Legislative Update

From JCDS Community Relations Manager Lurena Mead:

Last week was an interesting week in Topeka. Here are some of the highlights:

1- Maury Thompson, Executive Director of JCDS, testified before the House Appropriations Committee. He shared how the 10% cut to Medicaid funding would negatively impact consumers, providers and the encumbered State. Since this committee’s main focus is money, committee members were interested in the loss of the $5.5 million in Federal dollars.
2- Scuttlebutt around the Capitol is that many legislators want to address this cut to Medicaid and may offer a bill early in the session to reverse that cut. Legislators understand that the cut hurts people, but is also fiscally imprudent. Leaving “free” money on the table is not a good idea during these trying times.
3- The Aging and Long Term Care Committee also had hearings about the effect of the cuts to Medicaid. There were some compelling testimonies presented. The committee members were very attentive and asked some good questions. These committee members were sympathetic to the impact on people not necessarily dollars.
4- Go to the website www.khi.org for a couple of articles about the waiting list. One article is entitled “Waiting lists for state services expected to grow” and another called “Family awaits help”. The family discussed in the last article are active advocates from Johnson County! I appreciate their willingness to share their story. There was also a great Letter to the Editor printed in the KC Star on Saturday submitted by a mother whose child is on the waiting list. Great job…keep ‘em coming!
5- Rep. Rob Olson from the Olathe area came to JCDS to tour and learn about DD services and our needs. Rob said that he has a stack of letters from his constituents advocating for DD. He said he “keeps every one” demonstrating that your letters do make a difference!
6- We met with the new representative from the Mission Hills area. Rep. Barbara Bollier seemed very sympathetic to our cause. She said that her very first job was working in a hospital for disabled children. I think she “gets” us! If you live in her district, please touch base with her. She has much to learn about many topics but we’d like to keep a focus on DD.
Your TO DO list for next week:
1- Just because legislators may introduce a bill to reverse the cuts to Medicaid, doesn’t mean that it will happen. Contact your legislators and ask them to support reversing the damaging cuts to Medicaid. If a bill is introduced, I’ll make sure you get the bill number.
2- If you belong to a community group, special interest group, church group or networking group, please feel free to forward this weekly email. The more individuals that read our message, understand our needs and act on our behalf, the more powerful we become. One mother sends this email to over 200 individuals! One, ten or twenty will help make a difference.
3- Send your www.invisiblekansans.org letter.
As Martin Luther King said “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
My plea is: Don’t be silent, our message matters!

Warm regards-
Lurena Mead