Working Together Campaign Update May, 2001

MH/MR Coalition

Day on the Hill Successful!!! On May 7th, over 550 consumers, direct care workers, family members and providers covered the staircase and balcony of the rotunda holding signs which read: “Support MH/MR Direct Care Workers” and “Support Community MH/MR Services.” They were there to show their support of the MH/MR Coalition’s request for an additional $50 million in state funds to begin to address the recruitment and retention crisis.

A bipartisan group of legislators spoke in support of the additional money, including Rep. Ray Bunt (R- Montgomery), whose budget amendment requesting the additional $50 million passed the House unanimously.

CONTINUED EFFORTS NEEDED!!!!

The final negotiations for the FY 2001-2002 state budget have begun – the timing is critical to build up more support for our issue than ever before.

What can you do right now?

CALL your legislators this week!

CALL your legislators at their district offices from today until May 18th. The calls should be made to your legislators’ Harrisburg offices from May 21st through June 13th.

The purpose of your contact is threefold: 1. To recognize and thank legislators who have voiced their support through letters to Governor Ridge and their caucus leadership. 2. To request your legislators’ support for the MH/MR Coalition additional $50M request for direct care worker recruitment and retention initiative. 3. To urge your legislators to CALL their respective House and Senate leaders with the same message.

Time is of the essence, especially given the growing concern over the availability of revenues. Legislators need to understand the crisis situation confronting families and consumers regarding access to services and the importance of continuity of direct care staff.

If any of you have connections to or relationships with members of the Conference Committee on Senate Bill 1, the MH/MR Coalition urges you to make a special effort to contact these legislators. The budget process becomes secretive as complex negotiations occur among these legislators and representatives of the Ridge Administration - in fact, despite many rumors of various persons’ involvement, perhaps only a dozen or so individuals are intimately involved during this phase of the process and have the ability to make decisions. Members of the Conference Committee on Senate Bill 1 are:

• Senator Brightbill (Senate Majority Leader) • Senator Tilghman (Majority Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee)

The MH/MR Coalition includes all of the major associations that represent mental health and/or mental retardation provider agencies and counties in Pennsylvania: The Arc-PA, Mental Health Associations in PA, MH/MR Program Administrators of PA, PA Association of Rehabilitation Facilities, PA Association of Resources for People with Mental Retardation, PA Community Providers Association, and United Cerebral Palsy of PA.

MH/MR Coalition

Working Together Campaign Update May, 2001

• Senator Fumo (Minority Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee) • Representative Perzel (House Majority Leader) • Representative Barley (Majority Chair of the House Appropriations Committee) • Representative Dwight Evans (Minority Chair of the House Appropriations Committee)

Fortunately, support for MH/MR issues is bipartisan and widespread among many members of the General Assembly. We must assure that this support is converted to a commitment to our request when the tough choices have to be made around the conference committee table.

The MH/MR Coalition is aware of the written support from the following legislators in the form of letters sent to Governor Ridge and their caucus leadership expressing appreciation for the proposed $17.5M and requesting an additional $50M in the governor’s proposed budget to address the recruitment and retention of direct care workers in community MH and MR programs.

Be sure to thank these legislators when you phone them in their district office this week and ask them to confirm their support for the Working Together Campaign position with a phone call to their caucus leadership. Also encourage legislators to call Governor Ridge.

The MH/MR Coalition thanks the following Senate Republicans:

Robert M. Tomlinson (6) (215) 638-1777 Charles W. Dent (16) (610) 821-8468 Charles D. Lemmond (20) (717) 675-3931 Robert J. Thomspon (19) (610) 436-3094 Mary Jo White (21) (412) 282-1234 Jane M. Earll (49) (814) 453-2515 Edwin G. Holl (24) (215) 368-1500 Harold F. Mowery, Jr. (31) (717) 763-7623 Terry L. Punt (33) (717) 264-6100 Joe Conti (10) (215) 345-6583 Stewart J. Greenleaf (12) (215) 657-7700 Roger A. Madigan (23) (717) 322-6457 Noah W. Wenger (36) (717) 738-1600 Robert D. Robbins (50) (412) 588-1323 Jake Corman (34) (814) 355-0477 Edward W. Helfrick (27) (717) 339-5937 James W. Gerlach (44) (610) 458-8010 Donald C. White (41) (412) 349-7010 James J. Rhoades (29) (717) 773-0891 Joseph B. Scarnati (25) (814) 589-7594 Mike Waugh (28) (717) 846-2828

