please contact Maine senators before Thursday

[Alan Cobo-Lewis]

Dear Friends of Mainers with Disabilities,

Solid coverage in Bangor Daily News this weekend about the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act--and threats to disability programs.

The US Senate Appropriations Committee, chaired by Sen Susan Collins, is scheduled to meet Thu morning (July 31) to "mark up" the labor-health-and-human-services-education appropriations bill.

Please contact Maine's congressional delegation (but esp Sen Collins office) to ask them to support disability programs in this week's "LHHS Appropriations markup", including:

• Don't eliminate University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UMaine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies)
• Don't eliminate Parent Training and Information Centers (Maine Parent Federation)
• Don't slash disability protection and advocacy (Disability Rights Maine)
• Don't eliminate disability employment programs
• Don't eliminate preschool disability programming

Sen Collins contact info (you can call any office and/or email via the web):

• 202-224-2523 DC office
• 207-622-8414 Augusta
• 207-945-0417 Bangor
• 207-283-1101 Biddeford
• 207-493-7873 Caribou
• 207-784-6969 Lewiston
• 207-618-5560
• https://www.collins.senate.gov/contact/email-senator-collins

You can also find a tool to email all for members of Maine's congressional delegation about UCEDDs at https://aucd.quorum.us/campaign/133226 (it'll take about 2 minutes)

thank you!

alan

[Alan Cobo-Lewis]

Dear Friends of Mainers with Disabilities,

THANK YOU to everyone who contacted members of congress about disability programs. You have had a huge positive impact: This morning the US Senate Appropriations Committee had a resounding bipartisan vote to support many disability programs, mostly at current funding levels. This includes the programs in the bullet list below.

If you contacted senators to ask them to support disability programs then please contact them again to THANK THEM for their support of disability programs as reflected in today's vote in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

This is not over. The House still has to consider these programs, and then the House and Senate will likely have to negotiate over whatever differences they have. So it's not just the right thing to do to thank whoever in the senate you've contacted, but it's also wise to do so.

alan