ACTION ALERT: January 10, 2005

1) Overview of our Agenda
2) Finding Key Social Services Programs

HOW TO USE THIS ACTION ALERT: Each week, we highlight several key issues before the Washington State Legislature which have a direct impact on our community and community agencies. This Action Alert contains brief summaries of the key issues before the Legislature this week. It also provides you with direct e-mail links to your legislators and Legislative leaders. We provide you with a draft e-mail text which you can directly send or which you can modify to better represent your thoughts on an issue. When you send an e-mail, please be sure to fill out all of the information so that your legislator can directly respond to you.

The Mood:
On Monday, January 10th the Washington State legislature will convene for their 105-day legislative session. The primary focus is the two-year 2005-2007 Budget, which is somewhere around $1.5 billion out of balance (out of about $24 billion). As you can probably imagine, much is still up in the air regarding the transition in the Governor's office. The swearing-in of Governor-elect Gregoire is scheduled for Wednesday.

Democrats control both houses of the legislature - gaining a greater majority in the house and taking control of the Senate. Senator Lisa Brown of Spokane is the new Senate Majority Leader. This week, the legislature will begin work on the budget by hearing Governor Locke's proposed budget (has last act transmitted to the legislature). He made two proposals: 1) the first was within current revenue, and recommended large cuts to human service health care programs to bridge the $1.5 billion-plus gap, and 2) a second proposal that includes around $600 million in new revenue and other budgetary manuevers to limit health and human service cuts (although not all - a $35 million cut to nursing home remains).

The Jewish Federation will pursue an aggressive agenda - both protecting the funding of our social services agencies and promoting good public policy. Your active participation makes our success possible.

Children, Youth and Families

• Working to maintain and enhance funding for basic support services such as nutrition, hunger and shelter programs.
• Increasing State General Funds for the Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Employment Program for Refugees.

Adults

• Maintain funding to the General Assistance (GA) Program.
• Expanding the capacity of the Housing Trust Fund from $81 million to $100 million in the Capital Budget.
• Require appropriate domestic violence screening training for counselors.
• Requiring insurance coverage for mental health services at parity with medical and surgical services.

Seniors

• Ensure reimbursement for nursing homes is at a level that reflects the current cost of providing care for residents.
• Eliminate the bed-tax (Provider Specific Tax – PST.)
• Ensure adequate funding for the Naturalization Program.
• Encourage innovative community-based programs, such as Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORC) that allow seniors to age in place.

Human Rights

• Passing hate crimes-related legislation.
• Reforming insurance practice to bar discrimination.
• Passing anti-discrimination legislation.
• Faith-based funding – ensuring the protection of church/state separation.

Funding Key Social Service Programs

Issue:  Urge Legislators to Fund Key Social Service Programs

Update: As noted in the "The Mood" the legislature will be hearing Governor Locke's biennial budget this week. With hundreds of millions of dollars of health and human service cuts over the past few biennia, there are very few places to find "efficiencies" in terms of eliminating programs.

Governor Locke's legally mandated budget (within current revenue) - would recommend many cuts to key human service programs (to see details on his proposal see: http://www.ofm.wa.gov/budget05/highlights/default.htm). Among the cuts: eliminating 17,000 people on the Basic Health Plan, elimating cash assistance for disabled adults on the verge or struggling from homelessness, and eliminating the Adult Dental program that pays for key dental services for individuals (including nursing homes) on Medicaid.

It is important for constituents to explain the importance of key human service programs - their efficacy, efficiency, and importance to you and your community.

Action: Contact your two representatives and Senator, and urge them not cut key human services programs important to you.