To: All State-Funded Member Organizations

MEMO

Date: February 26, 2015

To: All State-Funded Member Organizations

From: Jeff Shaw, Director of Public Policy

Re: TEMPLATE/SAMPLE TESTIMONY– Public Hearings on H.B. No. 6824, An Act Concerning The

State Budget For The Biennium Ending June Thirtieth 2017, And Making Appropriations Therefor And Other Provisions Related To Revenue. [Governor’s Proposed Budget listing state agency grant accounts and line items.]

In an effort to assist you to advocate on behalf of your agency please use the attached testimony template specific to:

WHAT: H.B. No. 6824, An Act Concerning The State Budget For The Biennium Ending June Thirtieth 2017,

And Making Appropriations Therefor And Other Provisions Related To Revenue.

WHY: The proposed budget includes a number of harmful cuts to nonprofits outlined in CT Nonprofits Budget Summary on the Governor’s Proposed Budget and sub-sector summaries for Arts & Culture, Behavioral Health, Children's Council, Community Justice, and I/DD.

WHEN: The Appropriations Committee will hold public hearings on H.B. No. 6824 on:

Friday, February 27th (DSS, DCF, Aging, DRS) at 5:00pm in Room 2C of LOB;

Monday, March 2nd (DECD, DOL) at 6:30pm in Room 2C of LOB;

Tuesday, March 3rd (OEC, SDE) at 5:00pm in Room 2C of LOB;

Wednesday, March 4th (OPM) at 6:30pm in Room 2C of LOB;

Thursday, March 5th (Judicial/CSSD, DOC) at 6:30pm in Room 2C of LOB

Friday, March 6th (DDS, DMHAS, DPH) at 4:30pm in Room 2C of the LOB.

Please feel free to utilize the template below.

HOW: We suggest the following process for submitting testimony:

·  Tell a story / add a personalized message / suggested information, as indicated in red.

·  Use your agency letterhead for suggested testimony

·  Please submit your completed template/testimony directly to the Appropriations Committee in Word or PDF format via email: (please copy me )

·  Be sure to share testimony electronically with your local legislator(s), with a personal note. To find you legislator’s contact information:Click here -Find your Legislator

·  I can review testimony if you wish, or simply run the necessary number of copies (30) of YOUR testimony, and submit on your behalf to the appropriate committee.

·  Staff will be available to sign anyone interested in testifying in person.

A note about the Appropriations Committee Public Hearing: Public speaker order for the public hearings will be determined by a lottery system. Lottery numbers will be drawn from 9:00 A.M. until 10:00 A.M. in the LOB First Floor Atrium and from 10:15 A.M. until 1:00 P.M. in Room 2700 every day. [Continued on next page]

Speakers arriving after the completion of the lottery will have their names placed at the end of the speaker list. The list of speakers registered through the lottery system will be posted outside the designated hearing room two hours prior to the start of the public hearing. On February 27 and March 6 the Committee will provide a separate sign-up sheet for

persons with special needs. Those speakers will be registered on a first-come, first-served basis. Room 2D will be reserved for individuals with special needs who need a quiet space while waiting to testify.

The Committee Chairs will alternate between the specialized lists and the standard list until the specialized lists have

been exhausted. Speakers will be limited to three minutes of testimony. Please submit 30 copies of written testimony at the time of sign-up, but not later than 2:00 P.M. Testimony received after the designated time may not be distributed until after the hearing. Please email written testimony in Word or PDF format to .

Template/Sample

Testimony Submitted to the Appropriations Committee:

H.B. No. 6824: An Act Concerning The State Budget For The Biennium Ending June Thirtieth 2017,

And Making Appropriations Therefor And Other Provisions Related To Revenue.

Submitted By: Name, Position, Organization

(Date of Public Hearing), 2015

Senator Bye, Representative Walker and distinguished members of the Appropriations Committee, my name is (Who you are, title, services provided by your agency ______. ) We are among the 500+ member agencies of the Connecticut Association of Nonprofits (CT Nonprofits.)

I would like to share my concerns with H.B. 6824, An Act Concerning The State Budget For The Biennium Ending June Thirtieth 2017, And Making Appropriations Therefor And Other Provisions Related To Revenue. In particular, I wanted to express my sincere concerns to the funding reductions in the (name the state agency / line item that funds your programs). This funding reduction would threaten critical services to individuals and families in our service area.

(Provide a few examples of how your organization benefits the clients you serve; or share outcome data such as the state’s return on investment if you have the data; or give details about proposed cuts-if you have questions about what to write, contact CT Nonprofits staff who can provide additional guidance on information to include.)

The proposed cuts, coupled with four rounds of rescissions/budget modification dating back to late 2012, have put enormous pressure onto an already severely depleted system. The reality is that nonprofit providers have been pushed to our breaking point due to the lack of investment over the past two decades. Chronic underfunding has already forced many nonprofits to close, compete against one another for scarce resources, layoff employees, reduce benefit packages; altogether creating a win or lose system that weakens the entire nonprofit sector and threatens its sustainability.

As members of the Appropriations Committee work toward creating your ‘Recommended Budget’ for SFY16 and 17, I urge you to restore these harmful cuts to ensure critical programs and services are available to the residents of Connecticut. I’d also like to respectfully remind you that investing in the nonprofit sector will improve service delivery, increase economic activity, and save taxpayer money; a “win-win” for policymakers working to strengthen the economy, the nonprofit workforce trying to make ends meet, and most importantly, the clients and their families who count-on efficient, cost-effective, and high-quality services.

Thank you for your time and consideration. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions, or for additional information.

Contact information _____Name, Organization, Address, Phone, Email______