Children & Youth Committee- Senate & Aging, Children & Youth, Legislative & Military Affairs- House

Senate meeting on january twenty ninth only need a senator to approve the minutes for the january twenty ninth meeting divert emotion of emotion in a second to prove the senate meetings for january twenty ninth all those in favor say are. In your post they know that most security for the february second meeting we need house and senate approval so if I could have a emotioned to approve those february second meetings emotion we have a second all those in favor of sar post say no those motion security next will move to adam c and this is about our senior center in the spotlight on the end to give the presentation as we all know how important senior centers are to a districts and first we want to recognize to the table mister brad bailey and mister jay heel with DHS or going to give a presentation in and will follow that up with questions. The. Thank you if you can recognize yourself and in your recognized for your presentation thanks senator jay hill department human services with the aging division. Brad bailey with northwest arkansas area agency on aging on the executive director there and i'm presently the association. President of the arkansas association very agencies on aging. You're recognized again. Okay we certainly appreciate the option to come and present before before this committee. Uh. Senator king did that acknowledge right off the bath that we are we are your senior center contacts out there but a lot of this meeting or a lot of this presentation is michael aware that we also do a lot of other services just besides seniors and our services so I just wanted to before I forgot to say that I just wanted to get that out there the organization that I was that I work for it was actually we got our five or one two three and july. Nineteen seventy nine agencies on agents were actually authorized in the nineteen seventy three. But the roles of the area agency on agings are to assess committed aids and develop and phone programs to respond. Educate and provide a direct assistance to consumers about a vitamin resources in their communities. Service portals to care. Be assessment's eligibility determination and coordination of services maximize use of public and private phones to serve as many consumers as possible developed fund and coordinate a wide range of services. Without accepting all the triple those in the state have a lot of fundraising that they must do or their subcontractor must do an order to make the senior center programs in my area they're usually rising between forty and fifty percent of their budget locally in addition to the state and federal money that we were. The core services provided by area agencies on aging and it's a wide range of it it's a complex delivery service we are represented all seventy two counties of the stay. Nutrition that's that is your senior center program and those are if we also do home delivered meals and we do those meals in a congress setting if people's fair health has failed him to the point that they can no longer come to the senior center we take meals out to those individuals with the state and federal funding that we got we receive and we're also most of us are a medicaid providers as well and medicaid actually pays for that service for people that are on the elder choice waiver. Uh support services information and assistance care coordination helped seniors find the support they need a lot of people when an emergency strikes their health fails and. That's usually when people search us out that's when people find out about it so we help people navigate. The different programs that they might be eligible for whether it be part d medicare. Uh medicaid food stamps housing. We've got the knowledge to get people directed to the services that they need. Family caregiver services information and resources to make care more effective and the duties of those caregivers more manageable a lot of you all know that has a caregiver killed. Takes care of a spouse their health fails as well as they're doing that that laborious job of being a family care get is a tough tough job so we do respect grants for those folks. We also if they have a special need like an adaptive piece of equipment we do grants who that program to help those individuals care for their care for their loved. Health and wellness a lot of the senior centers throughout the state are designated health and wellness centers they have to be certified to do that but we're trying to keep people active and not just provide a meal and the meals that we do provide their one third r d a so we're trying to watch out for people's health whether. We try to get people to exercise that everybody knows that sometimes a a hard asked to get people to exercise I start in stock myself. Numerous times through year but health and wellness is something that we're pushing at those senior center. And then elder writes advocate for the health safety welfare and rights of older are kansas we also do a program that's called the ombudsman program and that is funded through title three b and that program is to be the ambulance is a neutral voice in between the potential or the senior center not seniors there are the nursing home residents. And the management of. The nursing home so it gives them a neutral voice to hear that and it's not just always you know a problem with the services if they're receiving anything like that a lot of times it's it's family disputes when a bread winner goes into the nursing home and the subsecurity that they were used to receiving at the home and it it goes away when you enter the nursing home so we we help the family's understand all