May 15, 2002

ACTION: PLEASE GET HOLD OF HOUSE MEMBERS FROM YOUR DISTRICT EITHER TODAY OR
WHEN THEY ARE HOME. DEMAND THAT THEY FIGURE OUT A TAX PACKAGE TO AVOID THESE
CUTS TO SERVICES, TO CHILDREN AND TO SENIORS.

As we told you yesterday, the Governor has contacted the agencies to identify
the cuts he is prepared to make in order to balance the budget, should the
House not deal with a tax package to pay for services.  This is not a threat
by the Governor, it is action he must take if the legislature presents him
with a budget and not enough revenue to fund that budget.

As of this moment, the House has not addressed a tax package.  We will let
you know if they do.  If they don't, or even if they do and can't come to
agreement in conference committee with the Senate the Governor has to begin
the process of implementing the cuts.  He has to give agencies 30 days notice
to begin the process.

The Governor also has the option to call the Legislature back for a special
session, which he is likely to do in June.  We told you yesterday about the
school budget cuts.  Here are the SRS cuts as we have them: 

DD Community Grants - 1.5 million
ICF/MR's - 242,000
PD Waiver - 1 million And freeze access to PD, HI and DD Waivers (Only
emergencies will be considered) totals about 2.3 million.
Medikan MH rates - 1.4 million
MH community Support grants - 1.5 million.
Double Health Wave premiums - 320,000
Family Preservation - 1.9 million
GA Medikan - was supposed to be everyone would start 7-1-02 with 24 months.
Now, nobody is "grandfathered" in. So anyone who has 24 months as of July 1
is off.

There are other children's issues that we don't yet have. We also have not
yet heard about Aging budget and how cuts will affect them.

PLEASE CALL TODAY.  PLEASE TELL THEM HOW YOU FEEL! 

Thanks,
Gina

"In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence
of our friends." - Martin Luther King Jr

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