by Jim Copeland
Well, the legislative session is over. The waiting has begun:
Well, the legislative session is over. The waiting has begun:
- Waiting to see what legislation the Governor will sign and what he won’t sign.
- Waiting to see what the Budget looks like for next year
- Waiting to see what the Stimulus money will be used for
- Waiting to see if the “Waiting” list is reduced
- Waiting to see if “good things REALLY come to those who wait”
The Governor has until April 10 to take action on the bills that were passed in the legislative session. There is a page on the Governor’s website, that gives you an update on all the legislation he has signed. Under Latest News on the left side of the page, there is a link to Governor Bill Richardson’s Bill Action. It is the second item in the list. If you click that link, you will be taken to a page that lists the action he has taken on all legislation through April 3. You can also see a list of all the bills that are left to be considered. It is a long list.
There are not many bills that impact services that Alta Mira provides. There is one bill, Senate Bill 227, that we are following. This bill would establish a funding formula for the early intervention program. The bill establishes a per child cost of providing early intervention services. The wording says the Department of Health may consider the formula when determining the funding necessary to provide these important services. It doesn’t guarantee funding if there is no funding available. It does keep the importance of early intervention on the table. We are waiting to see if the Governor signs the bill.
Early Intervention is included in the federal stimulus package. New Mexico will receive almost $3 million more in Federal funding between now and December 31, 2010. We are waiting on guidelines from the Feds about what the money may be spent on.
Meanwhile, there are more and more people being placed on the waiting list. There is word that there will be 280 individuals taken off the waiting list for the next fiscal year. There is more waiting for the folks that will still be on the waiting list.
Wait, what’s that I hear? Oh, more waiting! Waiting is a good thing. Good things come to those who wait. Tips come to waiters in restaurants don’t they? The early bird gets the worm. That seems to be a reward for waiting. You don’t have to eat the worm. There’s a room for waiting at the doctor’s office. The culture of New Mexico is about waiting isn’t it? Mañana doesn’t necessarily mean tomorrow, it just means not today. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Please contact me if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions. I’ll be waiting to hear from you.
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Thank you very much for your time!