Fwd: Invitation to pre-legislative-session forum
Leigh Caswell
Begin forwarded message:
From: ELLEN PINNES <epi...@msn.com>
Date: December 12, 2013 at 2:03:14 PM MST
To: "EPi...@msn.com" <epi...@msn.com>
Subject: Invitation to pre-legislative-session forum
This message is from Ellen Pinnes and The Disability Coalition.
(The text of this e-mail is also included as an attachment for your convenience.)
THE DISABILITY COALITION
Pre-Legislative-Session Forum
Date/Time: Saturday, January 11th, 2014
8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., including lunch with Senator Bill O’Neill
Location: UNM Continuing Education – Rooms B/C
1634 University Blvd. NE, Albuquerque
See below for driving directions and transit information.
Registration/Cost: $15 per person, which includes lunch. Please register in advance so we can have adequate supplies of the materials, lunch and refreshments. See registration form and information below.
About the Forum: This annual event provides an overview of significant disability issues, including a preview of those that are expected to be addressed in the 30-day legislative session that begins on January 21, 2014. It will include information about the outlook for the state budget and proposed funding levels for programs serving persons with disabilities, including in particular the Medicaid program. We’ll give an update on implementation of the Medicaid redesign (“Centennial Care”), the status of revisions to the Developmental Disabilities waiver program, and new opportunities for health coverage through Medicaid expansion and health insurance exchanges under the Affordable Care Act. You’ll hear from those who will be presenting and supporting legislative proposals on disability issues, including guardianship, special education, and others that affect people with disabilities. We’ll conclude with an overview of the legislative process and some tips on how you can get involved to promote measures that are important to you and other members of the disability community.
Join the PLAN! One of the ways you can be involved is through Disability Rights New Mexico’s Policy and Legislative Action Network, through which you can actively advocate with others on issues of high priority to the disability community and have an impact on important public policy decisions. You’ll have an opportunity to sign up for the PLAN at the forum on January 11th.
Lunch: Our forum luncheon speaker this year will be Senator Bill O’Neill of Albuquerque. Senator O’Neill is in his freshman term in the Senate after previously serving in the House of Representatives, so he brings perspectives from both sides of the Capitol. He is currently vice chair of the Senate Public Affairs Committee and an advisory member of the interim Legislative Health and Human Services Committee. As a legislator, Senator O’Neill has been involved in a number of disability issues, including behavioral health, developmental disabilities, autism, and guardianship.
To register for these events:
· By mail: Print and fill out the registration form below, and mail it to Disability Rights New Mexico (DRNM), 1720 Louisiana NE, #204, Albuquerque, NM 87110. Enclose your check for $15, or mark the box showing that you will pay at the door and bring your check or cash on January 11. Mailed registrations must be postmarked by January 3, 2014.
· By email: Send an email to in...@drnm.org. Put “Forum Registration” in the subject line. Cut and paste the registration form below into the body of the email and complete the form, or just provide the information called for on the form in your email. You can then mail in a check, or you can indicate on the form that you will pay at the door. Remember to bring your payment when you come to the Forum on the 11th.
· By phone: Call the DRNM office (505-256-3100 or toll-free at 1-800-432-4682). Indicate that you are calling to register for the forum and provide your name and contact information.
· By fax: Send the completed registration form to DRNM at 505-256-3184.
If you are registering by phone, fax or e-mail, please do so by Monday, January 6, 2014. Although we will be accepting registrations at the door, we cannot guarantee copies of the materials or a lunch for you unless you have registered in advance.
The $15 registration fee must be paid in cash or by check. Unfortunately, we are not equipped to accept payment by credit/debit card.
Disability Accommodations. Sign language interpreters will be provided throughout the day. If you need any other disability-related accommodation in order to participate in the meeting, contact the DRNM office at 505-256-3100 or 1-800-432-4682, or email us at in...@drnm.org. Please let us know of any such needs by Friday, January 3, 2014 so we’ll have time to make the arrangements.
Driving Directions to the UNM Continuing Education Center: The Continuing Education building is located at 1634 University Blvd. NE in Albuquerque, between Lomas and Menaul and just north of Indian School. Parking is available both in front of and behind the building.
From the north: On I-25 southbound, take the Comanche/Menaul exit to Menaul; take a left on Menaul and then a right (south) on University.
From the south: On I-25 northbound, take the Lomas/Menaul exit to Lomas. Turn right on Lomas and then left (north) on University.
From the east: On I-40 westbound, take the University exit (past the Carlisle exit but just before the Big-I) to University; take a left on University.
From the west: On I-40 eastbound, take the Carlisle exit and turn right (south) on Carlisle. Take a right on Indian School and then another right on University.
City bus service: The Continuing Education Center is served on Saturdays by Route 16/18 which can be accessed from Central and Broadway.
* * * * * * *
The forum is sponsored by The Disability Coalition and Disability Rights New Mexico.
• The Disability Coalition is an informal statewide cross-disability coalition of persons with disabilities, family members and advocates. The Coalition's Steering Committee, which has provided funding for these events, includes representatives of The Arc of New Mexico, Centers for Independent Living, the Developmental Disabilities Planning Council, the Governor's Commission on Disability, and DRNM. The Coalition is administered as a project of DRNM.
• DRNM is a non-profit organization founded in 1979 to “protect, promote, and expand the legal and civil rights of persons with disabilities”. The forum’s legislative advocacy workshop is presented as part of DRNM’s Policy and Legislative Action Network (PLAN), which encourages members of the disability community to be involved in policy-making in New Mexico.
______________________________________________________________________________
THE DISABILITY COALITION
2014 Pre-Legislative-Session Forum and
Legislative Advocacy Workshop
REGISTRATION FORM
Name: ________________________________________________________
Organization (if any): __________________________________________________
Address: ________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
Email: ________________________________________________________
Registration Fee ($15):
___ Enclosed is my check for $15, made out to Disability Rights New Mexico.
___ I will pay at the door (cash or check only; no credit or debit cards, please).
<Invitation&RegistrationForm.doc>