March Task Force/Coalition Meeting Notes

CLM's March Task Force/Coalition Meetings included calls for advocacy outreach. See below for the Budget & Legislative Update Highlights and Meeting Notes.

Budget Advocacy 

• Reach out to your Reps on key budget priorities.
  • CLM’s FY26 Budget Line-Item Priorities, e.g., currently threatened funding to DMH.  
  • Recommendation: call their office to highlight the line items you care most about and email follow up with more line items and details // you can do the budget and legislative advocacy outreach together.
  • Talking Points: See CLM's letter to the MA House of Representatives. 
  • Timing: The House Ways & Means Committee usually puts out their proposal by mid-April and then, Representatives add amendments, debate, & vote right

Legislative Advocacy 

• Reach out to your legislators about co-sponsoring critical bills to build awareness, understanding, and support. 
  • CLM’s Legislative Agenda is on CLM’s website with talking points. We’ll update fact sheets and testimony through the session. 
  • Recommendation: call their offices to highlight the bills you care most about and email follow up with more details (and potentially more bills). You can do the budget and legislative advocacy outreach together. 
  • Committee Reports: Is your legislator on the Joint Committee of Children, Families & Persons with Disabilities? This Committee is the first stop for most of CLM’s bills, so extra attention to educate those members can encourage favorable report outs. While the Chairs remain from last session, there are new Vice Chairs and a number of new Reps.  

Federal Landscape

• Know-Your-Rights Resources 
• Key Issues Updates
• CLM's Letter to Delegation: Federal Funding for Children

Encouraged Outreach Opportunities 

• Legislative visits to your programs  
• CLM's Advocacy Day 5/21 Legislative Visits
• We’ll share opportunities, such as for: 
  • you to contact your legislators on next budget and advocacy outreach, e.g.,
    • Senators after the House Budget Proposal is released
    • Invite your legislators to join us at Advocacy Day 5/21 and meet with you after
  • your organizations’ ED to sign on to CLM’s testimony 
  • your organization to add their name to other coalition letters
  • you to write your own testimony for bill hearings
  • attend bill hearings (to observe or orally testify) 

Meeting Notes/Next Steps

• ADOPTION TASK FORCE
  • Meeting Notes
  • Next Meeting: June 5
• FAMILY PRESERVATION COALITION
  • Meeting Notes
  • Next Meeting: June 5 
• FAMILY RESOURCE CENTERS TASK FORCE
  • Meeting Notes
  • FRCs Task Force Legislative Briefing Recap
  • FRCs Advocacy Resources
  • Next Meeting: June 12
• FOSTER CARE TASK FORCE
  • Meeting Notes
  • Next Meeting: June
• TRANSITION AGE YOUTH COALITION
  • Meeting Notes
  • Next Meeting: June 12