Take 5 minutes to contact your legislator and tell them to support House Bill 1499 - Developmental Disabilities Administration - Crisis Resolution Funding. The bill is sponsored by Delegate Bonnie Cullison.
This bill would mandate that the Governor include $3.5 million annual in the DDA Budget to help 110 people in the most urgent priority of need on the DDA's Waiting List - the people in the Crisis Resolution category.
This year, Governor Larry Hogan included funds in the budget for this category, but we need this to be a mandated funding each year to help our people most in need on Maryland's Waiting List. This should not be an option for funding in future years!
To become law, either the Senate bill or the House bill must pass both chambers of the Maryland Legislature.
Our primary need right now is to reach out to the chairs of these two House committees where our bill is now waiting for a hearing -
WE NEED YOUR ACTION NOW!
NEXT YEAR MAY BE TOO LATE FOR THE CRISIS RESOLUTION LIST TO GET MANDATED FUNDING.
YOUR MESSAGE SHOULD BE (feel free to personalize):
PLEASE SUPPORT HB 1499 TO FUND THE DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES WAITING LIST'S HIGHEST PRIORITY OF NEED. HB 1499 WILL HELP 110 PEOPLE EACH YEAR BY PROVIDING $3.5M IN THE BUDGET. MARYLAND IS THE WEALTHIEST STATE IN THE COUNTRY. SURELY WE CAN TAKE CARE OF 110 PEOPLE EVERY YEAR.
If your legislator is on either committee - House HGO or House Appropriations, please contact that legislator as well. To find your state legislator, visit
www.mdelect.net. Feel free to contact your own legislators even if they don't serve on the committees. We have to cause a lot of NOISE to get attention during these final days of the Session. Post on your Facebook, twitter - wherever you can reach people to compound our impact.
Please let The Arc Maryland at info@thearcmd.org know if you made your calls and feedback you receive so we can keep up our pressure and advocacy. And send to your networks please! ALL OF US ARE BIGGER WHEN WE COMBINE OUR NETWORKS.
