Call Your Legislators and Submit Witness Slips Today
We are deep into the first part off the legislative session where there are a lot of bills to support and potentially oppose. As a reminder, as an advocate, there are a number of opportunities to lend your experiences and voices to educate and move your legislators.
- Call and let a legislator know what you think of a bill, asking them to support a bill you think is good and why.
- Submit a witness slip, which tells those on a committee if you support or oppose a bill. Here is a quick how to link. At the start of a hearing, it is read how many opponents, proponents and no options there are.
- Submit testimony and/or testify on a topic – usually done in person to committees.
- Attend rallies – see here for the save the date for the going home rally, May 16 (word) and the Autism Awareness Day April 2.
Three Calls for Witness Slips:
HB3299 will be called in the Human Services Committee on Wednesday, March 13, 2019. You might remember that HB3299 is the bill ensuring access to sexual safety and sexual health education for people with disabilities living in specific situations. Here is the fact sheet and here is the comparison with another similar bill that we are NOT supporting.
- Please consider filing a witness slip in support of HB 3299. Mark proponent and record of appearance.
- Please contact Human Services Committee Members and ask that they support HB 3299; feel free to share with them any written testimony of support in lieu of testifying at the committee meeting.
- Please contact your own legislators and ask them to support HB3299
Dignity in Pay Act – HB3340
The new, improved “Dignity In Pay Act” is scheduled to be in the House Labor and Commerce committee tomorrow at 2:30 pm. This new version adds a fund to help providers shift to more community employment/day programs as well as requires DHS to assess people and identify a plan to move people into community placements. File a witness slip here. Here is a fact sheet.
HB4285
HB 4285 will require IL Medicaid to cover medically necessary treatment for ASD, including ABA. It is set for a vote on Wednesday March 13, 2019 in the Mental Health Committee. Sign a witness slip here.
Link to bill status: http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/billstatus.asp?DocNum=2845&GAID=15&GA=101&DocTypeID=HB&LegID=119139&SessionID=108
Call to Action-Please Share-Sponsors & Witness Slips Needed ASAP! Going to Mental Health Committee this Thursday at 11 am. As you may know one of my primary missions has been to Insure Autism. In 2008 we were the 4th State to do this, but we did not cover the poor and working poor who rely on Medicaid for Insurance. Today 42 States have passed insurance for Medicaid, Insuring Autism for those who need coverage.
Meg Cooch
Executive Director
The Arc of Illinois
20901 S. LaGrange Rd. Suite 209
Frankfort, IL 60423
815-464-1832 (OFFICE)
Meg@thearcofil.org