that as we as people are in the nursing home and that is the armbudsman program and I just want to hit on that because when I first started working here was. A term that I had never been for me away and here's the additional services that I kind of hit on when I first set down here. Uh. We also do the older worker program that's low income folks that are over fifty years of age would provide training for them for employment. Were a lot of us are in home care providers my agency is a non skilled provider but we also have asked us providers within the as well as skilled nursing providers within the triple is as well. Transportation case management. Senior campaign and that is a volunteer program places of volunteer with someone just like the word says for companion chip and it can also serve as a respect for caregiver as well. Personal emergency response systems are several that service that is a medicaid fee for service and then we also do that private pay the in home care I forgot to hit on that well cruised by that but that is also a service that we do for veterans we build the BA will also build private insurance agencies as well as. Just people that want a private pay with cash from the family. Hospice. There's some assisted living facilities that are ran by triple as within the state and then there are also several eyes that are doing senior housing through housing and urban development those are section two o two grant programs that provide. Housing to low income seniors and there's also an eight of eighty five eleven loan program that the end result is the same as to provide affordable housing glow income seniors. Just to kind of give. Give the committee an idea of our footprint in the in the state uh will. When we prepared this slide to act or two thousand three hundred and sixty individuals working for triple eyes throughout the state of arkansas with the majority of those being part time in home care age seventy one or seventy two percent. Ah senior center services those employees make up ten percent of our work force older workers or three point four percent support staff four point seven. Seen your housing and assisted living three point six. And care coordination is three point nine percent and all those other ones are about three percent the ina and the ombudsman and. The services that are funded through j hill uh he overseas the division of aging an adult behavioral services and they funnel those state and federal firms that we received to all the as in the state. So the older americans act. His staff puts that out to us. And we also do other federal variance s spg nutritional services instead of program. Uh cigarette tax were we received benefit of that for transportation and home delivered meals. The contracts and fee for service I kind of hit on that a while ago each is a five o one two three cell part of our mission is to raise money in our local communities to bridge shortfalls and then we're also doing private pay services. Just kind of give you an idea of the funding that we receive this year we're projected to receive forty million three hundred and eighteen thousand nine hundred and fifty eight dollars. And you can kind of see our history. Over the last four years like a lot of other state agencies the arpa money from the covered pandemic we did receive quite a bit of that to help adapt the way that we delivered our services during that time. On our one time funding the federal phones if you will notice that the far right the seven million six hundred and seventy eight thousand eight seventy eight that is the correct number for physical year twenty twenty four we've had some will be first started on this deck. There was in any at that time but since we started it at the end of a february there's been some changes on it so seven million six hundred and seventy eight thousand eight seventy eight is our one time funding this year and some of that is our money that we were able to receive that will bolster the home delivered meal program and at the same time put out information. Regarding flu vac scenes health and wildness and covered of course that continues to be people are still getting that so. Physical year twenty twenty three will receive three million that was the direct work of the representative fight to help us with that during that time and there were several representatives of the centers that helped her get that for. So are older americans act and state funding like like I said forty million three hundred and eighteen thousand nine hundred and fifty eight dollars specifically foresenior centers. This twenty nine thousand five thousand four hundred and eighty six dollars. And we do charge administrative phase on that but it's limited nine point one percent on those that we can like the nutritional services incentive program there's no administrative fees come off there for health and wildness money that we put out there there's no administrative fees come off there. So but all of the other programs. Stay within the allowable administrative car share each of the triple as is audited annually to make sure that that. Requirement is met as well as the state were submitting. Expenditure reports to them monthly as well and their monitoring is monitoring expenditures also the required sups supportive service finds the eleven million three hundred and thirteen thousand four seventy eight i've already touched on all of those with that kind of gives you a visual of the senior center of versus the supportive services items. There are match requirements on the older american jack phones at a minimum you must meet fifteen percent but in my area that is usually not enough for the programs to operate at the level that that they need