Public Policy for the People: Volume 2, Issue 1 - Jan 8, 2016

Special Edition   •   2016 Legislative Primer   •   Volume 2, Issue 1

Upcoming Legislative Session

Happy New Year from the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities! The countdown for the 2016 Georgia legislative session has begun! The first day of the legislative session will be on Monday, January 11th. Therefore, we will be calling on you very soon to help us advocate for our key legislative priorities as we strive to make Georgia a place where everyone, including individuals with disabilities and their families, can live, learn, work, play, and worship in Georgia communities. So please enjoy reading this special email primer, the first edition of the 2016 GCDD legislative newsletter "Public Policy for the People."

To learn more about the issues we will be advocating for this year under the Gold Dome, click HERE.

Employment First

Many of you may remember that toward the end of the 2015 legislative session, House Resolution 642 was passed with Chairman Katie Dempsey as the primary sponsor, which initiated a House study committee on "Post-Secondary Education & Employment Options for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities." Chairman Dempsey chaired this study committee and, along with other committee members, held four meetings throughout the fall.  The committee heard extensive testimony from numerous stakeholders including GCDD and Employment First Georgia.  As of December 31, this committee released their report with recommendations. Please take the time to thank Chairman Dempsey, other committee members, and committee staff Michael Parkerson for all their hard work on this committee. Be sure to include that you support Employment First.

Study Committee Members
Rep. Katie Dempsey
Rep. Amy Carter
Rep. Bubber Epps
Rep. Valencia Stovall
Rep. Bill Werkheiser
Committee Staff: Michael Parkerson

Sign up to attend 2016 Advocacy Days

Like last year, we will be holding a series of advocacy days along with our annual Disability Day at the Capitol. Each advocacy day will have advocacy training, visits with legislators, and networking with others in our community. Register TODAY by going to www.gcdd.org/advocacy.

Many Volunteers are Needed for Advocacy Days

For these days to be a success, we need volunteers who are willing to help advocates navigate the Capitol, support others in telling their story, or even just signing people in. If you are willing to help, register to attend as many advocacy days as your schedule will allow and at the bottom of the registration form, there is a space to indicate that you are willing to volunteer. If you have additional questions about volunteering for advocacy days, please email .

UNLOCK Update

The Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities is proud to support "UNLOCK!", formerly known as "Unlock the Waiting Lists." The UNLOCK! campaign advocates with Georgians with disabilities so they, and their families, can live full lives and contribute to their communities and economy. We believe Georgia must rebalance its system of long-term services and supports (LTSS), so that fewer dollars are spent on institutional care and more dollars are invested into Home and Community Based supports (HCBS). Historically, this coalition focused exclusively on addressing the waiting lists but in recent years has focused more broadly on rebalancing Georgia's system to shift its long-term supports from institutional to home and community-based services. Therefore, this coalition has decided to drop "the waiting lists" from its name and will go by "UNLOCK!"

Join Our Advocacy Network

To receive updates and calls to action during the session, be sure to join our advocacy network. To join, you will need to provide an email address and follow the instructions.   If you have joined previously but cannot remember your password, then enter your email and click "forgotten your password" to have it emailed to you. In order to ensure you receive the UNLOCK and legislative communications, be sure to select to receive the Public Policy alerts and UNLOCK! alerts.  It is also important to provide a full mailing address so that our system can match you to your correct legislative district. Once you are logged onto to our database, please go to "My Key Relationships" and click on "see my key relationships." You will have the opportunity to tell us if you have a relationship (e.g., you go to church together or graduated from the same school) with a legislator. By keeping this updated, this helps us know who in our network we might reach out to if we need help connecting with a particular legislator on an issue.

Advocacy Corner

Your advocacy efforts at the Capitol, or from your district, are an important and effective way to help shape policy in Georgia. It is important for you to know who your elected officials are before the session starts on January 11th. Click here to learn who represents you at the Capitol. It only takes a few minutes and all you need to know is your address. Be sure to note things like their email address, office phone number and address, and the name of the legislators' assistant, as this information will prove handy while advocating.

Weekly Phone Call

Join GCDD every Monday during the session at 9:30am to hear updates from last week, a look forward into that week's agenda including Advocacy Days, and any specific calls to action.
 
To join the call: Dial: 1-888-355-1249 Code: 232357

Looking Forward to the Session!

The GCDD Public Policy team is excited for the 2016 Georgia General Assembly. We know that to accomplish our goal of improving the lives of people with disabilities and their families, it will take your advocacy efforts to help shape and influence policy in Georgia. That's why we hope to see you at one (or all!) of our Advocacy Days planned throughout the session. Be sure to join our advocacy network to receive regular updates during the session. If you are already connected, please help us by making sure your information is up to date and let us know what key relationships you have with legislators. Mark your calendars to join us each Monday during the session for an informative call and to stay engaged. The second edition of "Public Policy for the People" will come out on Tuesday, January 19, the day after MLK Day.  From that point forward, it will come out electronically every two weeks on Mondays throughout the session. We look forward to seeing you at the Capitol in 2016!

Sincerely,

GCDD Public Policy Team

Tags: GCDD, Advocacy, public policy