[DSM-Iowa] FW: Time Sensitive: IDB State Appropriation
Scott Van Gorp
svangorp at nfbi.org
Fri Apr 16 10:16:47 UTC 2021
Good Morning Federation Family:
Please see Director Wharton’s note below. The situation she shares is one that I and Michael Barber, among others, have been concerned about for a while now. Please feel free to write to our senators in support of the budget request as outlined below. If you have any questions, please let me know.
Scott Van Gorp, President
National Federation of the Blind of Iowa
Phone: 515-720-5282
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The National Federation of the Blind of Iowa is a community of members and friends who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation’s blind. Every day we work together to help blind people live the lives they want.
From: Emily Wharton <Emily.Wharton at blind.state.ia.us>
Sent: Thursday, April 15, 2021 9:01 PM
Subject: Time Sensitive: IDB State Appropriation
Dear Presidents, would you please consider sharing the below information with your membership? I’m including an overview of the situation, a list of the top members of the Senate Appropriations and Committee, and a few bits of suggested text as I know not everyone likes writing or feels like they know what to say. If you have any questions, please let me know.
IDB greatly appreciates the Governor and State House of Representatives support for our appropriation request. The House included the full amount of our request in HF868. WE are asking the Senate to consider matching the House appropriation. Currently SF596 includes an appropriation of $2,517,001 for IDB which is $263,723 less than the House version. If the Senate version becomes law, we will not have sufficient state funds to put a 7th IL teacher into the field to serve older individuals who are losing vision from macular degeneration and other eye conditions. Our teachers currently must cover large territories (see map below) and we need them to be spending more time with clients and less time in front of windshields. We need to be giving these older adults the tools and training they need to stay in their homes, remain connected to loved ones, and enjoy their wel-earned retirement. If the Senate version passes, it is very likely that there will need to be additional cuts to the IL budget. Our bils from other agencies including the Department of Administrative Services and Office of the Chief Information Officer continue to rise and we have no say in or control over what they will charge us. If the Senate version passes, we will need to make some hard choices and we will do our best to lessen the impact on IL clients, but because of the way that our funding streams are structured, there is no way that we can stop the IL program from being harmed.. If you would like to thank your Representative for their support of the House version or encourage your Senator to amend SF596 to match the House appropriation level, <https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislators/find> use this tool to find out your Representative or Senator. <https://www.legis.iowa.gov/committees/committee?ga=89&groupID=324> You can find a list of all the Senators on the Appropriation Committee here
If you are interested in showing your support for IDB, please share your support with the members of the Senate Appropriations Committee listed below. If you live in their district, please do mention this. If you would like to share about how IDB services impacted your life, please do so. Here are some ideas of some things you could say if they are helpful to you:
Please match the house’s level of funding for the Iowa Department for the Blind. I received services from IDB and it made a big difference in my life.
Please give IDB the $2,780,724 recommended by the Governor and supported by the House. My family member received services from IDB and their services were so helpful.
Senator Tim Kraayenbrink, Full Appropriations Chair
tim.kraayenbrink at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:tim.kraayenbrink at legis.iowa.gov>
mark.lofgren at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:mark.lofgren at legis.iowa.gov> (Vice Chair)
joe.bolkcom at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:joe.bolkcom at legis.iowa.gov> (Ranking member)
Senator Claire Celsi serves on this committee as well. Michael Barber brought her to IDB to tour and she was very supportive toward our mission.
