There are only THREE more legislative days this session for the Senate to pass the autism reform legislation. THREE days. We have been fighting for this insurance reform for almost six years now, and it all comes down to this final countdown. Our friends at My Great Kid interviewed House Majority Leader Kathy Angerer on their radio show recently. Click here to listen to a brief segment of the show which will be aired in its entirety this Sunday morning at 9 am on 1310am. Hear why it is so important that these bills get passed NOW and why it is critical that we do not let them die this session.
HERE'S HOW YOU CAN HELP
1. Contact your Michigan senator today and ask them to pass meaningful autism insurance reform this session. Ask them if we can count on them voting YES for the autism insurance legislation when it comes up for a vote next week. If your Republican Senator opposes the legislation or is on the fence, ask your senator if he/she will vote YES to allow the legislation to come for a vote on the floor. You can find out who your Michigan State Senator is and their phone number HERE. Be polite, but persistent. Don't be concerned if your senator is not in their office. Most of the Senators will be gone this week on vacation, but their staff will still be there answering the phone and counting calls. Talk with their staff and let them know how critical it is that this legislation pass this year. Ask them if they know where the Senator stands.
If you want to have even MORE of an impact, please take a moment and call Senators below who are still undecided or have told us they will not vote in favor of it.
If you want to have even MORE of an impact, please take a moment and call Senators below who are still undecided or have told us they will not vote in favor of it.
Jason Allen 517-373-2413 senjallen@senate.michigan.gov
Patricia Birkholz 517-373-3447 senpbirkholz@senate.michigan.gov
Mike Bishop 517-373-2417 senmbishop@senate.michigan.gov
Cameron Brown 517-373-5932 sencbrown@senate.michigan.gov
Nancy Cassis 517-373-1758 senncassis@senate.michigan.gov
Alan Cropsey 517-373-3760 senacropsey@senate.michigan.gov
Valde Garcia 517-373-2420 senvgarcia@senate.michigan.gov
Tom George 517-373-0793 sentgeorge@senate.michigan.gov
Jud Gilbert 517-373-7708 senjgilbert@senate.michigan.gov
Bill Hardiman 517-373-1801 senbhardiman@senate.michigan.gov
Mark Jansen 517-373-0797 SenMJansen@senate.michigan.gov
Ron Jelinek 517-373-6960 senrjelinek@senate.michigan.gov
Roger Kahn 517-373-1760 SenRKahn@senate.michigan.gov
Wayne Kuipers 517-373-6920 senwkuipers@senate.michigan.gov
Michelle McManus 517-373-1725 senmmcmanus@senate.michigan.gov
Tony Stamas 517-373-7946 ofctstamas@senate.michigan.gov
Liz Brater 517-373-2406 senlbrater@senate.michigan.gov
Irma Clark-Coleman (517) 373-0990 seniclark-coleman@senate.michigan.gov
Irma Clark-Coleman (517) 373-0990 seniclark-coleman@senate.michigan.gov
Michael Prusi (517) 373-7840 senmprusi@senate.michigan.gov
Mickey Switalski (517) 373-7315 senmswitalski@senate.michigan.gov
2. Follow up your phone call with a quick, personalized e-mail. Here is a link to a FACT PAGE about the legislation. Please use these facts to support your own personal story. Again, to have even a more effective impact, please send emails to the Senators in the regions above who are on the fence or opposed.3. Join AIM and other parents from around the state next week in Lansing! We plan to be there early in the morning on 11/30 (by 8:45am) as the Republican caucus decides whether or not to hold a vote. If they do decide to hold a vote, it could be that same morning, the following day on Dec. 1st, or the last day of the session, Dec. 2nd. We will be there to see that the job gets done. If the caucus decides to NOT hold a vote on 11/30, we will be there talking to Senators, pulling them off the floor, and making our presence known. Please join us in this very critical advocacy action.
If you are coming from out of town, and would like to spend the night, please feel free to email Ann for more details and suggested places to stay in town. Some of us are planning on staying overnight on the 30th for sure.
We would like to see as many Senate districts from around the state represented on 11/30 in Lansing. If you plan to come, please let us know who you are and where you are coming from, in case we need you to speak to your Senator that day. Some legislators only want to talk to their own constituents. Please take a moment and fill out this form if you plan on coming to Lansing on the 30th, 1st or 2nd (as needed) so we have a good idea of which districts are being represented. If you don't get a chance to fill out the form, please feel free to come anyways, but look for an AIM committee member to sign in with and receive a name tag.
AIM t-shirts will be available to wear on 11/30 (as sizes are available). If you already have an AIM t-shirt, please wear it.
4. Please forward this e-mail to everyone you know who lives in Michigan, asking them to take action as well. They do not have to be personally affected by autism. There is strength in numbers. The stronger our voice, the more likely our success becomes.
Things could change by the minute and we will be sending out regular communications as we learn more over the coming days. Please stand ready to take action. We are in the closing miles of the marathon, heading up heartbreak hill. Now more than ever, we must put one foot in front of the other.
We will be asking you to take action frequently over the next week. After almost six years, it has come down to the final few days. Please do not grow weary in the effort now! We have a great opportunity to pass meaningful autism insurance reform legislation this year. Thanks for doing all you can to help us cross the finish line.
5. Click here for some motivational music as you finish reading this email...
You can stay up to date by visiting the AIM webpage or the AIM Facebook page on a regular basis.
Thank you for your commitment and advocacy,
AIM
