[New-hampshire-students] IMPORTANT - READ AND RESPOND *I*M*M*M*I*E*D*I*A*T*E*L*Y*!Fwd: GSIL Advocacy Alert - State Voter ID Bills, Repeal of CLASS Act, and More

[Andrew Harmon]

Dear All
Please read and act ujpon the following information from Jeff
Dickinson, the Advocacy Director at Granite State Independent Living
headquartered in Concord, NH; below are vital information about laws
that will negatively impact the very way of life for many New
Hampshirites, especially the disabled members of the populace.

Of special importance is the committees hearing on the Voter
Registration legislation (SB289 & SB318), which will essentially
establish a costly version of "Papers, Please" for anyone wanting to
obtain a ballot in New Hampshire - they will force people to fill out
affa-davit after affa-davit for saying essentially "I live in this
town".  It forces people to get vouchers from the DMV if they want to
vote same day or register same-day, which only applies to the
election, AND NOTHING ELSE; it essentially costs $10 to same-day
register to vote in New Hampshire once this passes.

Please read the information below, and check out
<www.gencourt.state.nh.us>
if you don't understand any of the legal jargan used in the texts
ofthe legislation.

Many thanks for your time and efforts

Andrew Harmon

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jeff Dickinson <jdickinson at gsil.org>
Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:19:36 -0800
Subject: GSIL Advocacy Alert - State Voter ID Bills, Repeal of CLASS
Act, and More
To: Jeff Dickinson <jdickinson at gsil.org>







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Granite State Independent Living
Advocacy Alert


In This Issue

January 31, 2012



*   Voter ID Bills Persist

*   CLASS Repeal Vote Tomorrow

*   Support ABLE Act

*   DRC's Polling Place Access Survey

*   Medicaid Limits E-Room Visits


Granite State Independent Living
Advocacy Program

21 Chenell Drive
 Concord, NH 03301

Office: (603) 228-9680 or (800) 826-3700

V/TTY: (888) 396-3459

Visit our website at: www.gsil.org<http://www.gsil.org>

E-mail: advocacy at gsil.org<mailto:advocacy at gsil.org>

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Oppose NH Senate Bills SB289 & SB318!
Voter ID Bills Threaten Voting Rights!


The Senate Public and Municipal Affairs Committee is considering 2
bills that will make it more difficult for NH citizens to exercise
their right to vote, especially voters who are older, have
low-incomes, or have disabilities. The Committee recessed both
hearings last week and is expected to take up both bills very soon. We
need your help calling Senators on the committee to ask them to oppose
SB289 and SB318.



OPPOSE SB289:  Basically, this bill would require a voter to show a
driver's license or one of a limited number of other government issued
photo IDs before getting a ballot on Election Day.



Talking Points for SB 289:



o   SB 289 represents a radical change in New Hampshire voting laws.
It is a costly and unnecessary proposal that creates barriers to
voting for voters who are older, have low-incomes, have disabilities,
belong to a minority, or are new residents.



o   There is no evidence to show that New Hampshire citizens, whether
they own a photo ID or not, are at all likely to impersonate someone
else in order to get a ballot.



o   The provisions in the bill to allow citizens to vote without a
photo ID are so onerous that many citizens will give up on voting
altogether.



o   The bill inadequately addresses the need for public education
around such a radical change in New Hampshire voting laws.



o   SB289 is a costly and unnecessary proposal that creates barriers to voting.



OPPOSE SB318: This bill would require voters to show an ID in order to
vote and makes other changes in voting requirements and procedures in
NH.

Talking Points for SB 318:



 *   SB 318 makes changes to voter registration that will be
especially onerous for low-income voters who may not possess some of
the documents required.


 *   The bill is costly. It will require public education, training
for poll workers, moderators and clerks, and provisions to supply a
photo ID to those that don't have them.


 *   Requirements in the bill that would take months to comply with
are incompatible with same-day registration.


 *   The changes to NH registration forms are unnecessary and written
in a hostile and threatening manner that may discourage voting from
vulnerable populations.


TAKE ACTION!


*        Call or Write Members of the Committee:

Senator John S. Barnes Jr. (R-Raymond)
PO Box 362
Raymond, NH 03077
(603) 895-9352

Senator Jeanie Forrester (R-Meredith)
State House
Room 105-A
107 N. Main Street
Concord, NH 03301
(603) 271-4151

Senator David Boutin (R-Hooksett)
1465 Hooksett Road #80
Hooksett, NH 03106
(603) 203-5391
dboutin1465 at comcast.net<mailto:dboutin1465 at comcast.net>

Senator Amanda Merrill (D-Durham)
8 Meadow Road
Durham, NH 03824
(603) 868-2491

Senator Nancy Stiles (R-Hampton)
Legislative Office Building
Room 103-A
33 North State Street
Concord, NH 03301
(603) 271-3093

*        Call or Write Your State Senator: Click link for State
Senator<http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/senate/members/senate_roster.aspx>s
*
*        Write a letter to the editor of your local paper.

