March 2013
Don’t let the legislature close the Montana Developmental Center – TAKE ACTION 
Some legislators in the 2013 Montana Legislature are determined to close the Montana Developmental Center (MDC) in Boulder.
MDC is where MEA-MFT members and others provide quality services to Montanans with serious developmental and behavioral disabilities.
Senate Bill 254, the bill to close MDC, was drafted at the request of Senator Mary Caferro (D-Helena). SB 254 was heard in the Senate Public Health, Welfare & Safety Committee in February.
MEA-MFT opposes this bad idea. We are telling legislators about the good work our members do at MDC. We will fight to maintain MDC as a state facility in Boulder.
We can’t win this fight without your help! Here’s what you can do:
E-mail members of the Senate Public Health, Welfare & Safety Committee. It’s fast and easy. You can email all members of the committee at one time from the legislative e-mail system.
(SUGGESTION: To make this even easier, copy the following directions and paste them into a Word document, or print out this page, so you can go back and forth between the directions and the legislative e-mail system.)
Here’s how to e-mail the committee:
1. Go to the legislative online email system:
http://leg.mt.gov/css/Sessions/63rd/legwebmessage.asp
2. Fill in the required information (your name, address, etc.).
3. Select committee. Choose Senate Public Health, Welfare and Safety.
4. After “bill number” enter SB 254 – after “vote” click Against.
5. For “message” type a simple message using some of these talking points:
• I strongly oppose closing the Montana Developmental Center in Boulder.
• Closing MDC would be highly disruptive to all residents. It will leave some residents with literally nowhere else to go.
• The community of Boulder has cared for individuals with disabilities for a hundred years with respect and love. MDC residents are very much welcomed and involved in the community.
• MDC staff and management have been working hard to improve conditions at MDC and to make sure Montanans with serious developmental and behavioral disabilities receive the best possible care. They have proven their dedication and ability to make positive changes.
• Please support MDC. Please work AGAINST SB 254. Thank you for your consideration
6. Click “send message” – and that’s all there is to it.
Click here to email the committee today!
OTHER WAYS YOU CAN HELP:
1. Send a letter to the editor. If you’d like help with the letter, please contact Sanna Porte, MEA-MFT Communications Director, at 1-800-398-0826. Or email her at [email protected]
2. Talk to family, friends, and neighbors. Tell them Montana Developmental Center is an important part of the quality services Montana provides to individuals with severe developmental and behavioral disabilities.
3. Ask friends and others to join you in e-mailing the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Safety Committee. Share the instructions above.
THANK YOU!
Watch news story on this issue below: