Montana Centers for Independent Living
Montana's four Centers for Independent Living
Living Independently for Today and Tomorrow
-- Billings, serving 18 Southeastern Montana Counties
Montana Independent Living Project
-- Helena, serving 14 Southwest Montana Counties
North Central Independent Living Services
-- Great Falls, serving 17 North Central and Eastern Montana Counties
Summit Independent Living Center
-- Missoula, serving 7 Western Montana Counties
Montana's Centers for Independent Living and Human Services Advocates Rally at the Capitol
A group of legislators, human service advocates, and consumers teamed up with Montana's Centers for Independent Living to stage a rally in the Rotunda of the Montana State Capitol. The rally was in protest of draconian budget cuts the Montana Legislature has made to human service programs. Those cuts include a 2.22% reduction to personal assistance programs, avreduction in eligibility to the Big Sky Rx program from 200% FPL to 135% FPL, and many others.
Check out the rally presentations and news coverage here:
Rally Day 2011 Speakers Part I
Rally Day 2011 Speakers Part II
Rally Day 2011 Speakers Part III
Concerned Citizens Rally Over Cuts to Human Services -- by Kacey Drescher at KFBB
Montana human services advocates rally at the Capitol -- by Brittany Wooley
Also, check out the photos from the rally on our facebook page!
2011 Legislative Lobbying Efforts
Bills Supported | Bills Opposed | Budget Bill
HB 130: Expand types of elections to be conducted by mail ballot elections
After opposing mail ballot elections in the 2009 Legislative Session because the bill did not contain adequate protections for voters vwith disabilities, Montana's Centers for Independent Living Support HB 130 this session because it does contain privision to ensure voters with disabilities will have access for voting independently in an all mail ballot system.
HB 130 Failed to pass third reading on the House floor and is likely dead for the session.
HB 248: Provide for a tax credit for the purchase of long-term care insurance
Montana's Centers for Independent Living support HB 248 because having long term care insurance would help individuals from needing to rely solely on Medicaid, thereby saving the state money, and prevent people from needing to go well into poverty in order to qualify for Medicaid before they can start addressing their long-term care needs if and when they need them.
HB 252: Prohibit Department of Transportation from recovering indirect costs for federal grants
Montana's Centers for Independent Living support HB 252 in order to strengthen funding for transportation programs throughout the state. Many of these transportation programs serve people with disabilities and seniors and can boften be their only option for transportation, especially in rural areas of the state.
HB 437: Providing medicaid coverage for orientation and mobility services
Montana's Centers for Independent Living support HB 437, which would make orientation and mobility services eligible to be paid for by Medicaid.
The bill missed the deadline for general bill transmittal and is likely dead.
HB 485: Funding for youth in transition
Montana's Centers for Independent Living helped to bring HB 485 before the legislature. The bill would appropriate $50,000 for each year of the biennium to fund transition services/activities design to help youth with disabiities to successfully transition from high school to adult life.
The bill failed to pass the House Appropriations Committe on a 10-11 vote and was tabled in committe.
HB 395: Consider housing needs in discharge plans from mental health facilities
Montana's Centers for Independent Living support HB 395 to include housing needs in discharge plans for patients who are being discharged from the state hospital or other mental health institutions in the state.
The bill failed to make it out of the House Judiciary Committee.
SB 154: Regulating medical marijuana provider supply system
Montana's Centers for Independent Living support the original version of SB 154, which would have directed revenue to aging services, HCBS waiver services, and direct care worker wages.
SB 351: Revise laws governing managed care
Montana's Centers for Independent Living support SB 351, a bill that would establish an advisory committee and revise current law to make any proposals to shift Medicaid services over to managed care firms, more transparent and ensure stakeholder involvement.
HB 625: Provide wage increase to direct care employees in community-based services
Montana's Centers for Independent Living support HB 625, a bill that would provide a fifty-cent per hour wage increase for direct-care and ancillary workers who are employed by medicaid-funded providers of community services and who earn less than $11 an hour. The bill was tabled in committee and is likely dead.
HB 626: Increase tobacco product taxes
Montana's Centers for Independent Living support HB 626, a bill that would increase the tax on tobacco products and direct part of those funds to the HCBS waiver program, direct care worker wages, and aging services.
HB 31: Prevent providing vehicle to person who does not have driver's license
Montana's Centers for Independent Living oppose HB 31 because bit would affect people with disabilities as well as seniors who do not have a drivers license, but who still are in need of owning a vehicle that is driven by others, from being sold or purchasig a vehicle.
