The Arc of Illinois

June 29, 2010

Leaders in The Arc:

Peter Tracy, Executive Director of the Champaign County Mental Health Board, tells it like it is!

You better believe this got his legislators attention! I am told that Peter got many calls from them. Lets see if they take any action. Well done Peter!

We all need to show our outrage about the cuts to disability services like Peter has done here. The inaction of our legislators is inexcusable.

Tony Paulauski

The Arc of Illinois

815-4664-1832

The News Gazette

June 2010     Guest Commentary                                                

ACTION IS NEEDED IN THE ILLINOIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO SUPPORT DISABILITIES SERVICES

The members of the Illinois General Assembly who represent Champaign County include Senator Dale Righter, Senator Dan Rutherford, Senator Michael Frerichs, Rep. Bill Black, Rep. Naomi Jakobsson, Rep. Shane Cultra and Rep. Chapin Rose. Collectively, they have failed to adequately address the needs of people with developmental disabilities, mental health, and substance abuse/addiction issues.

None of them have stepped up on the floor of the House or Senate to challenge the Republican and Democratic leadership to appropriately fund services for people with developmental disabilities, mental health, and substance abuse/addiction issues. As a group and by their inaction, they are fully engaged in the process of destroying the not-for-profit providers and community-based systems that support recovery and the acquisition of skills necessary to live a life of independence, dignity, and full community inclusion and participation. Its imperative to bring attention to the fact that these community-based providers do the work at a much lower cost than any other alternative, including state-operated facilities.

They also havent taken a strong public position on the floor of the House or Senate that new revenue (from tax increases) should be earmarked for people with disabilities, or that it is unfair for budget cuts to be applied disproportionately to disabilities services. None of them have taken a public position on the floor that payments to the service providers (e.g., Developmental Services Center, Mental Health Center of Champaign County, and Prairie Center Health Systems) should be made in a timely manner.

Most of our elected members of the General Assembly seem not to understand that people with disabilities have a strong constituency in Champaign County and are supported by the public, advocates, families, and themselves. For some strange reason none of them seem to grasp that politically they will be supported by advocating for people with disabilities.

Our senators and representatives should realize that tens of thousands of voters in Champaign County support our local not-for-profit agencies which provide developmental disabilities, mental health, and substance abuse/addiction services. The collective inaction of the General Assembly undercuts the tireless efforts made by their constituents in Champaign County.

Now for the call to action. We challenge all of our senators and representatives to go on record publicly, on the floor of the Illinois House and Senate, to support developmental disabilities, mental health, and substance abuse programs and services by taking the following positions:

1. Demand appropriate funding for developmental disabilities, mental health, and substance abuse/addiction services.
   
2. Demand timely payments to community-based providers of disabilities services.
   
3. If there are to be cuts, demand that disabilities services be cut at a percentage equal to education.
   
4. When there is a tax increase, demand that a fair and equitable portion (a percentage equal to education) of these increases be allocated for disabilities services.

Lastly, we urge the people of Champaign County to pay close attention to the incumbent members of the General Assembly and watch to see if they heed the call to action and take the positions cited above. We also ask the citizens to think about their personal donations of time and money to our local organizations and remember how the incumbent members of the General Assembly are destroying these fine community-based agencies by their inaction. Think about friends and neighbors who have family members with disabilities. Think about the people with disabilities you personally know. If your state representatives and senators do not take the positions cited above, they dont deserve your vote in November. 

Peter Tracy, Executive Director

Thom Moore, Ph.D., President CCMHB

Joyce Dill, President CCDDB