to sell that's where that local fundraising comes in whether it be a county government helping us we have cities that help us. Uh united ways. Different foundations that help yourself. Meet our mission. There is limited transfer authority the majority of older americans act funds cannot be transferred from the original purpose of funding even if other services are in need of additional funding specific fund distribution state distributors older americans act funds based on a funding formula. And the ombudsman. The older american requires a maintenance of effort based on expenditures that are benchmarked. Based on a federal fi. The funding formula it's it's kind of a tough animal to describe it i'm going to give it a shot here. When the state receives their funding. One percent of that total allocation goes out to each way within the stake and that's kind of a. A hold harmless kind of. Factor that's put in there that helps the rural counties that may not have the population and the make up so it's kind of a hold harmless so one percent goes out sixty percent thirty five percent goes out on the sixty plus population twenty five percent goes out on the sixty plus low income. Twenty percent goes out on low income minority. Fifteen percent goes out on sixty plus rule population and then five percent goes out on the seventy five plus population so the state does that computation and then when it comes down to each we do that computation as well and distribute those funds based on that funding formula. And I believe this current funding for me that we're working on is approximately spent in place I think six years or somewhere somewhere in that period. Give me an idea of the number of senior centers and the different regions that are within the state and say there are eight in the state. Operating a total of a hundred and forty five senior centers. And presently there are thirty two contract providers in the state. Each puts it out or puts out a beard. For service contractors that want to build on that senior program I will tell you that it is getting tougher and tougher to find agencies that are willing to. Do that service just because. Of the increased expenditures everybody's aware that insurance is gone up a bunch of this hvac and it's all everything associated with our program just like the rest of the world it's inflation is in fact affecting us as well so so we do try to find contractors out there. In our in our areas that are willing to take that on. The support that we provided to senior centers are. There's a lot of reporting that goes on with this federal and state phones. So software for the client management reporting and billing client support compliance support side assessments. Education and expertise to the staff at the senior centers. And service to billing on its week just like the division watches over us we also watch over or contractors to make sure that they're spending the money as it was allocated and intended to be spent. The challenges that were facing on down the road everybody's aware that maybe boomers are there they're in the supplier chip or not supply in the demand. Of our services more and more daily so there by twenty sixty there's going to be ninety four point seven million seniors eight sixty five plus. In our concern that are going to be needing services. That's a nationwide. The. And so with that I would open it up for questions from the committee. Yeah. Okay thank you mister mr hill do you have anything your added you're just here for questions here is support and answer questions about may okay thank you first we have. Sinner hammer you recognized. Thank you mister on the limited transfer authority in the restrictions on it as far as the distribution formula is that a federal matter and it's if i'm thinking correctly warn and see two you can switch between us too but it's very limited on on that what is your phone to the the c one c two lands or concrete meals and home delivery meals when the public health emergency began we did yet greater flexibilities in being able to shift fines between those two lines that a lot of our centers mr bailey brad can certainly test closed at various times due to infection outbreaks in there within senior centers itself they weren't able to do congregate meals that weren't able to host those meals. We did get permission from a administration from community living which is the federal arm under department health and human services that makes this award to the state the older americans act we we did get rid of flexibilities and be able to move money between those lines in order to keep meal services flowing to the public very often it would be where as I can't send your center my clothes and not be able to have congregate meal they would do grab and goes outside and so that people could still drive through and pick up a meal and take it home is that what you're referring to centers for the flexibilities in the spiders and I just wonder what avenues would be we'd be able to exercise too release that without it becoming something that would be abused. Two to be able to move that money across the line if you had areas within the agency that could use funding but the restrictions on the money over here. Prohibited from doing that as at something that the rest federally regulated or is it something you could make an appeal in and be able to get slatituda gives a flexibility so the older americans act funding is is earmarked for existence on aging and if I understand correct and i'm I may be taking liberties but if there are other programs within the division that are operating outside of the oa we do not have the flexibilities to shift those fundings there they they will stay with the