[LGT-National] National Advocacy Day

[Mark_Johnson at shepherd.org]

>From NCIL

Community NOW!

The U.S. Senate is going to begin the process of merging its two versions
of healthcare legislation as soon as later this week. The bill passed by
the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee contains the
CLASS Act. The bill currently being marked-up in the Senate Finance
Committee contains the Community First Choice Option. We must all take part
in a National Day of Action to ensure that these two priorities remain in
the final Senate bill.

This Wednesday, September 30th, advocates from all over the nation must
make their voices heard by all 100 U.S. Senators, so it is clear that
healthcare reform must include the Community First Choice Option and the
CLASS Act. There will be a briefing on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.
Additionally, there will be a national call-in number for those who cannot
be in Washington, D.C.

The Message for Senators: I strongly support the Community First Choice
Option and the CLASS Act as a part of the final healthcare bill in the
Senate. I urge the Senator to please support both of these priorities for
people with disabilities as the Senate Finance and HELP Committees merge
their bills.

If you are able to be in Washington D.C. on Wednesday: If there is any way
you can make it to Washington this Wednesday, now is the time to make our
voices heard and ensure that these priorities remain in the final
legislation. On Wednesday, at 1:00 p.m. at the Dirksen Senate Office
Building, Room SD 430, there will be a briefing to talk about these two
priorities and their importance to people with disabilities! Following the
briefing, all attendees will be encouraged to take one page handouts to
their U.S. Senators. Having a physical presence on Capitol Hill will show
how important these priorities are to people with disabilities!

If you cannot be in Washington D.C. on Wednesday: This is a short
turnaround time to bring a large physical presence to the Capitol, but we
still need everyone who wants to see the Community First Choice Option and
the CLASS Act in the Senate healthcare reform legislation to call in to a
hotline on Wednesday to share the message. That number will be provided
before Wednesday and sent out in another alert. If there was ever a time to
advocate for these priorities, NOW is the time! If you cannot call in on
Wednesday, anytime this week is a great time!

More Information about the Community First Choice Option (
http://www.ncil.org/news/CommunityFirstChoiceOption.html ).

For more information on the CLASS Act, see the Healthcare section of the
NCIL Policy Priorities Booklet (
http://www.ncil.org/news/policyprioritiesjune2009.txt ).

If you have additional questions about the priorities, the Community Now!
National Advocacy Day, or the healthcare reform process, contact Jason
Beloungy, NCIL Policy Analyst, at 1-202-207-0334 (toll-free:
1-877-525-3400) ext. 1008. You can also e-mail Jason at: jason at ncil.org.