Home | Search | Services | Resources | Advocacy |  Consumers |  Employment 
  Newsletter | Computers | Famous | About Us | Contribute | Contact Info

Please act on this important alert! Thanks! 
Action Alert: House Budget Bill Threatens Service Cuts

===========================================================
Action Alert June 10, 2004
===========================================================

Urgent Action Needed as House Budget Bill Threatens Cuts to
Programs Serving People with Disabilities 

As early as next week, members of the House of
Representatives may vote on legislation that would
drastically affect many people with mental illnesses.
Provisions in the bill would have an impact on the funding
and availability of services under Medicare, Medicaid and
discretionary programs serving children and adults with
disabilities.

The "budget process" legislation (H.R. 3973) has been cleared
by the House Budget Committee. If approved, it would subject
entitlement programs to the congressional pay-as-you-go
requirements, meaning that spending offsets would be needed
to "pay-for" changes in law. As Congress tries to deal with
the ballooning federal deficit, this would likely result in
cuts to many programs that are important to vulnerable
populations.

The legislation would also impose a five-year cap on
discretionary spending levels for other critical programs in
such areas as education and mental health, while shielding
areas such a defense and homeland security.

Under H.R. 3973, new tax cuts would not be subject to the
same requirement. This would create an environment conducive
to cuts in already overburdened areas, such the public mental
health system.

Furthermore, at a time when the President's Commission on
Mental Health has declared the public mental health system
"in shambles," any service or entitlement program
improvements would have to be accompanied by cuts to other
areas -- pitting mental health improvements against other
programs. This would stifle the innovation necessary to close
the current unmet treatment gap, thus contradicting the
President's New Freedom Initiative. It would put at risk
needed improvements in access to community-based services,
perpetuating the adverse outcomes we see today, such as
custody relinquishment, juvenile and criminal involvement and
homelessness.

Disability advocates, mental health consumers and individuals
with disabilities and their families must speak out today in
opposition to these budget rule changes.

===========================================================
Take Action Now
===========================================================

Contact your Representative today and urge him or her to
oppose H.R. 3973.

Remind your Representative of the importance of the goals of
the New Freedom Initiative and the President's Commission on
Mental Health. These goals cannot be realized if critical
programs serving people with mental illnesses are subject to
the cuts and caps proposed by H.R. 3973, when tax cuts are
not subject to the same restraints.

Political pressure for tax cuts should not lead to cuts in
mental health spending and services for low-income children
and adults. This would be an unacceptable consequence.

===========================================

How to Contact Your Representative

U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore
431 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2865
Fax: (202) 225-2807
To email, go to www.house.gov/moore

Office of Congressman Dennis Moore
647 Mass., Suite 212, Lawrence KS 66044
Phone: (785) 842-9313
Fax: (785) 843-3289

U.S. Rep. Jim Ryun
330 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: (202) 225-6601
(Fax) (202) 225-7986
To email, go to www.house.gov/ryun

Office of Congressman Jim Ryun 
800 SW Jackson St., Suite 100 
Topeka, KS 66612 
Phone: (785)232-4500 
Fax: (785)232-4512 

Send a clear, concise message to your Representative. Most congressional 
offices will not pay attention to email from people outside of their districts, 
so make sure you introduce yourself as a constituent. 
Remember to include your full name, mailing address and zip code.

===========================================
For more information about H.R. 3973
===========================================

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has written
extensively on these changes. Documents can be found at
http://www.cbpp.org/ in opposition of these budget rule
changes.

=========================================

To contact us with feedback, questions or praise, mailto:cburley@bazelon.org. 
Please feel free to forward our alerts as long as you credit the Bazelon Center with a link
to our website: http://www.bazelon.org