Vote on Repeal of CLASS Act Tomorrow!
U.S. House to Take Up  H.R. 1173


Tomorrow, the U.S. House of Representatives is expected vote on H.R.
1173, a bill to repeal the Community Living Assistance Services and
Supports (CLASS)
Program<http://www.advanceclass.org/background/class-act-basics>. The
CLASS program was created in the new healthcare law to help pay for
services and supports to help working adults maintain independence in
the community.  It would create a voluntary public long term care
insurance plan paid for by workers through voluntary payroll
deduction.

TAKE ACTION!



It is vital for you to contact your representative today and let
him/her know that you oppose a repeal of CLASS before they vote.

Talking Points:



o   If CLASS is repealed, Congress will continue to ignore the real
and growing crisis of long term services and supports.  Medicaid will
continue to take on the load of long term service needs for most
Americans, leaving hundreds of thousands on waiting lists.  People
with disabilities will continue to have few options to live in the
community.



o   Average home and community-based care now costs over $21,000 per
year.  Few Americans have insurance to cover these costs.  Only 3%
have private long term care insurance and the majority are forced to
impoverish themselves to qualify for Medicaid.



o   It had been decades since Congress dealt seriously with long term
services and supports when it passed the CLASS program.  Do you really
want to wait another generation?

TAKE ACTION!



It is vital for you to contact your representative today and let
him/her know that you oppose a repeal of CLASS before they vote.

Alert your friends, family, and colleagues that this vote is happening.

Call your Representatives toll-free at 866-898-2624 or utilize the
contact information posted in the next section to let them know that
the CLASS Act is the only framework that exists in the law to help fix
how we pay for long term services and supports.  Now is the time to
make your voices heard!

What to Say:
*    I urge Representative _______________ not to repeal the CLASS Act.
*    It is the only framework that exists to help fix how we pay for
long-term services and supports.


Support the ABLE Act of 2011
Allows "ABLE accounts" for people with disabilities


This is a reminder to please support the Achieving a Better Life
Experience (ABLE) Act of 2011, which helps Americans with disabilities
save money for the future. If you have not already done so, we urge
you to contact your elected officials and urge their co-sponsorship of
the ABLE Act (H.R. 3423/S. 1872).

The proposed act amends section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code of
1986 to provide for the establishment of "ABLE accounts" for the care
of family members with disabilities. ABLE accounts encourage and
assist individuals and families in saving private funds that can be
used to support the health, independence and quality of life of the
person with a disability.

Qualified disability expenses include: education, housing,
transportation, employment support, health and wellness, assistive
technology, personal support, miscellaneous expenses, and other
approved expenses.

Please contact your elected officials, and let them know that you
support H.R. 3423/S. 1872 because it assists individuals with
disabilities in achieving desired levels of independence and success.
Contact Information For NH Members of the U.S. Congress

Name

Mailing Address

Phone

Fax

E-Mail Contact Form

U.S. Representative Frank Guinta

1223 Longworth HOB Washington, DC 20515

(202) 225-5456

(202) 225-5822

https://guinta.house.gov/contact-me/email-me

U.S. Representative Charlie Bass

2350 Rayburn HOB Washington, DC 20515

(202) 225-5206

(202) 225-2946

https://forms.house.gov/bass/webforms/contact-form.shtml

U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte

144 Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC, 20510

(202) 224-3324

(202) 224-4952

http://www.ayotte.senate.gov/?p=contact

U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen

520 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510

(202) 224-2841

(202) 228-3194

http://shaheen.senate.gov/contact/



Post-Primary Survey on Polling Place Access
DRC Wants to Know About Your Voting Experience


The Disability Rights Center of Concord is conducting a survey on the
experiences persons with disabilities have had in accessing their
local polling place to vote in the recent primary.  Your feedback is
invaluable to disability rights advocates who strive to improve voting
access for all New Hampshire citizens.  Please take a moment of your
time to fill out the survey here:



https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2CSVL2D


Changes to Medicaid Service Limits
New Restriction on Emergency Room Coverage


A notice has been sent to Medicaid recipients regarding the number of
Emergency Room visits to be covered by Medicaid on a yearly basis.
Effective March 1st, 2012, Medicaid will cover four (4) Emergency Room
visits per year (July 1st to June 30th).  Visits over the limit will
be paid only if they are true emergencies.



Medicaid urges its recipients to go to the Emergency Room only if you
believe that your health is at serious risk by not seeing a doctor
right away.  In all other circumstances, Medicaid recommends seeing
your doctor or visiting an Urgent Care Clinic before resorting to the
Emergency Room.



For mental health issues, Medicaid advises recipients to see a mental
health worker before utilizing an Emergency Room visit.



Other service limit changes include:



*       Effective November 1st, 2011, there are no limits on physician visits.



*       Effective November 1, 2011, the service limit for private
psychotherapy has been changed from 12 visits to 24 visits per year
(July 1st to June 30th) for children and from 12 visits to 18 visits
per year (July 1st to June 30th) for adults.  This change does not
affect services provided through Community Mental Health Centers.


*       Effective March 1, 2012, the service limit of twelve (12)
outpatient hospital visits per year (July 1st to June 30th)  will be
removed.
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