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February 6, 2017
 
Montana State Legislative Update
In the coming days and weeks, the Montana State Legislature will be considering at least three bills related to hunger in Montana. Please make a phone call or send an email - ESPECIALLY if your legislator sits on the relevant committee. Not sure who your legislators are? You can search by address on the Montana Legislature website. Click the legislator's name to find a list of committee assignments, or click the committee names below for a list of members.


1. Urge support for a State Level Earned Income Tax Credit (the Working Montana Families Credit). The Senate Taxation committee had a hearing for SB 156 to create a state level EITC last week. The House Taxation committee will likely be hearing HB 391, a second EITC bill, the week of February 13th.

• You can call the general switchboard at (406) 444-4800 or email using the online message form. Leave a message for a legislator or the whole committee.
• Sample message: Hello, this message is for (the House Taxation Committee or the Senate Taxation Committee). This is (your name), calling from (town). I urge you to support the state level Earned Income Tax Credit by passing (either SB 156 if you're contacting the Senate or HB 391 if you're contacting the House). The federal EITC has been one of our country's most successful anti-poverty measures and has had bipartisan support since its creation. A state EITC would build on the success of the federal credit by helping our working families keep more of the money they earn. The EITC encourages and supports work and helps families make ends meet. Please support a Montana EITC.

2. Urge support for Hunters Against Hunger. The Senate Fish and Game committee will be holding a hearing for SB 183, to permanently authorize our Hunters Against Hunger (HAH) program, THIS WEEK - Thursday, February 9th. HAH allows hunters to donate money when purchasing a hunting license. Their  donations go into a fund that MFBN uses to cover the costs of processing donated wild game. When the 2013 legislature passed the original HAH bill, it included a sunset date of 2019. SB 183 maintains the existing program and simply removes the sunset date.

• You can call the general switchboard at (406) 444-4800 or email using the online message form. Leave a message for a legislator or the whole committee.
• Sample message: Hello, this message is for the Senate Fish and Game Committee. This is (your name), calling from (town). I urge you to support Senate Bill 183 to repeal the sunset date on the Hunters Against Hunger program. Hunters Against Hunger has been an enormous success, providing nearly 100,000 lbs of wild game to families in need across our state. The program has helped add high-quality, local protein to the emergency food system, while also supporting local processors. Please pass Senate Bill 183 to allow this successful program to continue operating.

 3. Oppose restrictive eligibility changes to SNAP. The House Human Services committee will likely be hearing HB 361 in the coming weeks. HB 361 would further limit the already stringent income guidelines to qualify for SNAP, and would require applicants to meet a resource test of $5,000. 

• You can call the general switchboard at (406) 444-4800 or email using the online message form. Leave a message for a legislator or the whole committee.
• Sample message: Hello, this message is for the House Human Services Committee. This is (your name), calling from (town). I urge you to oppose House Bill 361, restricting SNAP eligibility. SNAP income guidelines effectively target the program to those who need it most. Further restricting the limits will push families off of the program, worsening hunger in our state. In addition, the proposed resource limit would hurt families or seniors with modest resources. Having savings or other resources is critical for families trying to get back on their feet. Please oppose these cuts to SNAP by voting against HB 361.

Thank you for your support and involvement! Your calls and emails truly do make a difference! Please let us know if you receive any feedback from your legislators on any of these bills.

Contact Lorianne for more information or for help with reaching your legislators, lburhop@mfbn.org, (406) 215-1773.
 
Montana Food Bank Network
5625 Expressway
Missoula, MT
www.mfbn.org
(406) 721-3825

Support Protections for Children

From: Episcopal Public Policy Network


Children in Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala are fleeing their homes to escape deadly violence and extreme poverty. Often traveling alone, they are seeking protection in neighboring countries, including the U.S. The UN Refugee Agency reports that at least 58% of those unaccompanied children seeking asylum in the U.S. are likely to qualify for international protection.

In order to uphold international law and human rights standards, the U.S. must employ careful and lawful screening processes for children seeking asylum. Unfortunately, this is not the reality. Many of these children face trial without representation and a clear understanding of the asylum process. The Fair Day in Court for Kids Act of 2016 (S. 2540/ H.R. 4646) is a bill that would address this issue by ensuring access to counsel, legal orientation programs, and post-release services for children and other vulnerable individuals while they are in immigration court proceedings.
As people of faith, we are called to strive for justice and peace, and Episcopal policy passed by General Convention calls on Episcopalians to advocate for a just system of asylum for persecuted persons. The Fair Day in Court for Kids Act would ensure justice for children who have been forced from their homes and are seeking safety and opportunity.


Contact your members of Congress today to tell them to support S.2440 and H.R. 4646!

