Important Action Alert!!

IMPORTANT BUDGET UPDATE!!! YOUR ACTION IS NEEDED!!

IT APPEARS THAT THE SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE WILL HEAR BUDGET BILLS THIS THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2009 AT 9:30AM IN SENATE HEARING ROOM 109.

A NUMBER OF STRIKER BILLS HAVE BEEN PUT ON THURSDAY'S SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE AGENDA. HOWEVER, AT THIS TIME, LANGUAGE FOR THE BUDGET BILLS IS NOT AVAILABLE AND IT IS NOT CLEAR IF THE BILLS WILL ADDRESS THE ADDITIONAL SHORTFALLS IN THE RECENTLY APPROVED FY2009 BUDGET OR THE SIGNIFICANT FY2010 BUDGET DEFICIT (ESTIMATED $3 -$3.4 BILLION).

THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW!!!

THERE IS STILL TIME TO INFLUENCE THE PROCESS!!

IF YOU DON'T ACT NOW- LEGISLATORS WILL ACT WITHOUT YOUR INPUT AND MAY INADVERTENTLY MAKE DECISIONS THAT MAY HURT YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES!!!!

WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT:

• As you know, services that people with disabilities and their families depend on sustained major cuts in the FY09 Budget solution and due to the state's continued economic crisis, there is an additional deficit that remains for FY2009 (estimated at $400-$500 million). Legislators will likely have to revisit the FY2009 Budget and may have to make additional cuts to critical state funded programs and services that Arizonans with disabilities and their families rely on.

• Legislators are ALSO trying to resolve and even GREATER deficit in FY2010 (approximately 2 times the deficit in FY09 ($3 - 3.4 billion).

• Although the federal stimulus monies may help the situation somewhat, the specifics are still somewhat unclear.

• Because of this, Legislators are desperately looking at ways to save the state money.

• That may include ADDITIONAL cuts to crucial services and programs that people with disabilities and their families depend on.

• It is likely that the Budget Bills scheduled to be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee this Thursday will move quickly through the process which means that there is very LITTLE time left to advocate for the preservation of critical health and human services that Arizonans with disabilities and their families depend on.

IF PROTECTING CRITICAL HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES FROM DRASTIC BUDGET CUTS IS IMPORTANT TO YOU, THEN YOU NEED TO:

• Call and email the Senate Appropriations Committee Members before the Appropriations Committee hearing this Thursday, April 23, 2009 and encourage the Committee Members to advocate in the hearing for the preservation of critical services that people with disabilities and their families depend on for basic quality of life!!

• AFTER you contact the Senate Appropriations Committee Members, call and email your legislators and as many of the members of the Senate and House Leadership as possible. Encourage them to also help safeguard crucial services that people with disabilities and their families rely on.

• If you are working during the day and cannot make calls and send emails during regular business hours - then call and=2 0leave voicemail messages and send emails at whatever time you can. REMEMBER: Make the process work for you! Do anything and everything that you can.

• If you have an account with 'ALIS' be sure to sign-on online(on the day of the Senate Appropriations Committee Hearing, Thursday, April 23, 2009 before 9:30am) and leave your comments regarding Arizona's Budget.

• Get your friends, family members, neighbors, and acquaintances to do ALL of the above!!!

If you support this issue - What YOU Need to Say

* Briefly tell them your personal story. Explain how cuts would affect you and others.

Consider reminding them that:

* Thousands of Arizonans are Counting on them to address the budget deficit by identifying areas that do not cause irrevocable harm to Arizonans with disabilities and their families .

* That you'd like them to fight hard to preserve funding for critical services for people with disabilities

* Cutting health and human services is not eradicating luxury; it is eliminating life sustaining necessities.

* Addressing the budget deficit isn't just about numbers; it's also about assuring that Arizonans with disabilities are afforded the most basic human accommodation; shelter, food, health care, provision for mobility, education, employment, critical early intervention and rehabilitation services.

