In a message dated 2/6/2009 4:59:51 P.M. Central Standard Time, [email protected] writes:
----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, February 06, 2009 2:27 PM Subject: [LGT-National] UPDATE, Stimulus Package and IL funding > > Act Now: Ask the Senate Not to Strip Independent Living From the Stimulus! > > Update: The Senate is currently attempting to strip all funding not > related > to immediate employment and infrastructure projects from the stimulus > bill. > Some Senators are talking seriously about cutting the VR appropriation, > which INCLUDES Independent Living funding. There is a very strong > possibility that Independent Living stimulus funding will not survive! > > The Senate is busy cutting programs from the bill today and may vote later > today! > > Act Now: Persuade your Senator to keep IL funding in the stimulus bill. > Ask > them to vote AGAINST the Nelson-Collins Amendment, which would eliminate > all stimulus funding for VR and Independent Living. > > This new amendment is named after two Senators: Ben Nelson (DbNE) and > Susan > Collins (R-ME). The funding is listed under b Rehabilitation and Disability > Research.b This funding is not research related. Tell them your Center > will > use the funds to hire critically needed employees to help people with > disabilities gain employment opportunities. > > Senators we need to target IMMEDIATELY to change their minds: > > First Priority: Nelson (Nebraska), Collins (Maine), Specter (PA), > Voinovich > (OH), Snowe (ME) > > Second Priority: Bayh (Indiana), Bennet (Colorado), Begich (Alaska), > Conrad > (North Dakota), Landreiu (Louisiana), Lincoln (Arkansas), Lieberman > (Connecticut), Shaheen (New Hampshire), Tester (Montana), Udall > (Colorado), > Udall (New Mexico), Warner (Virginia), Webb (Virginia), Carper (Delaware), > Klobuchar (Minnesota), McCaskill (Missouri). > > Third Priority: Contact all Senators > > You must communicate the following to your Senators in order to secure > this > funding: > > 1. CILs need employees. They can make immediate hires. Centers work with > people with disabilities to help them become employed, and provide > the support needed so that people are job ready and can find good > jobs that are sustainable. > > 2. Centers help people to remain independent in their own homes and > communities, and help prevent people from being institutionalized. > From 2004-2006 CILs transitioned over 8,000 people from nursing homes > and institutions into the community, saving state and federal > government well over $160 million. Centers help ease the financial > burden that states have to bear on institutional expenses by keeping > people OUT of institutions. > > 3. Ask them to keep the funding for the Independent Living Program in > the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. > > Ask for the legislative aide handling the Economic Recovery package and > tell them about your state and the services CILs provide. > > Both the House and Senate will have to go to conference to reconcile the > differences between the two bills. Call your Representative and Senators > to > ensure members who may be in the Conference Committee understand the > importance of Independent Living! Text of the bills is available at > http://thomas.loc.gov/. > > For more information: Contact NCIL Policy Analyst Elizabeth Leef by email, > [email protected], phone: (202) 207-0334, ext 1015 or fax: (202) > 207-0341. NATIONAL ADAPT MAILING LIST - Adapt Community Choice Act List http://www.adapt.org **************Great Deals on Dell Laptops. Starting at $499. (http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100000075x1217883258x1201191827/aol?redir=http://ad.doubleclick. net/clk;211531132;33070124;e)
