Open Letter to House Ways and Means General Fund Committee
Alabama Children First is happy to be a part of the Healthy General Fund Partnership. This morning the Partnership sent an open letter to the House Ways and Means General Fund Committee thanking them for the research they conducted on our state agencies who are facing severe budget cuts. Click here or keep reading for the the full letter.
"Dear Representative,
We want to commend you! Last week we watched as the Ways and Means General Fund Committee received reports from its members regarding the challenges state agencies will encounter because of the budget crisis. What we heard was a real effort on the part of our state leaders to understand the challenges this state faces.
The shortage in the General Fund is something you know well, but perhaps you and your colleagues were not as keenly aware of the constraints under which our state agencies operate. After several years of budget cuts most of these agencies have already reduced staff tremendously while trying to keep providing the services the citizens of our state deserve. Importantly, your committee has demonstrated a clear understanding that even small budget cuts would be compounded by the loss of matching federal funds. Now armed with this knowledge, we hope that you will share this information with all House members and work together to solve our budget crisis.
Again thank you for all of your hard work. Our citizens, now more than ever, need leaders who are willing to do what it takes to keep Alabama strong and moving in the right direction. Please feel free to call upon us for any help you may need.
Sincerely,
The Healthy General Fund Partnership
Committee Members:
- Alabama Appleseed
- Alabama Arise
- Alabama Children First
- Alabama Council of Community Mental Health Boards
- Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program
- Alabama Hospital Association
- Alabama Chapter – American Academy of Pediatrics
- Disabilities Leadership Coalition of Alabama
- Disability Rights and Resources
- Glenwood Autism and Behavioral Health Center
- Mercy LIFE of Alabama (PACE)
- The Arc of Alabama
- United Cerebral Palsy of Alabama
- VOICES for Alabama’s Children"