end the card founds of the services that are provided by the area agencies because of federal which has a federal requirements yes mischeer can I get one more you won't put me in the q we don't have that many questions so yes sir you can talk talk to me about the vehicle at the senior adult centers and and how do those function however was paid for when you see in all the senior dull centers or any others that do they have vans that they operate is that covered underneath any of this or is that not under their perview. The funding most of those bands I can't speak for every agency but the arkansas highly transportation state department of transportation has a grant program that we apply for those grants we raise. Twenty I think it's twenty percent is the match that we have to raise on that and we raise that locally and then we can provide state and federal finds to pay for gas insurance and all those different things okay are thank you to machine. Next we have a senator sullivan and incentive avoid. Stay so long to recognize. Thank you mister do you know what you're turn over rate is you've got your first live showed your staffing what is your turnover rate in your direct care staff do you know I would hate to guess but it's high can you get that fires please add and send it to the cheer i'd like to see I think I agree with you it is high and I need to know what they'd like to know if that is about suggested future reports if it's that important to you include that near discussions and a little piece of or something like that by division certainly the I just say it is a challenge force to keep staff on even higher we received the architects through the revision this last year and even with those phones with her information and. Yeah they can help us build a case for that if their information is in front of us when you do your reports also you had your revenue formula is there a spending formula mean of you what which one of these divisions how much money is allocated of your revenues to different divisions that you support. So you have there yes your second you get that to if I understood what you're asking how how is the older american zeck funding broken down safe for instance between congregate meals home delivered meals etc between each of those buckets that they observe as they offers that what you're asking the i'll let you guys figure that out we want to be I like to be educated on how we're I can only how we're taking in revenue but I we spending at what portions go to what services with with respects to the finance they come better that are sent to the state for these services I can send that to the to to the chair to the and we could get that to the whole command that's better that's something easy that we can show you how the finding is so the funding is sent to us it through noticeable wards will get an anaway from a member of the united administration for community living to say that we have a dollar amount allocated to total three c one which he has contacted meals and then we get an exact amount of money through those of the word that is why I can give a test through a total three c two which are home delivered meals and so I can absolutely show you that breakdown how much we receive and then get how that is disparsed between accc most interested I don't think I can influence defense merchant. Removed in interested and work we as a state how were dedicating our revenues to this population so if you could get that far something sent to the chair and appreciate it we can easily provide that to you and I would add to to echo your your consumer senator on march the seventh there was a hearing held in washington around the renewal of the older americans act and I know that several of of my counterport state ute on aging directors of crash crossed the country were there to advocate for two things obviously more money every we always ask for increased allocations to seniors but secondly one of the important factors that was really driven hall more flexibilities and that have asked for greater and more extensive flexibilities to be able to use oa funding across those various title lines because not every state is the same and even within a stake not every region is the same and so what northwest arkansas may need great refundings for perhaps northeast arkansas or southwest arkansas may be somewhat different and so there is that advocacy to continue those flexibilities to states to work with the area agencies to be able to shift funds around to meet to meet the need of the unix seen your populations in their areas. Restiture before more short one you can give me this information later I know it's your trend was for the elderly population to go up way up at most of us are going to make it to twenty forty year twenty sixty and the baby boomers were by far the largest boom and now our population is decreasing but your numbers are expanding tremendously so if you could i'd like to know how you come to those figures and you can get me that information later thank you. Two two quick questions they're just there for clarification just so that we're all clear on this so question number wine is. The older americans act funding you get us a funding formula who determines that formula is at the state government of the federal government. It a government put it so okay so the legislature controls that funding for me. We make their presentation to two acl four four permissions to use now those those funding lines or are believer determined by the federal system as far as what how it from sixty plus seventy five plus the allocations if there are some flexibilities within the percentages that are allocated within that that would be. To my daughter's death