Capitol News: April 19
The 2013 session has reached the halfway point, but that only means the pace is getting faster. Over the past couple of weeks, we've been working hard on our legislative priorities and providing opportunities for YOU to advocate.
For example, on April 4, CTD co-hosted a Town Hall Meeting on Senate Bill (SB) 7, to address concerns about the bill and initiate a dialogue between consumers and key agency staff. You can view a video of the entire meeting here, and we're working to prepare a transcript as soon as possible. In addition, the Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS) has agreed to create a SB 7 FAQ. We'll post on Facebook when these items are ready.
Then, on April 10, as part of the Texas Forward coalition, we helped organizers of Our Future Our Texas!, a march, rally, and advocacy day. During this drizzly day, our goals at the Capitol were to urge our leaders to undo the damaging budget cuts made by the 2011 Legislature and to prioritize education, health care, public safety, the environment, and economic opportunity. If you missed the rally, you can still check the Twitter feed for the day's highlights at #OurFutureOurTexas and take action here.
My Medicaid Matters is in high gear this week as the Medicaid Expansion debate develops in the House. As a partner in the MMM coalition, CTD took charge of printing and binding copies of petitions that capture over 37,000 signatures in support of Medicaid in Texas. We needed two dollies just to get 13 sets with 4 volumes a piece to the Capitol for a House appropriations subcommittee hearing. Chase Bearden both testified at the hearing and spoke at a well-covered press conference. He joined the many others who countered charges of a broken Medicaid. In a surprising turn, legislators admitted that the lack of access to doctors in Medicaid was the fault of underfunding by the Legislature itself. CTD and MMM will emphasize that the problem of access to doctors is solvable in subsequent Medicaid expansion and reform talks.
Committees in the House and Senate are beginning to hear bills on State Supported Living Centers (SSLCs). CTD strongly supports rightsizing the hugely expensive SSLC system and directing savings to community services and supports. Meanwhile, we oppose House Bill (HB) 1828, which would accord hazard pay to SSLC workers, and HB 2276, which would single out SSLCs for marketing brochures to families. CTD views the two bills as little more than mechanisms to prop up the declining, unsustainable SSLC network, a delivery system with a sharply diminishing resident population.
Be An Advocate
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
- Margaret Mead
