o NYAPRS BUDGET AND LEGISLATIVE AGENDA 2012
For more details about buses leaving your area contact:
Eastern Long Island Sue Parrinello, 631-727-6220 x207 sparrenello@addny.com or
Melissa Firmes, 631-691-7080 x238 mfirmes@fegs.org
Western Long Island Barbara Tedesco, 516-489-0100 x1201 btedesco@mhanc.org
New York City Carla Rabinowitz, 212-780-1400 x7726 crabinowitz@communityaccess.org
North Country Kellie Trombley, 518-585-9072 kellie@mhainessex.org
Central/Syracuse Anthony Ciccarino, 315-472-7363 x245 aciccarino@ocmsinc.org
Southern Tier Lori Albrechta, 607-723-9991 x417 lalbrechta@ccbc.net or
Kim Taro, 607-771-8888 x319 kim.taro@yourmha.com
Western Daniel Neal, 716-433-1086 x224 or 225 dneal@communitymissions.org
NYS is facing another Huge Budget Deficit in 2012!
Our Past Rallies Have Helped Stave Off Cuts to
Community MH Recovery Services.
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We Need a HUGE TURNOUT to Show Governor Cuomo and our State Legislators the Size and Power of our Community and our Message to
Protect the Community Mental Health Recovery Lifeline!
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** We will have Sign Language interpreters available.**
**Tendremos interpretacion en Espanol.**
Rally and Meet with Your State Legislators in Albany on Tuesday January 31, 2012
Draft Schedule for the Day
10:00 am - Welcome; Presentations on This Year’s Legislative Priorities
11:00 am - Invited Speakers, Award Presentations to: Governor Cuomo, Clarence Sundram, Michael Hogan & Liz Benjamin of YNN
11:30 am - Role-Play Discussion with your Legislator
Noon - Lunch provided by NYAPRS
1:00 pm - Possible press conference, Capitol rally
2:00 pm - Meet with Your Legislators – make appointments with your Senator & Assemblyperson NOW!
4:00 pm - Re-group at Your Buses, Return Home
For more details about buses leaving your area - including whom you should call to Get on the Bus Call Mary at 518-436-0008 x23
Legislative Day, 2010
Our 12th Annual Legislative Day was our biggest ever! On January 26th, 2010,NYAPRS, along with partners MHANYS and ACL, brought over 1,500 people from around the state to Albany. Our crowd of yellow-hatted activists rallied in the Egg and outside of the Capitol to send the message that community mental health services are essential to the recovery of hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers and that, at minimum, there cannot be any further erosion of funding or support for our safety net. The unity and magnitude of our mental health advocacy community was the talk of the day, as noted by Administration officials, legislators and staff and the Capitol media. Thank you again to everyone who participated and watch this space for information on our next Legislative Day in January 2011!
Click image above to launch full slideshow
Legislative Day 2010 in the news:
"Lobbying 101", by Jay Gallagher, Gannett News Service Blog, January 27, 2010
Short of giving them money, what is the best way to influence lawmakers?
Yesterday was the first official "lobby day" at the Capitol since Gov. Paterson presented his budget last week, and at least one group was going by the tried-and-true formula.
Advocates for the mentally ill (full disclosure: they gave me an award yesterday) first held a mid-morning meeting with all of the people they had persuaded to come to the Capitol from as far away as Long Island and Buffalo, many of whom had boarded buses long before dawn. A series of speakers fired up the crowd, which the organizers put at 1,500.
They also learned a slogan, "Don't stop our recovery. Don't cut the (safety) net."
Then after being further convinced of the rightness of their cause (more money for the mentally ill) they adjourned for a box lunch. Then they met for another rally, this one outside. They wore yellow hats and carried signs organizers had issued as they heard more speakers champion their cause. It was a made-for-TV event, and the cameras seemed to like it.
Then in the afternoon, groups split up into contingents to visit their local lawmakers. They were briefed first on being polite, on-point and insistent, then sent off to the Legislative Office Building.
After their meetings, they boarded buses and headed home.
Does it work? Hard to tell. But one of the organizers, Harvey Rosenthal, pointed out that as the groups' rallies and organizing efforts have grown, so has their influence. This year, for example, the governor proposed no cut in the aid the groups are getting, when many other programs do face cuts.
Still, Rosenthal told the group, "We need a COLA" (cost-of-living increase.)