Members,

We are winding down the state budget process with the possibility of receiving in unprecedented increase in funding for the system. We need your help in obtaining the increase!

This is one of the last steps you can provide advocacy on behalf of the Department of Developmental Disabilities budget, your agency, your staff, and the individuals you support. This includes, among other things, increases the rate for homemaker/personal care to increase wages for DSPs providing this service, increase in rates in on-site/on-call, changes to transportation services with the requirement of a study committee, changes in the ICF franchise permit fee, and ICF quality indicators.

There are two ways you can provide advocacy- emailing your Senator and/or providing written testimony to full Senate Finance Committee, which is currently holding public hearings on the budget. For your convenience, I have attached a template you can use for the email or the written testimony. You are welcome to revise the template to make it your own. Please note: if you provided oral or written testimony to the House or a Senate subcommittee, it was not forwarded to the Senate Finance Committee. If you provided testimony previously, it will need to be edited  to be addressed to the correct Senate Committee and Chairperson and then resubmitted.

****The draft focuses on the HPC rate increases since this represents the biggest increase. You can add additional language around other budget initiatives if they will impact your agency.****

How to email your Senator:

1. You can use the body of the attached document as your email. Address your email to your Senator, not toe Chairperson Dolan.

2. If you do not know who your Senator is, you can find your Senator here.

3. The email for your Senator is the Senator’s last name @ohiosenate.gov (ex: touvelle@ohiosenate.gov).

4. You do NOT need to fill out the attached witness slip to email your Senator.

How to provide written testimony to the Senate Finance Committee:

1. You can use the attached template.

2. Submit a witness slip (attached). I have already partially filled out the slip so all you have to do is fill in the remaining boxes.

3. When you hit submit, the information should get emailed to the appropriate legislative aide.

4. Send a copy of your testimony to Sarah Totedo (sarah.totedo@ohiosenate.gov), Legislative Aide to Senator Matt Dolan, Chairperson of the Senate Finance Committee.

5. Submit this as soon as possible.

Remaining steps in the budget process:

1. The Senate Finance Committee will consider the input of the various Finance subcommittees, the budgets proposed by administration and the House, input from stakeholders, and revenue projections and resulting restrictions.

2. The Finance Committee will submit a proposed budget to the full Senate.

3. The full Senate will vote of the proposed budget.

4. After this vote, the proposed budget will go to a Conference Committee to be negotiated and finalized by leaders of both legislative Chambers.

5. This budget will be submitted Governor to be signed and/or line-item vetoed.

6. The Legislature may vote to overturn the vetoes with 3/5 votes in each Legislative Chamber.

As always, please let me know what questions you have!

Thanks,

Christine

Christine Touvelle

Policy Analyst

Ohio Provider Resource Association

O- 614-224-6772

1152 Goodale Blvd.

Columbus, Ohio 43212