The MH/MR Coalition thanks the following Senate Democrats:

Allen G. Kukovich (39) (412) 832-3322 Vincent J. Hughes (7) (215) 471-0490 Gerald J. LaValle (47) (412) 774-0444 Michael O’Pake (11) (610) 929-2151 Christine M. Tartaglione (2) (215) 533-0440 Vincent J. Fumo (1) (215) 468-3866 Allyson Schwartz (4) (215) 242-9710 Jack Wagner (42) (412) 565-7974 Robert J. Mellow (22) (717) 383-2535 Sean F. Logan (45) (412) 380-2242 Michael J. Stack (5) (717) 787-9608 Lisa M. Boscola (18) (610) 865-7725 Jay Costa (43) (412) 461-1126 Shirley M. Kitchen (3) (215) 560-4583

MH/MR Coalition

Working Together Campaign Update May, 2001

The MH/MR Coalition thanks the following House Representatives:

Raymond Bunt, Jr. (R-147) (610) 287-4181 Lynn Herman (R-77) (814) 238-5477 Pat Browne (R-131) (610) 435-3854 Arthur Hershey (R-13) (610) 593-6565 William Adolph, Jr. (R-165) (610) 544-9878 Dick Hess (R-78) (814) 623-9097 Bob Allen (R-125) (570) 622-6629 Scott Hutchinson (R-64) (814) 677-6363 David Argall (R-124) (570) 668-1240 Kenneth Jadlowiec (R-67) (814) 362-4400 Jane Baker (R-134) (610) 965-9933 Ralph Kaiser (D-41) (412) 884-1066 Matthew Baker (R-68) (570) 724-1390 George Kenney, Jr. (R-170) (215) 934-5144 Ellen Bard (R-153) (215) 881-2273 Susan Laughlin (D-16) (724) 266-7774 Stephen Barrar (R-160) (610) 874-1358 Dennis Leh (R-130) (610) 385-0717 Bob Bastian (R-69) (814) 443-4230 Kelly Lewis (R-189) (570) 420-2948 Linda Bebko-Jones (D-1) (814) 459-1949 David Levdansky (D-39) (412) 384-2258 Fred Belardi (D-112) (570) 342-2796 Jim Lynch (R-65) (814) 723-5203 Robert Belfanti (D-107) ` (570) 339-5252 John Maher (R-40) (412) 831-8080 Karl Boyes (R-3) (814) 868-5489 Stephen Maitland (R-91) (717) 334-3010 Italo Cappabianca (D-2) (814) 453-7639 Sandra Major (R-111) (570) 278-3374 Steven Cappelli (R-83) (570) 321-1270 Ronald Marsico (R-105) (717) 652-3721 Mario Civera, Jr. (R-164) (610) 352-7800 Keith McCall (D-122) (570) 645-7585 Lita Cohen (R-148) (610) 397-0505 Eugene McGill (R-151) (215) 654-1186 Jeff Coleman (R-60) (724) 763-3222 Fred McIllhattan (R-63) (814) 226-9000 Thomas Corrigan, Sr. (D-140) (215) 781-2451 Charles McIllhinney (R-143) (215) 489-5000 Thomas Creighton (R-37) (717) 664-4979 Mark McNaughton (R-104) (717) 651-0100 Mary Ann Dailey (R-146) (610) 326-9563 Thomas Michlovic (D-35) (412) 823-9228 Craig Dally (R-138) (610) 746-2100 Ron Miller (R-93) (717) 428-9809 Tony DeLuca (D-32) (412) 241-3120 Jerry Nailor (R-88) (717) 761-4665 H. William DeWeese (D-50) (724) 627-8683 Dennis O’Brien (R-169) (215) 632-5150 Gene DiGirolamo (R-18) (215) 750-1017 Tina Pickett (R-110) (570) 265-3124 John Evans (R-5) (814) 734-2793 John Pippy (R-44) (412) 262-2260 Brett Feese (R-84) (570) 546-2084 James R. Roebuck, Jr. (D-188) (215) 724-2227 John Fichter (R-70) (610) 272-9164 Chris Ross (R-158) (610) 925-0555 Patrick Fleagle (R-90) (717) 762-6001 Carole Rubley (R-157) (610) 640-2356 Robert Flick (R-167) (610) 688-8002 Larry Sather (R-81) (814) 643-9633 Dan Frankel (D-23) (412) 422-1774 Stanley Saylor (R-94) (717) 244-9232 Camille “Bud” George (D-74) (814) 378-6279 Curt Schroder (R-155) (610) 524-5595 Robert Godshall (R-53) (215) 368-3500 Paul Semmel (R-187) (610) 799-0187 Richard Grucela (D-137) (610) 614-1312 Bruce Smith (R-92) (717) 938-4988 Jeffrey Habay (R-30) (412) 492-0270 Samuel Smith (R-66) (814) 938-4225 Ted Harhai (D-58) (724) 684-2939 Timothy Solobay (D-48) (724) 746-3762 Julie Harhart (R-183) (610) 266-7776 Jerry Stern (R-80) (814) 695-2398 Kate Harper (R-61) (610) 277-3230 Richard Stevenson (R-8) (724) 458-4911 George Hasay (R-117) (570) 474-2276 Thomas Stevenson (D-42) (412) 571-2169 Tim Hennessey (R-26) (610) 380-8600 Jere Strittmatter (R-97) (717) 569-5855

