The Arc New York Budget Testimony, Advocacy Toolkit & Call to Action
The Arc New York CEO Erik Geizer delivered testimony at today's Joint Legislative Public Hearing on the Mental Hygiene Executive Budget proposal today, and The Arc New York submitted formal testimony calling for the nonnegotiable inclusion of investments in supports and services for New Yorkers with I/DD.
Tomorrow we bring advocates together to at our Joint Legislative & Advocacy Forum to learn more about the Executive Budget proposal, upcoming legislation, advocacy strategies, and opportunities to engage leadership in the Senate and Assembly.
These important events mark the official launch of our budget advocacy aimed at legislators as they craft their one-house budget bills. Our advocacy with the governor was successful. The Executive Budget includes critical funding for a 5.4 percent cost-of-living adjustment, workforce retention bonuses, recruitment initiatives, capital improvements and special education. Now we must advocate with legislators to ensure this needed funding is included in the final budget.
Your voice is vitally important to our advocacy. We've created a one-click email campaign to help you connect directly with your legislators to call for investment in supports and services for New Yorker's with I/DD. We encourage you to take a moment to send a letter, and to share the link on social media and with your networks. The more people who participate, the more legislators are aware of our priorities. Together we can lift more than 100,000 voices across the state!