From the Montana Food Bank Network:

​The Congressional Budget Office has reportedly finalized their scores for the Senate Agriculture Committee CNR bill, paving the way for full Senate action. The Senate Agriculture Committee is hoping to use an expedited process with limited debate to bring the bill to the Senate floor before Congress leaves for the July 15th summer recess.

The Senate Ag Committee’s CNR bill is a strong, bipartisan compromise that would strengthen the Summer Food Service Program, WIC, CACFP (the Child and Adult Care Food Program), and Farm to School Programs. In particular, the bill would improve access to the Summer Food Service Program in rural areas by strengthening the Summer EBT provision, allowing additional non-congregate options, and streamlining SFSP with At-Risk Afterschool Meals for community sponsors. 

Please take a moment to review the two pdf files below for more information on specifics associated with this bill.

Please call or email THIS WEEK to encourage both of Montana's Senators to support the Improving Child Nutrition Integrity and Access Act of 2016 when it comes up for a floor vote.

• Senator Daines: (202) 224-2651, email at http://www.daines.senate.gov/connect/email-steve
• Senator Tester: (202) 224-2644, email at https://www.tester.senate.gov/?p=email_senator

Sample message:

Hello, I am a constituent from (town/city), Montana. I would like to urge Senator (Daines/Tester) to support the Senate Ag Committee's Child Nutrition bill when it comes up for a floor vote. One in five children in our state live in homes that struggle with hunger, putting them at risk of health problems and lower educational attainment. The Child Nutrition programs are crucial resources for Montana's families and important investments in Montana's kids. The Senate CNR bill is a strong, bipartisan compromise that makes notable improvements to the Summer Food Service Program, WIC, and the Child and Adult Care Food Program. In particular, the bill includes important provisions to improve access to the Summer Food Service Program in rural states like ours. Please vote to support the Improving Child Nutrition Integrity and Access Act of 2016.

Thank you for speaking out for Montana's children. Please contact Tirza Asbell from the Montana Food Bank Network at tasbell@mfbn.org or (406) 215-1771 if you have any questions.

On Feb. 4, 2016, the Economic Affairs Interim Committee voted to create an Air Ambulance Working Group to identify possible solutions to the decreasing the burden of air ambulance costs on Montanans.  The group is comprised of air ambulance providers, insurers, hospitals and consumers. The working group is responsible (via the State Auditor’s office) to report back to the Economic Affairs Interim Committee on the status of their work.

The Air Ambulance Working Group met on May 25th to continue discussions on the following proposed solutions:

1. Transparency/Disclosure: providing air ambulance provider fees/cost for out of network providers.
2. In-Network/Provider Data: fee data for in-network providers provided by BCBSMT and Allegiance (additional fee data is provided on the Montana State Legislature’s website)
3. Definition of Emergency: EMTALA definition of “emergency”
4. Hold Harmless: review the Hold Harmless laws of Florida and New York, and discuss binding arbitration.
5. Emergency Room Doctor (in replace of Hospital Panel): the working group listened to input from an emergency room physician from Bozeman Deaconess.
6. Provider Skill Set: Reviewing the nature of care based on air ambulance scenarios, and establishing fees based on the type of service provided.
7. Air Ambulance Billing Codes: Multiple billing codes were proposed to the working group.  This discussion will be continued in the next working group meeting.

A subcommittee/working group was established to begin drafting legislative language for a hold harmless statute. They will provide an update to the working group at the July 8th meeting. The Air Ambulance Working Group needs to have proposed solutions to the Economic Affairs Interim Commission Committee by end of August.  The working group will also continue discussing establishing cost based on provider skill sets and establishing a set of proposed billing codes.
​
Though it was not on the agenda, membership (to air ambulance providers) programs, their cost and transparency was discussed at length during the first part of the meeting.  The group learned that many of these membership programs are operated from an organization that is “separate” from the air ambulance provider. Several within the group continued to have concerns over the lack of transparency with the memberships, the cost, and the lack of patient choice to call upon a flight within their membership.
Overall, while the meeting at times became heated and emotional, the level of discussion moved the group towards consensus on a possible short-term solution, particularly regarding a hold harmless statute/legislative change. 

For additional information, please visit click on the Air Ambulance Working Group

"Last September, John Andrews suffered a brain aneurysm and was airlifted via helicopter by Life Flight Network from Anaconda to Missoula. He was charged $34,200, his health insurer paid almost half, and Life Flight Network billed him the balance – $18,678. Upon arrival in Missoula, St. Patrick Hospital decided John needed to be airlifted via airplane to Seattle, this time by its own affiliate, NW MedStar. He was charged $57,867, his health insurer paid about one-third, and NW MedStar billed him the balance – $37,931. Two flights. Two companies. Two large bills. And one call to action."

To see the full letter from Jesse Laslovich, chief legal counsel to Montana State Auditor Monica J. Linden, please click here.