MH/MR Coalition

Working Together Campaign Update May, 2001

Elinor Taylor (R-156) (610) 436-4433 Katharine Watson (R-144) (215) 674-0500 John Taylor (R-177) (215) 425-0901 Connie Williams (D-149) (610) 992-9790 Thomas Tigue (D-118) (570) 655-4883 Rod Wilt (R-17) (724) 588-8911 Fred Trello (D-45) (412) 264-4260 Matthew Wright (R-142) (215) 757-8538 Frank Tulli (R-106) (717) 534-1323 Rosita Youngblood (D-198) (215) 849-6426 Patricia Vance (R-87) (717) 975-1985 Leroy Zimmerman (R-99) (717) 733-4002 Don Walko (D-20) (412) 321-5523 Peter Zug (R-102) (717) 866-9144 Jane Orie (agreed to sign on prior to her swearing-in as State Senator) (412) 630-9466

Special thanks are in order to the following legislators, who spoke at the Working Together Campaign May 7th Day on the Hill press conference:

Representative Raymond Bunt, Jr. (R-147) (610) 287-4181 Representative Pat Browne (R-131) (610) 435-3854 Representative Kathy Manderino (D-194) (215) 482-8726 Senator Robert M. Tomlinson (R-6) (215) 638-1777 Senator Allen G. Kukovich (D-39) (412) 832-3322

In addition to those listed above who spoke at the Coalition’s press conference, the following legislators were in attendance to show their support for direct care recruitment and retention needs:

Senator Mike Stack (D-5) Representative Tina Pickett (R-110) Senator Jane Orie (R-40) Representative Scott Hutchinson (R-64) Senator Roger Madigan (R-23) Representative Matt Baker (R-68) Representative Fred McIlhattan (R-63) Representative Jere Strittmatter (R-97) Representative John Maher (R-40) Representative John Taylor (R-177) Representative John Yudichak (D-119) Representative John Fichter (R-70) Representative Michael Diven (D-22) Representative Paul Clymer (R-145) Representative Gary Haluska (D-73) Representative Dennis O'Brien (R-169) Representative Connie Williams (D-149) Representative Ted Harhai (D-58) Representative Tim Solobay (D-48) Representative Jim Wansacz (D-114)

This is another critical junction where the MH/MR Coalition needs your help. Hundreds of calls are needed to legislators now.

Thank you for all of your continued advocacy efforts!