It was another busy week of committee action for ARRM’s legislative priorities. As we move closer to the first and second committee deadlines (important legislative benchmarks that play a roll in whether bills will receive further consideration), ARRM staff continue to work with legislative staff to ensure that our priorities are making their way through the relevant committees. Below, find a brief recap of what happened last week, and what to expect in this coming week.
Recap of House Hearings:
· ARRM’s language to modify provider requirements in 245D was heard in the Human Service Policy Committee on Monday. Along with ARRM staff, ARRM Board President Stacy Roe from Mains’l provided testimony to the bill. Legislators had a couple of questions about the provision that would allow 16 and 17-year-olds to pass medications and the bill was passed out of committee and sent to Human Service Finance.
· On Tuesday, two of ARRM’s priorities received a second hearing in the House. Both our Independent Living Grant legislation, along with our bill to allow for Indirect Billing for some Unit Based Services were heard in Human Service Finance. Larissa Beck from Reach for Resources and Stacy Roe with Mains’l both testified in support of the bills. Both bills were laid over for possible inclusion in the Human Service Omnibus bill.
· On Thursday, ARRM testified in front of the State and Local Government Committee, presenting our bill to exempt group homes from city rental license ordinances. Josh Berg with Accessible Space testified along with ARRM staff in favor of the bill. The bill was passed out of committee unanimously and sent to Health and Human Services for an additional hearing.
Recap of Senate Hearings:
· On Wednesday, ARRM’s Family Foster Care rate legislation was heard in the Human Service Committee. Linda Fairchild from Fairchild Foster Care testified in support of the bill. The bill received positive feedback from legislators and was referred to the State and Local Government committee for an additional hearing.
· On Friday, the Health and Human Service Committee gave ARRM’s legislation for Out-of-Home Respite for Children a second hearing. The bill passed out of committee and was referred to the Judiciary Committee for another hearing.
Looking Ahead:
Looking ahead to this coming week, ARRM’s legislation to allow for a conversion for 5 and 6-person SLFs to convert to CRS will receive a second hearing in the House Human Service Finance Committee. ARRM staff are working to ensure that any other bills that may require additional hearings in the House or Senate meet all necessary deadlines.
How can you be involved?
We’ve heard from a few members, asking what they can do to support ARRM’s legislative agenda. If there are specific bills that you are interested in seeing move forward, please reach out to me directly!
Also, we look forward to seeing everyone at Disability Services Day at the Capitol -- just over ONE WEEK AWAY!
Thanks for all you do and please reach out with any questions.
--Sara Grafstrom, Senior Director of State and Federal Policy