we would be able to get some flexibilities there so so it's. Overall set by the federal government but there might be some flexibility that you could provide in in that funding as my understanding is okay and then second question again more for clarification what a senior center funds have to go through the ace. So senor center funds that are allocated through through the federal system must have channel through the as that is how the older americans act to set up by design the way a funding. Works through them they were created through that over american zack and that is where that is our condition by which we're able to disparce those funds to senior centers that do meet federal requirements for instance under meal meal services there are senior centers in the state and when I say senior centers it could be community centers it could be very organizations that provide meal services but they don't meet the data requirements that the oase that's fourth. So many grain so many dairies so many proteins so in order to receive my money as a senior center through the triple as you have to agree to all those federal to and hear those federal guidelines. The. So much like the vision is monitoring us we're also monitoring subcontractors. Then providing oversight on the white funds or smith. I keep it i'm sure it's like everything else your bands that you're going to have to be replacing I mean they're going to be out of higher costs than obviously they have been in years past I mean look in two and three and four years out it's gonna be it's much more expensive to replace the vans now and in and how you operate looking forward I mean how many a year do you replace now on your meals and wheels and that thing. I would yes seven eight in our area you have seven or eight or your replacement sim yeah and so what's the new cost of those that you're having a replace versus the we're going more to those cutaway buses that's what seems to be available on the strike around right now I believe those are around five thousand dollars only now. Okay we have representative peers you were recognized which chair how is the infrastructure repairs and improvements are are made and as well as transportation van how how are these things funded. Through the solar american back funding. And then you know just as a matter of practice we have reserved and replacement accounts for the senior centers that the arms and my area that we put in there I mean we have replaced a roof within the life three years at mountain home and that roof was around seventy five thousand dollars. And so we had put money on reserve to to be able to pay for there and then the bands are the maintenance on those is funded through the old americans act and state and federal phones. Thank you I think we have to. Represent springer and in representative woolbridge representative recognized thank you mister chair good afternoon. Mr bailey I believe I heard to talk about the role of the ombudsman and you indicated there though. Majority of the role that is your understanding had to do with concerns from. Patience or a family member related to sole security do you have any statistics on their what about a family member and patient complaints about abuse patient care that sort of thing do you all track those type of numbers as well can you give us some type of idea about their state it's. Represent if we have a state ombudsman that works in the division miss said mars she coordinates with the ombudsmans that work throughout the state with the area agencies so if you will let me get with her to get a statistical reports that we may have and I can thank you I would like to see those with all says that's one thing that agree from from patience were in these centers about lack of here in that sort of thing not necessarily what can on money that they have your who it's gone who spend an end of while there will have any it's about the care of their you know the family members that are in these sellers so thank you for that information. The. The. I think representative wardlaw you recognize. Thank you at a knew how a smaller than will receive heard it came from. A question is and I don't know much about here since all my ask your question about here some for asking my question but. The bid on your transportation contracts with the department and humor services from herself or do you have any of the transportation contracts for non emergency in here so. No no medicate transportation no we don't we bid on we tried to bid on the medicaid transportation contract when it first came out who was early in my career. Probably twenty years ago and we were unsuccessful in that so previous questions were about the maintenance of the vans they're used for transportation. And if they're in those contracts wouldn't you bid your maintenance in that contract. Thank you thank you mister. Okay culture reps in babery you have a question dead up thank you mr chair forgive me if you touched on this I had to walk out of the room for a minute and I may have not heard and you address their speed in home care I know that we are at a critical stance right now with in home care not enough care givers for bad and we were receiving some extra funding to help with some of the in home carriers and extra incentives and that's going away can you just internet show kind of share with legislators what the problem is in finding workers and the incentives there to mine I feel it's our medicatory embarrassment right is not adequate to pay for the services that were asked to provide twenty twenty two I think was the end of a three year period where the minimum wage increased above each one of those here. And there was no there was no rate increase. To cover