IN ADDITON TO YOUR LEGISLATORS, CONTACT AS MANY OF THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE AS YOU CAN:

Members of the Senate Leadership


President: Robert "Bob" Burns (R-9)
Phone Number: (602) 926-5993
Email Address: Rburns@azleg. gov

President Pro Tempore: Thayer Verschoor (R-22)
Phone Number: (602) 926-4136
Email Address: tverschoor@azleg. gov

Majority Leader: Chuck Gray (R-19)
Phone Number: (602) 926-5288
Email Address: cgray@azleg. gov

Majority Whip: Pamela Gorman (R-6)
Phone Number: (602) 926-5284
Email Address: pgorman@azleg. gov

Minority Leader: Jorge Luis Garcia (D-27)
Phone Number: (602) 926-4321
Email Address: jgarcia@azleg. gov

Asst. Minority Leader: Rebecca Rios (D-23)
Phone Number: (602) 926-5685
E mail Address: rrios@azleg. gov

Minority Whip: Linda Lopez (D-29)
Phone Number: (602) 926-4089
Email Address: llpoez@azleg. gov

Members of the House Leadership


Speaker of the House: Kirk Adams (R-19)
Phone Number: (602) 926-5495
Email Address: kadams@azleg. gov

Speaker Pro Tempore: Steven B. Yarbrough (R-21)
Phone Number: (602) 926-5863
Email Address: syarbrough@azleg. gov

Majority Leader: John McComish (R-20)
Phone Number: (602) 926-5898
Email Address: jmccomish@azleg. gov

Majority Whip: Andrew Tobin (R-1)
Phone Number: (602) 926-5172
Email Address: atobin@azleg. gov

Minority Leader: David Lujan (D-15)
Phone Number: (602) 926-5829
Email Address: dlujan@azleg. gov

Asst. Minority Leader: Kyrsten Sinema (D-15)
Phone Number: (602) 926-5058
Email Address: ksinema@azleg. gov

Minority Whip: Chad Campbell (D-14)
Phone Number: (602) 926-3026
Email Address: ccampbell@azleg. gov

Senate Appropriations Committee

Chairperson: Russell Pearce (R-18)
Phone Number: (602) 926-5760
Email Address: rpearce@azleg. gov

Vice-Chair: Al Melvin (R-26)
Phone Number: (602) 926-4326
Email Address: amelvin@azleg. gov

Member: Pamela Gorman (R-6)
Phone Number: (602) 926-5284
Email Address: pgorman@azleg. gov

Member: Ron Gould (R-3)
Phone Number: (602) 926-4138
Email Address: rgould@azleg. gov

Member: Sylvia Allen (R-5)
Phone Number: (602) 926-5219
Email Address: sallen@azleg. gov

Member: Paula Aboud (D-28)
Phone Number: (602) 926-5262
Email Address: paboud@azleg. gov

Member: Amanda Aguirre (D-24)
Phone Number: (602) 926-4139
Email Address: aaguirre@azleg. gov

Member: Rebecca Rios (D-23)
Phone Number: (602) 926-5685
Email Address: rrios@azleg. gov

Member: Albert Hale (D- 2)
Phone Number: (602) 926-4323
Email Address: ahale@azleg. gov

Member: Jack Harper (R-4)
Phone Number: (602) 926-4178
Email Address: jharper@azleg. gov

Member: Steve Pierce (R-1)
Phone Number: (602) 926-5584
Email Address: spierce@azleg. gov


House Appropriations Committee


Chairperson: John Kavanagh (R-8)
Phone Number: (602) 926-5170
Email Address: jkavanagh@azleg. gov

Vice-Chair: Andy Biggs (R-22)
Phone Number: (602) 926-4371
Email Address: abiggs@azleg. gov

Member: Steve Court (R-18)
Phone Number: (602) 926-4467
Email Address: scourt@azleg. gov

Memb er: Olivia Cajero Bedford (D-27)
Phone Number: (602) 926-5835
Email Address: ocajerobedford@ azleg.gov

Member: Cloves C. Campbell, Jr. (D-16)
Phone Number: (602) 926-3042
Email Address: clcampbell@azleg. gov

Member: Russell Jones (R-24)
Phone Number: (602) 926-3002
Email Address: rjones@azleg. gov

Member: Rich Crandall (R-19)
Phone Number: (602) 926-3020
Email Address: rcrandall@azleg. gov

Member: Matt Heinz (D-29)
Phone Number: (602) 926-3424
Email Address: mheinz@azleg. gov

Member: Nancy McLain (R-3)
Phone Number: (602) 926-5051
Email Address: nmclain@azleg. gov

Member: Rick Murphy (R-9)
Phone Number: (602) 926-3255
Email Address: rmurphy@azleg. gov

Member: Kyrsten Sinema (D-15)
Phone Number: (602) 926-5058
Email Address: ksinema@azleg. gov

Member: David Schapira (D-17)
Phone Number: (602) 926-3028
Email Address: dschapira@azleg. gov

Member: Vic Williams (R-26)
Phone Number: (602) 926-5839
Email Address: vwilliams@azleg. gov