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2009 Maryland Legislative Issues

PHONE ALERT UPDATE from phone action alert sent 3/21.  WE CAN MAKE  - 1 phone call for 2 bills!!!! See information below and sample phone template attached on how to make one phone call and leave the message asking for support for 2 bills! Still short and sweet! Thank you!
 
Here is some updated information on our bills in Annapolis.
We have 2 bills this week!  This is a huge blessing and opportunity and a call for extra effort as well.  To get 2 important bills to the stage of getting a hearing in Annapolis is a milestone. Thanks to Delegate Conway and the Eastern Shore House legislators for being sponsors.  We need to do all we can to help the passage of these bills! They are:
 
HB 1464 - Individuals with Developmental Disabilities - Respite Care
This is the previously discussed bill where 1) respite will be continued for 5 years at Brandenburg, Holly and Potomac  and 2) DDA will be held accountable to report how many people ask for respite care, whether in SRCs or community AND numbers DDA approved or disapproved and why. (This is to include people on the Waiting List for new services as well.) The hearing for this will be Tuesday, March 24th and the committee vote will probably be on March 25th to decide if the bill will go over to the Senate and have a chance for overall passage by the General Assembly. See the text at:
 
HB1552 - Developmental Disabilities - Holly Center - Community Resource Center Pilot Program. The hearing for this will be Wednesday, March 25th and the committee will probably vote late on March 25th to decide if the bill will go over to the Senate and have a chance for overall passage by the General Assembly.  This bill would permit Holly Center to embark on a pilot program to develop/offer an outreach of services for individuals with developmental disabilities who live at their family home or receive services in community group homes and who cannot obtain many medical, therapeutic and training services they need.  Holly Center, as an SRC , could help. See the text at:
 
Please use the template attached called "Phone Calls to Delegates 2" and the attached HGO phone list.  Thank you very much for going the extra mile and phoning.  Please ask friends, coworkers and family to call as well. The timeframe for call remains the same - anytime Monday and Tuesday March 23 and 24 and up until noon on March 25th. Leave the simple short message on an answering machine or give to a legislative aide. We need statewide support - it does not matter if the delegates on the committee are your own delegates or not.
 
An additional reason we desperately need phone calls is that both these bills (and all those bills on these 2 hearing dates with the HGO Committee) will have testimony by sponsor only - this means only the  sponsoring Delegate speaks. We supply all our written letters and testimonies in a packet for the committee members. Our legislative asistance in Annapolis helps share the packet information. So our phone calls supply a layer of needed statewide support to the delegates' offices.
 
You are invited to the bill hearings in the HGO meeting room of the Lowe House Building at 1 p.m. to show support.  However,  since there are 12-13 bills scheduled on each of the afternoons with no known advance order of the bills, it will be a very long afternoon. We will not have the oportunity to speak.
 
We will be in touch as soon as we have more word.
 
Together we can do much! Thank you!

Template for Phone Calls (or emails) to Delegates:
 
“Hello, my name is _________, from _____(city)________ and I would like to ask the Delegate to support:
 
1)   HB 1464: Individuals with Developmental Disabilities – Respite Care
2)   HB 1552: HollyCenterCommunityResourceCenter Pilot Program
 
“I support these bills because
(pick a statement most relevant to you – feel free to customize):
 
1.    I know that HollyCenter provides excellent services and the facility is under-utilized. It can assist more disabled citizens within its existing budget. These Bills make sense. 
2.    Respite care is the number one requested service from DDA. Unless families can have a break from the day-to-day care of their disabled loved ones, they will burn-out and fail. We need both of these Bills to pass. 
3.    There are thousands of people on the DDA waiting list for services and the State Residential Centers can help alleviate some of the needs within their existing budgets. These Bills are vital to helping those in need.  
4.    Both of these Bills make sound fiscal sense during these tight economic times. Why not use the existing facility and trained, professional staff. Please pass HB 1464 & HB 1552. 
5.    Access to competent, experienced direct care and medical assistance is very hard to find. HollyCenter has the expertise and capacity to assist those in the community going without services. Please pass both of these Bills; people need help. 
 
“Thank you very much for your time. Have a great day.”
 
**If the assistant does not answer, leave a message with your name, town and phone number.

 

The Honorable Peter A. Hammen, Chair

House Health and Government Operations Committee                                         

Lowe House Office Building Room 241Annapolis, MD 21401 

Phone and Fax information: If you phone or fax, the information for the HGO committee can be found at http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/mdmanual/06hse/html/com/05heal.html.

 2009 HGO Committee
 
(410) 841-3772, (301) 858-3772
1-800-492-7122, ext. 3772 (toll free)
 
(410) 841-3139, (301) 858-3139
1-800-492-7122, ext. 3139 (toll free)
 
(410) 841-3692, (301) 858-3692
1-800-492-7122, ext. 3692 (toll free)
 
 
(410) 841-3766, (301) 858-3766
 
(410) 841-3551, (301) 858-3551
1-800-492-7122, ext. 3551 (toll free)
 
 
 
(410) 841-3125, (301) 858-3125
1-800-492-7122,ext 3125 tollfree
 
 
 
 
(410) 841-3118, (301) 858-3118
1-800-492-7122, ext. 3118 (toll free)
 
 
(410) 841-3103, (301) 858-3103
1-800-492-7122, ext. 3103 (toll free
 
(410) 841-3359, (301) 858-3359
1-800-492-7122, ext. 3359 (toll free)
 
 
(410) 841-3421, (301) 858-3421
1-800-492-7122, ext. 3421 (toll free)
 
Susan W. Krebs
(410) 841-3200, (301) 858-3200
1-800-492-7122, ext. 3200 (toll free)
 
(410) 841-3231, (301) 858-3231
1-800-492-7122,ext.3231
 
(410) 841-3334, (301) 858-3334
1-800-492-7122, ext. 3334 (toll free)
 
(410) 841-3110, (301) 858-3110
1-800-492-7122, ext. 3110 (toll free)
 
(410) 841-3054, (301) 858-3054
1-800-492-7122, ext. 3054 (toll free)
 
(410) 841-3358, (301) 858-3358
1-800-492-7122, ext. 3358 (toll free)
 
(410) 841-3283, (301) 858-3283
1-800-492-7122, ext. 3283 (toll free)
 
(410) 841-3502, (301) 858-3502
1-800-492-7122, ext. 3502 (toll free)
 
 
 
 
(410) 841-3039, (301) 858-3039
1-800-492-7122, ext. 3039 (toll free)
 
(410) 841-3280, (301) 858-3280
1-800-492-7122, ext. 3280 (toll free)
 
(410) 841-3545, (301) 858-3545
1-800-492-7122, ext. 3545 (toll free)
 
(410) 841-3212, (301) 858-3212
1-800-492-7122, ext. 3212 (toll free)
 
 
 
(410) 841-3240, (301) 858-3240
1-800-492-7122, ext. 3240 (toll free)