HB 31 was introduced and the tabled by the House Transportation Committee and is now likely dead.
HB 152: Revise proof of residency and identity requirements for voting
Montana's Centers for Independent Living oppose HB 152 because many people do not have a drivers license, state issued ID card, or an tribal issued ID card and either do not have the means to travel to get one or can't afford one on their limited incomes.
HB 139: Eliminate the Provider Rates Commission
Montana's Centers for Independent Living oppose HB 139 becausev the Provider Rates Commission serves as an important avenue for stakeholder involvement to assist DPHHS in providing a regular, predictable, and equitable mechanism under which rates can be established for contracted services, provided in a community setting, for people who are developmentally disabled, mentally ill, very elderly, or very young.
HB 316: Redistribute certain revenue and income to the state general fund
HB 316 is a bill that takes money from several special revenue accounts and moves it to the general fund. In this bill is a proposal to move funding from the cigarette tax special revenue account that funds the Big Sky Rx program. If this bill passes and the Big Sky Rx program is funded again, there will not be enough money in this account to adequately fund the program. Therefore, Montana's Centers for Independent Living do not support this bill.
HB 375: Reduce certain general fund transfers
HB 375 is a bill that reduces the amount of general fund dollars that are transferred into special revenue accounts that help to pay for various programs around the state. The Montana Centers for Independent Living oppose this bill because one of the accounts that would be affected by this bill is the account that funds transportation services for senior citizens and persons with disabilities. If this bill passes, there will be less money available for those transportation services. This account already experiences declining revenue amounts and can’t afford to lose more without affecting transportation availability for seniors and people with disabilities, especially in small rural areas, or needing to raise additional local taxes/revenues to cover the costs of these services.
HJ 2: Revenue estimating resolution
Montana's Centers for Independent Living oppose HJ 2 using old and outdated revenue projections that are being used to justify the "need" for deep cuts, primarily in important human services programs.
HB 180: Revise Close of voter registration
Montana's Centers for Independent Living oppose HB 180, which eliminates same day voter registration and moves the deadline for registering to vote to the Friday before election day. The Centers are concerned with limiting citizens access to voting and do not believe there is anything wrong with the current system of late and same day voter registration that is in place.
HB 638: Referendum to require proof of citizenship to receive state service
Montana's Centers for Independent Living oppose HB 638 because this prohibition could have serious consequences for people with disabilities who are legally present, but do not have identification or proof of that legal presence when emergency services are needed. The bill may deny vital and time critical emergency services, such as emergency detention of people with psychiatric issues, which is one of the services included under Title 53, Chapter 21 included in this bill, where time is of the essence. An attempt to establish the legal residence of an individual prior to providing this service could cause dangerous delays in getting medical care. As one of the few services that this bill allows to be provided is detention in local jails, we fear that this change in the law would cause more individuals needing psychiatric care to be diverted to these facilities instead of accessing treatment.
HB 534: Require proof of citizenship to receive state service
Montana's Centers for Independent Living oppose HB 534 because this prohibition could have serious consequences for people with disabilities who are legally present, but do not have identification or proof of that legal presence when emergency services are needed. The bill may deny vital and time critical emergency services, such as emergency detention of people with psychiatric issues, which is one of the services included under Title 53, Chapter 21 included in this bill, where time is of the essence. An attempt to establish the legal residence of an individual prior to providing this service could cause dangerous delays in getting medical care. As one of the few services that this bill allows to be provided is detention in local jails, we fear that this change in the law would cause more individuals needing psychiatric care to be diverted to these facilities instead of accessing treatment.
HB 2: General Appropriations Act
Budget Items Supported in HB 2
Restore the 2.22% funding reduction in the Personal Assistance Services program.
Restore the 2.22% funding reduction in the Home and Community Based Services Waiver program.
Restore funding for 80 waiver slots that were funded with OTO funds during the 2009 session but have no funding for the 2013 biennium.
The Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services approved a motion on February 17, 2011 to fund 180 HCBS waiver slots.
Restore funding for Medicaid Provider Rates at 2010 levels.
Support the funding proposal to continue funding the Health Care for Health Care Workers program.
The Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services approved funding to continue this program.
Support the funding proposal to continue funding the Medicaid for Workers with Disabilities program.
The Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services approved funding to continue this program.