[NFBMT] Disability Employment and Transitions Budget Hearing Thursday, January 28, 2021, 8:00 A.M.: Correction

[BRUCE&JOY BRESLAUER]

Hello, fellow NFB of Montana members. 

 

At 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 28, the Joint Appropriations Subcommittee
on Health and Human Services will be holding a budget hearing on the
Disability Employment and Transitions Division portion of HB 2, the biennial
budget. 

 

This Division provides many vital services for blind Montanans including
vocational rehabilitation for youth and working age adults, Pre-employment
Transition Services for high school students, training in Orientation and
Mobility and other alternative techniques and tools of the blind, independent
living services for the older blind, Montana Business Enterprise Program, and
formerly, NFB Newsline.

 

The Disability Employment and Transitions Division budget negotiations are
starting nearly $16 million under current funding levels, so unless funding
is added back into the budget, Independent Living, Vocational Rehabilitation,
and other programs within this division are at risk of being severely cut.
Cuts to this division will mean that people with disabilities will have less
access to employment services, telecommunications services, and independent
living services statewide.

 

              During this hearing we encourage advocates to testify via Zoom
and submit written testimony about the importance of independent living
programs, Vocational Rehabilitation, the Montana Youth Leadership Forum, the
Montana Telecommunications Access Program, and Blind and Low Vision Services.


 

In addition to submitting an email to committee members and/or submitting
written comments, please consider testifying in support of the bill via Zoom.

 

How to submit Written Testimony and/or Request a Zoom Link to Testify in
Person:  

 

To request the hearing Zoom information, please visit
https://leg.mt.gov/public-testimony/  

 

Select HB 38 as the bill you wish to be a proponent of. 

 

Fill out your information, including name, phone number, email, city, and
state.

 

Submit your written testimony in the space provided, if desired, and/or check
yes next to the line indicating you would like to testify via Zoom. You must
request a Zoom link for this hearing by NOON on Wednesday, January 27.  

 

Select HB-2: General Appropriations Act, 2021-01-28 08:00 AM-JAS on Health
and Human Services, and proponent from the appropriate drop-down lists.

 

Testify in person: room 102 in the Capitol building in Helena.

 

Leave a message via phone: 406-444-4800

 

Ideas to choose from to include in your testimony or written remarks may
include the following:

 

Ask Legislators to Support Funding for Independent Living, Vocational
Rehabilitation, the Montana Youth Leadership Forum, and other DETD Disability
Programs!  Ask the Committee to fund the Division fully.

 

 

You may want to talk about the need to get NFB Newsline back.  Stress there
is no accessible alternative for information others take for granted.  NFB
Newsline is a necessity, not something nice or extra.

 

 

Tell a story about how vocational rehabilitation  benefited you personally.

 

 

Please contact members of the Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and
Human Services and let them know how important programs such as Vocational
Rehabilitation, Independent Living, MYLF, and the Montana Telecommunications
Access Program are to people with disabilities. These are crucially important
programs that help to ensure that people with disabilities have the necessary
tools to take responsibility and control over their own lives and learn the
skills they need to become active, participating members of their
communities.

 

Joy Breslauer, First Vice President, and advocacy and policy Committee Chair 

National Federation of the Blind of Montana