ADVOCATE

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Underneath everything we are. Underneath everything we do. We are all people. Connected, interdependent, united. And  when we reach out a hand to one we influence the condition of all.

Anyone can champion a cause.  Whether you're speaking out on issues that affect Education, Health or Income, reaching out to members of Congress or wearing a Live United shirt to show your support, you can help inspire hope and create opportunities for a better tomorrow.  So go ahead and advocate in a LIVE UNITED world.  Do it in public. Be visible. Be loud!

Support SB 1922

 2-1-1: Human Services Call Line
Rep. Cross, Rep. Flider, Rep. Leitch

Senate Sponsor: Senator Garrett

What Is 2-1-1?

2-1-1 is an easy to remember non-emergency telephone number that connects people with essential community information and referral services.  2-1-1 saves time and frustration by eliminating the need for callers to navigate a maze of agencies and help-lines.  Specifically, 2-1-1 connects people to:

 Food and Shelter Resources,
  Physical and Mental Health Resources,
  Employment Supports,
  Help for Older Americans and Persons with Disabilities,
  Resources for Children and Families.

What is the Current Status of 2-1-1?

 

 Today 2-1-1 reaches approximately 225 million Americans-75% of the U.S. population-with 240 active 2-1-1 systems covering all or part of 45 states (including 19 states with 100% coverage.)

In Illinois a pilot program was recently launched making 2-1-1 available to residents in three parts of the state including the Quad Cities, the Greater St. Louis area and the central Illinois counties of McLean, DeWitt and Livingston.

  

 

 

 

 

What Does SB1922 Do?

 

l  Creates 2-1-1 as the official State dialing code for public access to human services information.

 

l  Provides for a Public-Private partnership to move forward with bringing 2-1-1 to the State of Illinois.

 

l  Establishes a “lead entity” to manage the use of 2-1-1 in the state of Illinois.

 

l  Directs state agencies to consult with 2-1-1 to coordinate all new relevant information numbers.

 

l  Requires an annual report of all activities to the state.

  

 

 

 

Supporters

  

Office of the Governor, Pat Quinn

Illinois Department of Human Services

Illinois Telecommunications Associations

United Way of Illinois

Verizon

  

 

 

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Independent Sector is launching an effort to sign up congressional co-sponsors for bills to extend and expand the IRA Rollover giving incentive, the Public Good IRA Rollover Act of 2009 (S.864/H.R.1250) and we are asking for your help.

The current IRA Rollover provision will expire December 31, 2009 if Congress fails to act.  The new legislation would make the giving incentive permanent, remove the current dollar limit on donations per year, make all charities eligible to receive donations, and provide IRA owners with a planned giving option starting at age 59½.

At the end of the last Congress, more than a quarter of Representatives (125) and Senators (29) were co-sponsors of the IRA rollover legislation and most of them are still in office. We are reaching out to all former co-sponsors of these bills and asking them to add their names to the growing list of supporters. We want to beat last year’s totals before the start of the August Recess!

Take Action

 

We need your help to be successful; here are two ways you can help:

 

·       Join Us on Thursday, June 4 at 2:00 ET for the next meeting of the IRA Rollover coalition. The meeting will be held in the IS offices at

1602 L Street, NW,

Suite 900

. Please contact publicpolicy@independentsector.org to RSVP and to get the call-in information if you will be unable to attend in person.

 

·       Communicating with Congress: Call or write your Senators and Representatives and tell them to extend the IRA Rollover and to co-sponsor the Public Good IRA Rollover Act (S.864/H.R.1250). Use the talking points and sample letter to make the cases.

 

 

 

We will be calling some of you directly to discuss additional ways to get the message out and build support for the legislation. Let us know what you are hearing.

 

 

 

We hope to see you Thursday.

 

 

 

David L. Thompson
Director, Government Affairs
Independent Sector

1602 L Street NW, Suite 900

 

 

Washington, DC  20036

 

202-467-6181
202-467-6100 main
202-467-6101 fax
http://www.independentsector.org