Governor vetoes Health and Human Services bill:

Legislative negotiators need our support -- NOW

The Governor has vetoed the Health and Human Services bill – although he has indicated he might be open to negotiating on the legislature’s proposal to transfer adults from GAMC (and some from Minnesota Care) to Medical Assistance. The risk is that he will push for deeper cuts in the health and human services bill in exchange. Remember, he proposed eliminating General Assistance and cutting off MFIP assistance to 7,000 families with disabled parents and children.

Now is the time to call your representatives and the Governor’s office.

The message to Legislators:

• Stand by the Health and Human Services budget bill. No more damage to the safety net.
• General Assistance and MFIP are bare-bones alternatives for unemployed and ill or disabled low wage workers who do not have access to unemployment insurance, paid sick leave or short and long-term disability insurance. 
• Just as no one would propose cuts to unemployment insurance – there should not be cuts to GA or MFIP. No cuts to the assistance that helps low wage working parents pay for child care.

If you do not have your legislator’s contact information or are not sure who represents you, you can find out in less than 20 seconds by clicking on http://www.gis.leg.mn/mapserver/districts/.

The message to the Governor:

• No more cuts to health and human services. No more damage to the safety net.
• A recession is the wrong time to pull the rug out from under those who are unemployed, ill and disabled.

Background
The Legislature passed a Health and Human Services budget bill last night that is the best possible option that has been proposed in these very bad times. It cuts $114 in spending for this budget cycle. But they are careful cuts:

• No cuts to General Assistance;
• One cut to the Minnesota Family Investment Program – the elimination of a $50 a month work bonus available to families who leave MFIP with a job;
• Moving very poor single adults onto Medical Assistance and ending a GAMC program which appears will serve less than half the people being served now and only in the metro area;
• A cut to unspent child care funds – but no cuts that would force families off child care assistance or would reduce the assistance families receive.

This is also the best solution that has been laid on the table in the last year to address the crisis created by the line-item veto of General Assistance Medical Care. The transfer to Medical Assistance means Minnesota consolidates three different health care programs into two, earns a $7 for every new dollar it spends on the transfer to medical assistance and it offers coverage statewide. The current GAMC compromise covers only four hospitals in Hennepin and Ramsey County and less than half the men and women currently enrolled on GAMC.

Thank you to Senators:

No cuts to GA or MFIP

The Senate approved its human services budget bill late Wednesday night: it includes NO cuts to General Assistance or the Minnesota Family Investment Program. The Senate now has to negotiate with the House – whose budget includes $17 million in cuts to MFIP. The House cuts include cutting the already poverty-level assistance (targeting families who live in subsidized housing), cutting $8 million from the initiative to create short-term skill building jobs, and cutting the funding for services to families on MFIP.

If your senator voted in favor of the budget bill Wednesday night, send an e-mail or make a call and say thank you for not cutting General Assistance or MFIP. The list of who voted yes is below. If you need to know who your senator is or his or her contact information, click on http://www.gis.leg.mn/mapserver/districts/.

Your thank you will help create the resolve in the Senate to hold the line against cuts to what is left of the safety net. Remember: the spending on GA and MFIP together is only one-half of 1% of state general fund spending. It is the assistance we offer low wage workers who are unemployed or disabled and ill. It is the bare-bones alternative to unemployment insurance, paid sick leave and short and long-term disability insurance.

While the Senate and House negotiate with each other, legislative leadership will also be negotiating with the Governor. The session ends a week from Monday -- with high stakes politics about the unallotment, a solution to problem created by line item vetoing GAMC (the health care insurance for very poor adults) and a budget deficit all to be worked out.

The senators who voted yes on the Senate’s health and human services budget:

Anderson, Berglin, Betzold, Bonoff, Carlson, Chaudhary, Clark, Cohen, Dahle, Dibble, Dille, Doll, Fobbe, Foley, Higgins, Kelash, Kubly, Langseth, Latz, Lourey, Lynch, Metzen, Moua, Murphy, Olseen, Olson, M., Pappas, Pogemiller, Prettner, Solon, Rest, Rummel, Saltzman, Saxhaug, Sheran, Sieben, Skoe, Skogen, Sparks, Stumpf, Tomassoni, Vickerman, Wiger.