for that and so of course when the minimum wage goes out your other staff you've got this compression so. It that makes it hard to hire people is when you don't receive enough for reimbursement. To adequately. Pay your star. What are most in in home care workers making right now right at minimum. In my area yes right at minimum but we do offer retirement my action some other benefits you know to try and make it more appealing and we do have a take advantage of that and end up with a with an ice message upon their retirement but unfortunately we are paying minimum wage when I first started at the agency we were through four dollars above minimum wage but the reimbursement I can't deficit span and you know get up in front of my board and say. I can't run the agency into the wholesale is just bicycle there's not enough reimbursement and do you find that some of your workers are really good workers and do their job well take great care of the senior citizens that they then leave to go to other jobs making nineteen twenty dollars an hour and it's often an easier job which you agree with that statement I would agree with that statement you know we're we're paying you know unemployment workers come up all those different. Things that I feel. I feel though staff they're doing some dangerous jobs lifting people transferring people and so I feel it's I would not be counterable sitting in the seat that I sit in every day having people out there without any kind of insurance to cover that so we are a true employer of our aids and provide you know pay their firecome state unemployment workers can't all those different times. Okay and they're taking care of the most vulnerable people in our state and they're in their home with other private information other private lives so I appreciate your comments thank you. Like you know talking about employment my wife and I went to church and we went to a popular restaurant in our area there and we just saw a note on the door that said that they were no longer doing breakfast anymore because they can't get cooks so but you haven't seen yet where it's impacted you like that I mean you're still able to get those people in there but i'm sure it's more difficult right. It's more difficult to know when we have a vacancy to senior center for a cook it might take you know thirty forty five days to fill that so it's hard to plug the holes while you're trying to compete. For for the work. Ok members this member have any more questions for mr bailey or mr hill okay we have one other person that made a request to come speak and we're going to give her a few minutes to speak about her issue and after that we will have some follow up so what you said miss taylor would you like to come up here in. It's not related to you so you're dismissed out but thank you for your presentation so. This. They're going this taylor and you are recognized to speak to this committee good afternoon. Is it on good afternoon. Yeah. I came in after one o'clock and that was my fault. I was tough by my grandfather colonel charles ranhardt kentucky colonel not to be confused with military colonel military colonel I respect him as much as I respect. The military and and with the great deal. Pop off your watching from florida i'm trying. He's over ninety years old that man he is doing a great job and he had way more on its shoulders and we needed to give him. And when I say we are talking about three little girls that he did not ask for having to raise. And if you could imagine reason me it was quite an ordeal. My name does not matter i'm not here to talk about me but it has been quite a day i'm grateful for my local state senator brian davis who helped me get in here today and brand i'm sorry i'm crime. Yeah. The. Did your open with prayer before we started yesterday now. We did but I did on my day before I went to come down here my hearing is bad it is with my cadet's eye other set of firm but ever negative so it was that affirmative we had negative we did not have her not before the committee meeting number I request that we pray before. Dish can in your recognized do so is there somebody who is somebody who has been or dangerous who would be willing to pray. Eight rep sinner hammer you are recognized to pray for us. It's joining prayer for the guard with a for the day we ask your blessing upon the test smoker today for the young lady who's come to share heart we just pray to give a strength peace wisdom we thank you lord for the services that were in the providers the state are to be able to minister to those father who are less fortunate we praise it should help us to have your wisdom in order to be able to utilize the resources that you've given us to the best the most effective way that i'll file their two ministers to the greatest number we just ask such a blushes test money and we assess that you'd receive the honor going the price and we have named jesus crisis to save you they met thank you sinner here thank you. The. My husband and I is here today this is randall taylor today he claims me usually he calls me her for and that's a living name that was given to me by it a young lady in a classroom eat many years ago and it says hefr on this bible my pastor would say the ff is for faith forward but that was before I knew him. The. In math you twenty five it talks about readiness and stewardship. I appreciate your being good stewards it is a very hard job. Not one that I can claim that i've done well. In matthew twenty five. It speaks about the set separation of sheep and goats. And these words are in red. And I don't have the worst to speak them because the one who uttered them is far more worthy. But he tells us what we ought to do and make us six that