, there is a program operated by regional centers – the “prevention program” – which is to receive $36 million to provide case management for 17,000 infants ages 0-3 made ineligible to receive early intervention services. But only 4,100 infants have enrolled!
The program is over-funded and under-enrolled. The program should be funded for actual anticipated caseload and the over-allocation should be used to eliminate the need for further payment cuts – cuts that will, by the way, impact infants who are eligible for early intervention programs!
When the State is in such dire straits, we simply cannot justify overfunding any program while others face catastrophic cuts!
Please join us in SUPPORTING THE ASSEMBLY ACTION to eliminate the cut and eliminate related trailer bill language both of which were supported by the Senate. Should you require an offset for the $25 million that would otherwise come from the payment cut, please adopt a reduction to the prevention program!
Sincerely,
Signature
Title
C: Conference Committee Members
Your Senator
Your Assembly Member