claire.celsi at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:claire.celsi at legis.iowa.gov>
Senate Education Appropriation Subcommittee Members
Chris Cournoyer (R, District 49), Chair LeClaire
chris.cournoyer at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:chris.cournoyer at legis.iowa.gov>
Jesse Green (R, District 24), Vice Chair
Harcourt
jesse.green at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:jesse.green at legis.iowa.gov>
Jackie Smith (D, District 7), Ranking Member Sioux City
Jackie.smith at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:Jackie.smith at legis.iowa.gov>
Herman C. Quirmbach (D, District 23)
Ames
herman.quirmbach at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:herman.quirmbach at legis.iowa.gov>
Annette Sweeney (R, District 25)
Alden
Annette.sweeney at legis.iowa.gov <mailto:Annette.sweeney at legis.iowa.gov>
Sincerely,
Emily Wharton, MFA CPM
Director, Iowa Department for the Blind
515.802.7313
https://blind.iowa.gov
http://www.atiowa.net
"A proud partner in the America’s Job Center Network"
B greatly appreciates the Governor and State House of Representatives support for our appropriation request. The House included the full amount of our request in HF868. WE are asking the Senate to consider matching the House appropriation. Currently SF596 includes an appropriation of $2,517,001 for IDB which is $263,723 less than the House version. If the Senate version becomes law, we will not have sufficient state funds to put a 7th IL teacher into the field to serve older individuals who are losing vision from macular degeneration and other eye conditions. Our teachers currently must cover large territories (see map below) and we need them to be spending more time with clients and less time in front of windshields. We need to be giving these older adults the tools and training they need to stay in their homes, remain connected to loved ones, and enjoy their wel-earned retirement. If the Senate version passes, it is very likely that there will need to be additional cuts to the IL budget. Our bils from other agencies including the Department of Administrative Services and Office of the Chief Information Officer continue to rise and we have no say in or control over what they will charge us. If the Senate version passes, we will need to make some hard choices and we will do our best to lessen the impact on IL clients, but because of the way that our funding streams are structured, there is no way that we can stop the IL program from being harmed.. If you would like to thank your Representative for their support of the House version or encourage your Senator to amend SF596 to match the House appropriation level, <https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislators/find> use this tool to find out your Representative or Senator. <https://www.legis.iowa.gov/committees/committee?ga=89&groupID=324> You can find a list of all the Senators on the Appropriation Committee here
Ask In A Nutshell
* A SFY22 state appropriation of $2,780,724
* Allowance of 89 FTEs
We have three purposes for this request:
* Add one teacher to our Independent Living Team to provide training and hope to older individuals losing vision so they can remain independent in their home and communities ($77,845)
* Provide the 21.3% state match to fund our Young Adult Transition Program to allow blind youth with additional barriers to gain the blindness skills they need to move on to higher education and employment ($200,993)
* Provide state match sufficient to cover contract mandated cost of living increases, rising Department of Administrative Services (DAS) and Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) charges ($249,885)
IDB is also asking for a one time capital request of $139,100. This would be used for:
* Roof repair/replacements to eliminate leaks
* Replacement of boiler
* Creation of additional home management training space on the south side of the 2nd floor to accommodate small group independent living and vocational rehabilitation trainings
* Completion of the renovations to our first floor welcome area
Ask Details
Additional Independent Living Teacher
IDB currently has six teachers to serve all 99 counties. Two of these teachers have to cover more than 20 counties and one of these teachers must cover more than a quarter of the state.
Adding an additional teacher would:
* Reduce teacher territory sizes, reducing travel time and allowing clients to be seen sooner and more frequently.
B greatly appreciates the Governor and State House of Representatives support for our appropriation request. The House included the full amount of our request in HF868. WE are asking the Senate to consider matching the House appropriation. Currently SF596 includes an appropriation of $2,517,001 for IDB which is $263,723 less than the House version. If the Senate version becomes law, we will not have sufficient state funds to put a 7th IL teacher into the field to serve older individuals who are losing vision from macular degeneration and other eye conditions. Our teachers currently must cover large territories (see map below) and we need them to be spending more time with clients and less time in front of windshields. We need to be giving these older adults the tools and training they need to stay in their homes, remain connected to loved ones, and enjoy their wel-earned retirement. If the Senate version passes, it is very likely that there will need to be additional cuts to the IL budget. Our bils from other agencies including the Department of Administrative Services and Office of the Chief Information Officer continue to rise and we have no say in or control over what they will charge us. If the Senate version passes, we will need to make some hard choices and we will do our best to lessen the impact on IL clients, but because of the way that our funding streams are structured, there is no way that we can stop the IL program from being harmed.. If you would like to thank your Representative for their support of the House version or encourage your Senator to amend SF596 to match the House appropriation level, <https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislators/find> use this tool to find out your Representative or Senator. <https://www.legis.iowa.gov/committees/committee?ga=89&groupID=324> You can find a list of all the Senators on the Appropriation Committee here
Ask In A Nutshell
* A SFY22 state appropriation of $2,780,724
* Allowance of 89 FTEs
We have three purposes for this request:
* Add one teacher to our Independent Living Team to provide training and hope to older individuals losing vision so they can remain independent in their home and communities ($77,845)
* Provide the 21.3% state match to fund our Young Adult Transition Program to allow blind youth with additional barriers to gain the blindness skills they need to move on to higher education and employment ($200,993)
* Provide state match sufficient to cover contract mandated cost of living increases, rising Department of Administrative Services (DAS) and Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) charges ($249,885)
IDB is also asking for a one time capital request of $139,100. This would be used for:
* Roof repair/replacements to eliminate leaks
* Replacement of boiler
* Creation of additional home management training space on the south side of the 2nd floor to accommodate small group independent living and vocational rehabilitation trainings
* Completion of the renovations to our first floor welcome area
Ask Details
Additional Independent Living Teacher
IDB currently has six teachers to serve all 99 counties. Two of these teachers have to cover more than 20 counties and one of these teachers must cover more than a quarter of the state.
Adding an additional teacher would:
* Reduce teacher territory sizes, reducing travel time and allowing clients to be seen sooner and more frequently.
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