he tells me what I ought to do. And i've been trying and I have been failing miserably to do just the total love mercy and to walk humbly today I can't even walk amount to your feet and that's not maybe in. What was me that's means they and lord help. Some days I can and you're going to go wow there she issues walk and she speaking this whole thing god bless you. Because he might have to amble you like he humbled me. This. I pray you don't have to go through it I pray you never have to deal with it. The. Yeah. The. Any math you twenty five is then cheese is then for when I four hours and hungered and you gave me me I was thirsty and you gave me a drink I was a stranger and you took me in they can and you close me I was sick and you visited me I was imprisoned and you came to me and then share the righteous the answer himself ward when saw we the and hungered in fed the order thursday and gave the drink when so we are stranger and took the or make an included the ear winds that we say or in prison and came into the. And the king shot answering they enter them barely as they and you in as much as we have done. In two won. At the least out being with my brother and you have done it and me. Then shake you say also I did them on the left hand depart from me cursed into an ever lasting five fire prepared for the devil and his angels for I wasn't hungered and he gave me no meat I was thursday and you gave me no drink I was a straighter and he took me not in naked and you clothed me nuts sick and imprison any business and we're not then shall they also answer him sent lord when some we. And hungered earth thursday or is stranger her naked or sick or imprison and did not minister into the then he is don't answer them saying barely I say under you and as much as you did it not for the one of the legislation he did and not under me and then he should go away into an ever lasting punishment. But the righteous interlife eternal if one of you has the tissue it be a blessing. The. Many of you have already read those words many of you have heard them preach to you I am no preacher. But I know that I live in a state that claims crashed and i'm grateful for it because you can't go to many places I want so into hattie. That's a pretty bad shape right now I don't want this place to turn into that I understand that there is a lot of evil in this world and I want no part of it. There are people that are trying to sway things this way and sway things that way. All I want is what we have already said in the law to be given to people that are the least of these to be given to them so in nineteen ninety it was clearly or outlined the americans are disabilities act was outright they've got the standards were outlined at one eight ten. What year are we. Two thousand. And twenty four have the lord used christ. The. Is that right. How many years is that. And how many years is it going to take. Whatever you do unto the least of these. You have done it under me this is holy week. When you see. You're loved ones on eastern stand I think at them and think of what might happen when one day they're in a wheelchair and you're no longer here. And they have to go and live the life that i've experienced the past evidence. There are many and I have the wonderful blessing to now be able to be on my own two feet but there are so many that don't. And they can not do what they are freely given through the lot to do because of poor stewardship and i'm gonna stay poor stewardship that went before you because today is the day that it changes now. Thank you. Will take you for testing and thank you for your husband you know in my personal story of of looking after the needs of special needs to have a niece with several policy that's in a wheelchair reps in maybury has the same in repson miller have done a lot of work over the years in trying to help with the disable this and I know sinner davis distinatives do you want to speak a little bit to this a little bit if you can't police your recognized thank you mister chair brian davis states and it district twenty five. Uhm i've known heather taylor for several years and just through no apologies i'm not i'm just sorry I am proud to know where I know there's a lot going on today and and we had planned uh had hoped present to the committee and would like to do it in a way where we have maybe a panel and have people can speak who can speak to different aspects of disability assessability across our state we know with ada and accessibility that things are not always as they should be all places are not accessible from private buildings public buildings government buildings that you know they're not all in compliance and so those of us who are able to walk around we don't always think of that and you know heather and I have had many conversations about that I told her the same thing with my daughter who has downsider and there are so many things I didn't think about in the disability community before I had to before a life experience brought me that way and so as you can tell she's a passionate and fears advocate for people who disability is in am I proud to know where she said she's sorry you know apologize to me for now you know for so long but honestly i'm proud to know her and she has helped me understand so many things that maybe I wasn't thinking about six years ago when I came with the senate and I am she's been entireless advocate for people who maybe don't always know how to advocate for themselves and and so that that's one of the many reasons i'm proud of nowhere but I hope that as time goes on we can take a look here in the legislature at ways that we can make the law be more accommodating and to those disabilities and maybe those who are