ACTION ALERT

Contact your state representative TODAY: 

No Cuts to General Assistance or MFIP

Minnesota has lost record numbers of jobs in this recession. Jobseekers out number available jobs by more than 9 to 1. And even before the recession, Minnesota has watched the number of children in deep poverty grow.

Every member of the Minnesota House of Representatives needs to hear from her or his own constituents that there should be no cuts to General Assistance or the Minnesota Family Investment Program.

General Assistance and MFIP are the core of what is left of the safety net: bare-bones income assistance to very low income Minnesotans unable to find work or unable to work because of serious illness or disability. (General Assistance provides $203 a month to adults who are seriously ill, disabled and unemployable. MFIP provides income assistance to families with children; a family of three receives $532 a month. Almost 50,000 of the poorest children in the state rely on MFIP and its related programs.)

The Governor proposed eliminating General Assistance and ending MFIP and child care assistance to more than 7000 families on MFIP with disabled parents or children. The House has proposed cutting the deep poverty level assistance for families on MFIP, cutting the funding for creating short-term skill building jobs and cutting services to families on MFIP.

The House may be voting on its human services budget bill as soon as Tuesday. We don’t want them to accept amendments that will make these bad cuts even worse.

E-mail or call your representative: Let her or him know that there should be NO cuts to MFIP or General Assistance.

Talking points:

Contact your state representative TODAY. If you do not know who that is or his or her contact information, it takes less than 30 seconds to find out at http://www.gis.leg.mn/mapserver/districts/.

The Senate has introduced a budget bill with NO cuts to MFIP or General Assistance. In the next week, the Senate and House will have to meet in a conference committee to bring their two bills into agreement. And then they must negotiate with the Governor. The last day of session will be May 17th.

Creative friends and advocates

Created by college students in defense of MFIP and GA

The Human Services budget committee for the MN House of Representatives will release its budget proposals at noon on Monday.

We want as many people there as possible to witness whether the House will follow the Governor’s lead in proposing cuts to the assistance very low income Minnesotans receive through General Assistance and the Minnesota Family Investment Program. We want legislators to understand that GA and MFIP are the core of what is left of the safety net – especially for low wage workers who do not qualify for unemployment insurance or have access to short or long-term disability, family medical leave or paid sick leave. As long as only some workers qualify for unemployment insurance and only as long as some workers have access to paid sick leave, short and long-term disability insurance and family medical leave, then General Assistance and MFIP will continue to be necessary.

Gather outside room 200 in the State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. in Saint Paul. (Get directions and information about parking at http://www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/faq/faqtoc.asp?subject=14 . The 16 bus travelling in either direction will drop you off at the State Office Building.)

The Human Services committee is scheduled to meet at 1 p.m. in that room. We want to be there to greet them. Because the committee start time can be delayed because of other business at the Capitol, we will make sure you have an opportunity to hand-write a quick note to committee members and/or record a piece of video testimony. If you cannot come at 12:15, arrive when you can. Those who arrive later will replace those who have to leave early.

If there are not cuts to General Assistance or MFIP, we will thank legislators. If there are cuts, we will register our disappointment. But this will not be a rally – it will be about being present, about letting legislators know there are many Minnesotans who think we can go no further – in cutting away health care, in cutting away the most essential lifelines we offer each other. This is an action organized by the Stand Together Minnesota campaign. Affirmative Options is partnering with many allies in this campaign to uphold a core value of standing by each other and standing with each other. We know the well-being of our families, our communities and our state rely on our willingness to stand together.

BACKGROUND:
The spending on MFIP and General Assistance combined is barely one half of 1% of the state’s general fund spending. Minnesota has not increased the assistance in those programs since 1986: an adult on General Assistance receives $203 a month and a family of three on MFIP receives $532 – deep poverty level assistance in both cases.

The myths about who turns to assistance and why are many. They are almost all wrong. The most common reason a parent turns to MFIP is having lost a job – and those jobs are primarily in hotels and restaurants, retail, temporary agencies and health care. Far more than half – 64% -- of the adults who turn to General Assistance are seriously ill for prolonged periods of time and need the assistance while they cannot work.

RSVP if you plan to come. Send a quick note to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and let us know if you plan to come – and if you plan to bring others. We can keep those who are planning this Stand Together Minnesota event how many to expect.