CLOSE
Federal

0 1855

In Conjunction with the National Council
Tues-Wed, October 27-28, 2015

Please join us at this special RCPA Hill Day, in conjunction with the National Council, to be held Tuesday-Wednesday, October 27-28, in Washington, DC. This event enables stakeholders to join together in our mission to serve people living with disabilities by urging Congress to support our work.

Participants will:

  • Gain special insights into the legislative process;
  • Receive a briefing from National Council staff specifically for RCPA members;
  • Meet with your members of Congress and their staff to advocate for our field’s priorities; and
  • Network with other advocates from your state.

Registration is free! Register here.

RCPA has reserved a block of rooms at the Liaison Capitol Hill Hotel, 415 New Jersey Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 20001. The event will begin on Tuesday evening with a preparatory meeting at 6:00 pm at the hotel. RCPA members will then meet with National Council representatives on Wednesday, October 28, at 8:30 am at the hotel, followed by scheduled meetings with your legislators.

Attendees must make their own arrangements for lodging. Hotel reservations should be made directly with the Liaison Capitol Hill Hotel by calling 1-866-233-4642. Be sure to identify yourself as part of the Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association group or provide Reservation ID: RCPPA to receive the special RCPA rate or use this link. Special hotel room rates for RCPA Hill Day participants are in effect until 5:00 pm on Friday, September 25, 2015. Please make your hotel reservations in a timely manner.

While RCPA will be making appointments with key legislators, each participant should also reach out to their specific legislators for an appointment on October 28. We will be coordinating that effort to ensure there is no inadvertent overlap, and more information will be sent out to those who are participating in the event. We hope you can join RCPA at this key event.

0 1499

Recently Senate Bill 1604, Transition to Independence, was introduced in Washington by Senator Grassley (R-IA), and co-sponsored by Senator Casey (D-PA). While it immediately raised red flags for vocational providers, after a careful read and review with ACCSES (one of our national partner associations), we do believe this legislation can be helpful – provided some modifications are made. The RCPA summary and response to the bill, which we were able to present recently to Senator Casey’s lead staff in DC, is available online. Review the actual bill here.

0 1657

Last week, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), together with Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), introduced S. 1604, Transition to Independence Medicaid Buy-In Option, bipartisan legislation which would, as stated in Senator Grassley’s press release, “create a demonstration project to encourage states to improve opportunities for individuals with disabilities to obtain employment in the community, gaining self-determination, independence, productivity, and integration and inclusion.”  Ten states, over a period of five years, would receive bonus payments for meeting benchmarks which are outlined in the bill’s technical summary. We will continue to monitor and set up applicable meetings. Contact Jack Phillips, RCPA Director of Government Affairs with questions.

0 1721

 

National behavioral health legislative activities:
www.thenationalcouncil.org – National Council for Behavioral Health

 

Pennsylvania state legislative affairs:
www.legis.state.pa.us – Pennsylvania General Assembly; legislation; bill histories
www.pahousegop.com – Pennsylvania House of Representatives (Republicans)
www.pahouse.com – Pennsylvania House of Representatives (Democrats)
www.pasenate.com – Democratic Caucus
www.pasenategop.com – Republican Caucus

 

Pennsylvania’s Office of Governor and state agencies:
www.state.pa.us – Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Home Page
www.dhs.state.pa.us – Pennsylvania Department of Human Services
www.doh.state.pa.us – Pennsylvania Department of Health
www.aging.state.pa.us – Pennsylvania Department of Aging
www.doi.state.pa.us – Pennsylvania Department of Insurance
www.pacode.com – Pennsylvania State Code (no statutes or acts)
www.pabulletin.com – The Pennsylvania Bulletin (weekly publication regarding rulemaking)

 

Pennsylvania’s statewide elected officials:
www.attorneygeneral.gov – Pennsylvania’s Office of Attorney General
www.paauditor.gov – Pennsylvania’s Office of Auditor General
www.treasury.state.pa.us – Pennsylvania’s Office of Treasurer

 

Other states’ homepages and related activities:
www.50states.com – listing of information for each of the 50 states, including individual state home pages
www.capwiz.com/lwv/officials/state/?lvl=C&state=pa – links to elected officials in Pennsylvania supplied by the League of Women Voters

 

Federal legislation and agencies:
www.dhhs.gov – US Department of Health and Human Services
www.samhsa.gov – Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (agency of the US Department of Health and Human Services)
www.firstgov.gov – accessibility to federal legislation; the Executive Branch; other states’ information
www.whitehouse.gov – information regarding the President, Executive Offices, etc.
http://thomas.loc.gov – accessibility to federal legislation

 

Media information:
www.pcntv.com – Pennsylvania Cable Network (Pennsylvania public affairs)
www.pnpa.com – Pennsylvania Newspaper Association (links to all newspapers available online)
www.abcnews.com – American Broadcasting Company
www.cnn.com – Cable News Network
www.msnbc.com – Microsoft/National Broadcasting Company
www.foxnews.com – Fox News Company
www.nytimes.com – The New York Times newspaper
www.washingtonpost.com – The Washington Post newspaper
www.pennlive.com – The Harrisburg Patriot newspaper and other PA papers
Prev1...567Page 7 of 7
©