Governor Tom Corbett’s position statement on human services from the fall campaign started with this statement “Tom Corbett believes that meeting the human service needs of vulnerable Pennsylvanians is a core responsibility of state government.”
As Governor he is faced with the enormous challenge of determining how to pay for those core responsibilities, including behavioral health care. His administration is in the process of finalizing their first budget proposal for fiscal year 2011-2012 and we want to influence that proposal now – before its release on March 8. We want to do everything possible to protect funding for behavioral health services. We are asking you to do the following in the next two weeks:
1. Write a letter to Governor Corbett – MHAPA and a coalition of other advocacy organizations across the state have created a sample letter outline for you to use but it is important that you make it your own. It should be brief (one page if possible) and it should include:
- who you are and why this issue is important to you
- a few discussion points to stress the need for the budget request
- it has to include a clear message regarding what you are asking him to do and we have included a concise ask in the sample outline. It is critical that we keep “the ask” consistent so that he receives many letters requesting the same thing.
Send the letter to:
The Honorable Tom Corbett
Governor
225 Capital Building
Harrisburg, PA 17120
CC the letter to:
Charles Zogby
Secretary of the Budget
Governor’s Budget Office
7th Floor, Verizon Tower
303 Walnut Street
Harrisburg, PA 17101
2. Visit your legislators – the same information included in the sample outline provided can be used during in-person visits with your legislators while they are in their district offices. Legislators will most likely be in their district offices on February 10, 11, 17, and 18 – try your best to get an appointment on one of those days. They will also be in the district during the last full week of February.
During those visits, you want to ask them to communicate to the Governor the same budget request that you have asked for in your letter to the Governor – try your best to get a commitment from your legislator that he/she will communicate the same budget request to the Governor/Governor’s Budget Secretary as soon as possible.
Find your legislator here.
3. Communicate what you have done – letters written, visits made, legislators who agreed to contact the Governor’s office – to Sue Walther at swalther@mhapa.org.
