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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'>The Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services, which will work on Part B (the part of the budget that funds the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS)) of Gov. Bullock's proposed budget, has changed their hearing schedule. Most notably, the hearing for the Senior and Long-term Care Division has been moved from the 23rd to the 24th and the hearing for the Health Resources Division has been moved to the 23rd. A full, updated schedule for the Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services can be found by clicking <a href=<a href="http://cqrcengage.com/mtcil/app/thru?ep=AAAAC2Flc0NpcGhlcjAxAZ7G6FZX2F0SF4DiBDnWeK-u_X51CtxkCNqJq6-RyJ3XCDII1dqn9alQ0E4f4JDWyObxsp6LPVhgFoos2vCX4NU2PHvRHUZYFYjzyYiEpfZ3sEcT9IRNHCOavgbQ8PGJZmwpbq-Bvj63J7ka0zTelFT0twO4iLaOhMjezFmy2t130JR7LJCnnzlyTuIff3PYo2nXl2LE6KYHug_wz5g-Ch3z3_gq5OFW6AOosPGF8bgdvtE_bpjIUNekQIsEOC0sOg369ZUFbB3v8FIkqQQcoQ&lp=0">http://cqrcengage.com/mtcil/app/thru?ep=AAAAC2Flc0NpcGhlcjAxAZ7G6FZX2F0SF4DiBDnWeK-u_X51CtxkCNqJq6-RyJ3XCDII1dqn9alQ0E4f4JDWyObxsp6LPVhgFoos2vCX4NU2PHvRHUZYFYjzyYiEpfZ3sEcT9IRNHCOavgbQ8PGJZmwpbq-Bvj63J7ka0zTelFT0twO4iLaOhMjezFmy2t130JR7LJCnnzlyTuIff3PYo2nXl2LE6KYHug_wz5g-Ch3z3_gq5OFW6AOosPGF8bgdvtE_bpjIUNekQIsEOC0sOg369ZUFbB3v8FIkqQQcoQ&lp=0</a>>here.</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'>The Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services meets every weekday starting at 8:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon. If you are not able to make it to Helena to attend or listen in on any of these committee hearings, you can also listen online on the Watch & Listen link on the legislative website. </span><i><span lang=EN style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:blue'>https://leg.mt.gov/</span></i><span lang=EN style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:blue'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'>Some important dates for the Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services are:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'>• January 17: Biennial Medicaid Report<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'>• January 18: 2021 Biennium Medicaid Estimates<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'>• January 21: Hearings and Public Testimony for the Medicaid and Health Services Management Division and the Developmental Services Division<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'>• January 22: Public Testimony for the Developmental Services Division (continued from the previous day)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'>• January 23: Hearing and Public Testimony for the Health Resources Division<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'>• January 24: Hearing and Public Testimony for the Senior and Long-Term Care Division<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'>• January 25: Public Testimony for the Senior and Long-Term Care Division continued from the 24th<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'>• January 28: Hearing and Public Testimony for the Addictive and Mental Disorders Division<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'>• January 29: Executive Action for the Public Health and Safety Division, Medicaid Funding, Medicaid and Health Services Management Division, Developmental Disability Services Division, Health Resources Division, Senior and Long-Term Care Division, and the Addictive and Mental Disorders Division<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'>• January 31: Hearings for the Disability Employment and Transitions Division and the Human and Community Services Division<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'>• February 1: Public Testimony for the Disability Employment and Transitions Division and the Human and Community Services Division<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'>• February 7: Executive Action for the Disability Employment and Transitions Division and the Human and Community Services Division, and other divisions<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'>During these subcommittee hearings, it is vitally important for people to show up in Helena and make your voices heard or, if you cannot make it to Helena, to ensure that you send in written testimony via email or testimony by phone. These hearings are important as this is the time where we may be able to restore more of the cuts that devastated many disability services over the past year, prevent further cuts to vital services, and ensure that funding for existing and/or new services are adequate to be able to meet the needs of individuals with disabilities across Montana.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'>Please stay tuned for those alerts.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'>Joy Breslauer, First Vice President<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'>National Federation of the Blind of Montana <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'>Web Site: <a href="http://www.nfbofmt.org/">http://www.nfbofmt.org</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'>Live the life you want</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>The National Federation of the Blind 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. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>