SAMPLE LETTER FOR AB 279
[Add: Date]
The Honorable [Legislator’s Name]
California State [Assembly or Senate]
[Insert address]
SUPPORT Individuals with Disabilities in the State Budget
Dear [Assembly Member or Senator + Last Name],
I am writing to ask you to prioritize Californians with disabilities and those who serve them in this year’s state budgeting process.
Your support is vital now more than ever, since the Department of Disability Services lacks a mechanism for adjusting the reimbursement rates paid to the community-based service providers it contracts, many of whom must comply with local minimum wage ordinances as soon as July 1, 2017.
Please support AB-279 (Holden), and also the adoption of budget control language in the Senate requiring that the cost of local wage ordinances be factored into the cost estimating/reimbursement system used by the Department of Developmental Services (DDS). Your support will help prevent significant decreases to the level of service providers can afford to offer Californians with disability, and the expected closure of many smaller agencies
I know that Assembly Member Holden and many of your colleagues agree that AB-279 could be afforded in this year’s budget by shifting existing resources in the General Fund. I believe that AB 279 and the adoption of budget control that supports disability service providers makes good economic sense and is a moral imperative.
As a [Add: family member at/staff member of/supporter of] the Exceptional Children’s Foundation, I [Add: love/care for/support] someone who depends upon the services funded through the Regional Centers, operated by the Department of Developmental Services. These services allow [Add: participant’s name, i.e. “my sister, Mary” or “my client, John] to live as independently as possible. I fear that if the state does not authorize DDS to allow Regional Centers to reimburse service organizations like Tierra del Sol at a rate on par with local minimum wages, and/or adopt budget control language to prevent such disparities between reimbursement and wage rates in the future, these nonprofits will not be able to afford their payrolls. Please don’t force them to choose between reducing services, staff and training opportunities for individuals with special needs – or have to close altogether!
I appreciate that the State of California has made a long-standing commitment to serve residents with disabilities. Please make this the year you prioritize them in the budget and not just pay them lip service.
Thank you,
[Add: Your Name]
[Add: Your Return Address}
cc:
Assemblymember Chris Holden, District 41
Capitol Office, Room 5136
Sacramento, CA 94249-0041
Assemblymember Lorena S. Gonzalez Fletcher
Chair, Appropriations Committee
Capitol Office, Room 2114
Sacramento, CA 94249-0080