Jan 27, 2009
Tough financial times call for preservation strategy in Olympia
Greater Washington Chapter
“In this challenging economic and political climate, we will take strategic steps to preserve those programs that improve quality of life, including housing, transportation and long-term care,” says Kristen Leighter, the Chapter’s manager of community development. Bills that call for new funding or result in decreased tax revenue aren’t likely to pass, she notes.
During the last 2008 session, MS advocates focused their lobbying on making durable mobility equipment exempt from the state sales tax. Despite support for the concept, the bill failed because it would have cost the state more than $6 million in lost revenue.
Perhaps now more than ever, the Chapter needs people who are affected by MS to become “MS activists,” says Chapter lobbyist David Foster.
Activists are volunteers who talk to their representatives at least three times a year and visit them during the annual MS Advocacy conference in Olympia. Find out more