Fw: PA One Voice urging families to write to the Governor regarding the budget.

[Guest guest]

FW: PA One Voice urging families to write to the Governor regarding the

budget.

Forwarded by disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania --

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December is a very busy time of year for everyone but it is also a critical time

for our families. The Pennsylvania Budget is currently being drafted; now is

the time for action! The advocates from One Voice are hearing that there is a

push to reduce the increases in funding all of our groups fought so hard for

last year. We are forwarding the Action Alert from The ARC of PA. Please take

the time to let the Governor, his two key staff people and your own Senator

know why the issues below are so important to your family. Maybe send it in a

Holiday card with a picture of your family. These issues are critical and the

budget will be tighter this year than last. We need to let the Governor know

that our families and the people we love and care for need to have these items

funded in order to enable them to maximize their potential, live independently,

with dignity, in the community, and lead meaningful lives.

Write or Call Governor Rendell in December.

NOW is the time to contact Governor Ed Rendell to influence his final decisions

as to what will be included in his proposed budget for Fiscal Year 08-09.

Please write a letter or make a telephone call to the Governor's Office in

burg in December with your personal story and/or why this is important to

you. (Email is not the preferred method of communication at this phase of the

process.)

Each year, the Governor proposes a budget to the General Assembly, which the

legislature then considers, changes somewhat, and passes into law. The entire

process starts in early fall, when state government officials work behind the

scenes to develop a proposed budget they send to their respective department

secretary. Once the department secretary makes decisions as to their

department's priorities, they forward the department budget request to the

Governor and his staff. The Governor must weigh department requests against one

another - and against his own priorities - and then decide what will be included

in his final proposed budget to the legislature. It is normally during the month

of December that the Governor makes his final decisions so that his budget

proposal can be printed in time to be unveiled during the first week of

February. Now is the time to influence the Governor's budget decisions!

The key message to the Governor: People with intellectual and developmental

disabilities ought to be a budget priority of his. The Arc of PA's budget

priorities are as follows:

- Reduce emergency waiting list by 3000 individuals

- 3% added funding for existing community programs so that inflation does not

cut into service capacity and quality

- Services for 800 young adults transitioning from special education to adult

life

- Funding for 200 adults in the new autism Medicaid waiver

- Seed money for initial phase of developing statewide Adult Protective Services

system

- Sufficient funding to serve all eligible students in special education in the

least restrictive environment, and 3% added funding to account for inflation.

- Sufficient funding to serve all eligible children with developmental delays in

the Early Intervention Program, and 3% added funding to account for inflation.

Now is time to CALL or WRITE the Governor. Find suggested text for letters to

the Governor by clicking " take action " (please strongly consider editing that

text to personalize it and/or convey your own thoughts about the issue so that

it does not seem like a " form letter " ). You may also choose to call the

Governor's Office at the following number: 1-717-787-2500. Lastly, in addition

to writing to the Governor, please consider writing a letter to the following

two key decision makers on Governor Rendell's staff:

The Honorable Masch

Secretary of the Budget

238 Capitol

burg, Pennsylvania 17120

The Honorable Donna

Secretary of Policy and Planning

238 Capitol

burg, Pennsylvania 17120

Thank you.

Who is the One Voice Coalition? One Voice is a coalition of parents and

advocates from the autism and intellectual disabilities communities who have

joined together with one voice to advocate for the rights of individuals with

autism and intellectual disabilities so they may receive quality services and

supports that enable them to maximize their potential, live independently and

with dignity in the community, and lead a meaningful life.

The One Voice Coailtion came together in 2006 to bring family and self advocates

from many organizations and populations together with professionals in the field

to work collaboratively on state issues and concerns that affect the quailty of

life of those living and working with intellectual disabilities in Pennsylvania.

Judy Chabanik

Parent

Dee Coccia

Vision for Equality, Inc.

Co-Executive Director and Parent

Maureen Devaney

Parent

Founder and Co-Executive Director

Vision for Equality

Donovan

Parent

R. Fine

Parent

Gates

PA Health Law Project

Holly Kosky

Parent

Ruth K. Landsman

Parents Exchange

Maurer

Parent

McCullough

Parent

Emilio Pacheco

Parent

Vision for Equality

Diane

Parent

Institute on Disabilities

Temple University

Richey

Parent

F. Rzucidlo

Parent and Founder of SPEAK Unlimited, Inc.

Ilene Shane

CEO

Disability Rights Network

Sheila Stasko

Parent

PA Waiting List Campaign

Steve Suroviec

Executive Director, The Arc of PA

Sabra Townsend

Parent

Rae Unger

Parent

Founder and Immediate Past President of

Autism Living And Working, Inc. (ALAW)

Becky Willmot

Executive Director

Autism Living and Working, Inc. (ALAW)

Woodings

Parent

Autism Society of America, Greater burg Area Chapter