Be an Advocate

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Hollin Buck, Program Evaluation & Quality Assurance Manager, Child Development Center, presentation at Behavioral Health System for Future Generations Commission (November 30, 2023).

Representative Bob Keenan, House District 10, on Section B (December 14, 2023).

Jackie Mohler, Executive Director, Family Outreach, Public Comment (December 13, 2023).

Tracy Moseman, Administrator, Early Childhood and Family Support Division (ECFSD), Department of Public Health and Human Services, presentation on Part C and FES to Health and Human Services Interim Budget Committee Section B presentation (December 13, 2023).

Commission OKs initiatives to help disability care workers – Helena Independent Record, January 12, 2024

  1. Visit the Montana State Legislature – Homepage
  2. Click on the “Committees” header at the top of the page:
  3. Under the “Budget Committees” section, click the link for “B – Health and Human Services”:
  4. Your web browser will navigate to the appropriate committee page (Session or Interim). This page has useful information on meeting schedules, committee members, meeting minutes (records), and more. There are links to submit your written public comment or participate in the next meeting. For this example, let’s click the link for “Public Comment”:
  5. On the Public Comment page, you are required to provide your First and Last Name, an Email Address, the Subject of your comment, and your Comment.
  6. Once you are ready, click the “Submit Comments” button. Please note that the legislature requires comments to be submitted by 5:00PM the day before a meeting, or by 5:00PM on the Friday before a Monday meeting.

Here’s an example of a comment:

As a member of the community, I am asking that the Health and Human Services Interim Budget Committee (Section B) consider the Family Outreach Early Intervention program as a recipient of additional funds. These vital services support children and families with developmental delays and disabilities in our community and are essential for strong early childhood efforts. Please fund these services at the rates recommended by the Guidehouse study.

 

 

  1. Visit the Montana State Legislature – Legislator Lookup
  2. This page provides a few different ways to find information on your representative and how to contact them. For this example, let’s use the “By Address” method and click the link to “View a map”:
  3. Your browser will navigate to a page with an interactive map centered on Montana. From here, you can click the geographic region corresponding to your address, or search with a specific address. Let’s try searching an address—click the magnifying glass icon to open the search box:
  4. The menu that opens will provide two choices: use your device’s location (requires permissions), or type in a specific address.
  5. After typing in a specific address, you will be presented with possible matches.
  6. After clicking an appropriate address, the map will change to show the selected location.
  7. Clicking near your address, or anywhere within the boundaries of the district that surrounds your address, will show contact information for your representative(s).
  8. To cycle through your representatives and senators, click the arrows in the top left of the menu. You can also view this information as a list by clicking the button in the top right of the menu.
  9. Now you have the necessary information to write or call your representatives!