(LOB= Legislative Office Building) On May 18, Senate Bill 1 was voted out of the Senate with bipartisan support! Congratulations and thank you for all your work to make this happen! Senate Bill 1 takes critical steps towards health equity by standardization of race, ethnicity, and language (REL) data collection, declaring racism a public health crisis, creating a commission to address the impacts of racism on health, and defining the doula profession, among others. A HUSKY eligibility limit increase was included in the draft budget but did not go as far as we had hoped. The legislative session ends on June 9; so, we are in the final stretch! HES testimony is here. Have a question? Please reach out. In our last newsletter, we shared our thoughts about a draft plan to distribute federal funding. Recently, we sent this letter to legislators, asking that budget negotiations center equity. What would that look like? Funding the community health worker program with plans for sustainability beyond the recovery period, expanding broadband access, and including health and human services in a one-stop website for state-run services. | |
