[NFBMT] FW: MT Legislature: Upcoming Budget Hearings for Health and Human Services

Tue Jan 15 17:46:22 UTC 2019

FYI, the following, which is from the Independent Living network, includes relevant information on the budget of DPHHS.  This includes Blind and Low Vision Services, the public hearing for which will be held on January 31.  Blind and Low Vision Services is part of the Disability Employment and Transitions Division.  Remember, these events are broadcast on the Montana Legislature’s home page, leg.mt.gov.

Jim Marks

President, National Federation of the Blind of Montana

 <mailto:president at nfbofmt.org> president at nfbofmt.org

(406) 438-1421

From: Montana Centers for Independent Living <mtcil at summitilc.org> 
Sent: Monday, January 14, 2019 4:16 PM
To: president at nfbofmt.org
Subject: MT Legislature: Upcoming Budget Hearings for Health and Human Services

 <http://cqrcengage.com/mtcil/app/thru?ep=AAAAC2Flc0NpcGhlcjAxa1NraBodXRFriwvBnqvGB1aByHZN1ARyTs28a_XxMCNcVMa05TAeRm4VQ7kRCbzN4H3NA8Ffqr7iZKLjeZa6xy0F-QkrywubOa0rGRZ3GfjbcPsWUcjPd7IKqlcQs-qAW4EiwxvEsGPTwUYOcdfQTA&lp=0> 

We are entering week two of the 2019 Montana Legislative Session and the speed of things is starting to pick up. Starting Monday, January 14, the Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services <http://cqrcengage.com/mtcil/app/thru?ep=AAAAC2Flc0NpcGhlcjAxjieNAzVfLFZga2yKeeDlmQZwWEh-nU7bOZmkNqDYzH7tf5grxAOWl8BAqtoPJ8SEXZKAPG0X2NxHcdjXTQhuP9zSOF6yRxZlEPGj-tNqOugpRPkaPNVoTb39B1KgOMpOCWD-kC2tnWG6bRjUzOa59wqJ-gF-V1qaDXsknSMnjlUCB1WkXai7dtOrPmU-_4KIb-ZQnYb7np1g6GyONXK8Ckr0WFzw8jU2upyCDLH45raij-rJDOjIM1MqeDExqm7eACVlhqaLtMhHyZeVrZszTNaC5js4ieggt_SbwGR7oDb-sKgxHtZ5K8uu5PYDRmA8nvZVHJXVzLacnLpGM4FNB3Juq53IAsTTQnxyW7jD1mM&lp=0>  will begin their work on Part B <http://cqrcengage.com/mtcil/app/thru?ep=AAAAC2Flc0NpcGhlcjAx0uK6KCNanYaxSkmTDWwX3u4hXUWQvtOim2EPRT6_Sbcav6N-VzaUD2r0EG4ESNfGPU92JP4EKPW0p2CRpFP6NyuK7ZRn0-MpBqVsq49mUPjmDZM7c2G94Nf9LnZTZtnqlN9b8qvn_CVp_-5z1VtSfdoIJ2fq9YUBYyTyo0cXa2MFMnNUQgIt3Qvn2EVbk4Brp4XaLKi1fB66hv9cPuPzPGG4XnuzZ5M31iZ5znBqLaok4X3zA4Dg8BCcryIFrnljQ5ItBopKWkwHvpSUciRnRA&lp=0>  (the part of the budget that funds the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS)) of Gov. Bullock's proposed budget <http://cqrcengage.com/mtcil/app/thru?ep=AAAAC2Flc0NpcGhlcjAxpnZftibIYZVwgzvOoYyYevmOoUhPwTzrBViIf2Xn1JsOI4yyRTQZHaGclUIgPaqdcc1pxIrv08IkH4Mu5l-CjrfAln4e9iVuMt1YcNEpdfjyY91T4yGW5SJIgWIMqoQPGOndwBM2Lmr5-D9tKReyIfbNN3zJj0h4diMKJlHqjjY&lp=0> . A full schedule for the Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services can be found by clicking here <http://cqrcengage.com/mtcil/app/thru?ep=AAAAC2Flc0NpcGhlcjAxZPCF75fPpOgcsTcxlQakvIxFbD0nEnTa_UA_w3kunU3uY8ZLsDSErSpsqC5VGjQH1f4PyT-t7E5WfZ_cALCfJj1ce8F6Xl7dA_b54fqTxeWm66tz9-IsojEiwn9M_LgkuMC7-TusbqNb5BGzdbN1NoFjArbGjiIapCUSeAWBBpAPgokW9ZnCFIh1TndPSKK2_U2L7EbOWiyZwn2F4HLvME9zPGEgLHCWbC2mY-hfLpDWvS9h8nttIijs0Mon_uJRvbrGe-EDexaPypaULxODiQ&lp=0> .

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  <http://cqrcengage.com/mtcil/app/thru?ep=AAAAC2Flc0NpcGhlcjAxev0j6qzpMaGD0NL1zbnyNH_6N954BNmiYxpMTkjUDhHcOtpCgZNJWiRclT3buQB4yXY7ZwPxkfJp738eXUXtiEuWdw4kEpe1E-Om7phmQEjhkVmSCnumef5iLO3ghHSx6d4lL1pcsy2CX3LhVzxUIQ&lp=0> & Listen link on the legislative website.

Some important dates for the Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services are:

*	January 17: Biennial Medicaid Report
*	January 18: 2021 Biennium Medicaid Estimates
*	January 21: Hearings and Public Testimony for the Medicaid and Health Services Management Division and the Developmental Services Division
*	January 22: Public Testimony for the Developmental Services Division (continued from the previous day)
*	January 23: Hearing and Public Testimony for the Senior and Long-Term Care Division
*	January 24: Hearing and Public Testimony for the Health Resources Division
*	January 25: Public Testimony for the Senior and Long-Term Care Division continued from the 23rd
*	January 28: Hearing and Public Testimony for the Addictive and Mental Disorders Division
*	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
*	January 31: Hearings for the Disability Employment and Transitions Division and the Human and Community Services Division
*	February 1: Public Testimony for the Disability Employment and Transitions Division and the Human and Community Services Division
*	February 7: Executive Action for the Disability Employment and Transitions Division and the Human and Community Services Division, and other divisions

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.

Please stay tuned for those alerts.

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