in a will chair to have access to all the places that we enjoy access and enjoy it easily. Erm I know that's a complicated debate and there are a lot of details and that but I am glad that she came here today to speak to oliver and just begin to raise our awareness and put it in front of us and hopefully we can continue this conversation and look for ways that we can better serve all our kansas so thank you heather for coming I appreciate it again thank you for letting me speak. Thank you senators and miss heather I want to tell you that that has been a topic that we have talked about with the staff people and after this meeting a blake's going to get your contact information and be of the communication center davis and senator are at representative maybe that we're going to have some future meetings on this coming up and we're gonna talk about this I was on the election commission like thirty years ago whenever we didn't have compliance in a lot of rural areas especially with people get them into boat and so we took a measure to try and make sure that people got into vote where they had fair any quaxis to boat and so some of us that that understand this situation a little closer miller over there is being somebody to spend a star work in trying to work on this issue and take up for people so are anyway if you don't have any more common synergies you have any more to say and we will do that and blake will get the contact information from union husband and i'm sure you we will be following up and will be heaven some future meetings on there so with that members does any other members have any business before the committee. Oh reps in maybe you reckon us thank you and thank you so much i've been there I understand the emotions have been frustrated myself so um II understand I do want to let any member here know that the arkansas parks department has a committee that has been formed to look at accessibility at the state parks and we've been meeting and by zoom and in person almost monthly now and if there is any member who would like to join our next meeting it is this week on the twenty eighth at two o'clock and we're actually going to tour camp older escape in little rock it's a camp that set up for children with special needs they they know how to get those who use wheel chairs into the canoe so they can enjoy you know the park as much as everybody else so if anybody would like to be a part of that committee please let me know and will have the the commission reach out to you also the game and fish commission just recently there was an article in the pine blood paper got some track chairs so that people can start doing hunting and those big representative miller you I don't know if you have one but i'm sure you are aware of them they're fantastic that's also something that the parks department is looking at doing so there are people who are working it's a slow process we also have passed some legislation that requires school districts believe it or not that weren't complying with ada requirements they now have to have a plan but that takes unfortunately several years to get the funding there to fix things but will address all this open to other ideas and any member who would like to help put together a panel and bring back at another time i'd be happy to assist and get some some information out. There but thank you for your testimony and and you're carrying today okay and I think heather has a question for you that we're going to recognize so you're recognized. The. Tomato for this state is. What you know it don't even come line is it you poor with unhim no what is it right when you know it will be twenty on no it don't you. What read me are popular and what does that mean the people rule does that include homeless people in wheel chairs. It does okay. I'm not saying that my family is going to put me on the street randol's not going to put me out right randall is that close. He's had to deal with me this morning. The. If and when that happens and it happened to jesus someone for it to happen to me. Where do I have to go. Where do I have to go that's accessible. Does anybody i'm just saying that tried and I understand this is going to go but I also understand that there's some there's people who are literally asking that question right now and the people the people have to know to be able to rule. So right now i'm just truly advocating for people who are out there because they can't even get to a tort they can even get their wheelchair to a toilet. How do I do better. I had I think that doing what you did in standing up in saying what you said is the starting process and I think senator davis has been somebody that's that's taken on special needs and that doesn't mean to a special needs kids it means that special needs of serving our citizens so you start the process and we will look into that in the situations that you mention in a representative maybe it's a big passionate person on this issue and so we're we're getting started in the process in any situations you think out there I mean I mentioned the one when I was an election commission about making sure that people in wheelchairs were having access to bode and we weren't having to get him out the car carrier in there and be unable to vote and so we're going to try and do or do diligence that and after this meeting blake will get your contact information and you have sinner davis and will be communicating with you and I thank you for your testimony and thank you your husband for coming down here and if any other members I don't senior their questions we will be following up with you and thank you for your testimony so with that members if there's no objection we will stand adjourned thank you.