UPDATE! Capitol Meeting, Committee Hearings, and More

Hello fellow activists and advocates! As you all know, we are gearing up for an exciting legislative session in 2019 with charges coming down from Texas policy maker leadership about opioid and substance use disorders in Texas. We have been impacted by addiction through our own experience or that of a loved one and we are ready to make our voices heard. Many of you walked alongside the advocacy efforts last session regarding the peer support bill or other important Substance Use Disorder topics. Thank you all for the concerted effort! Now is the time for us to make some noise.  You may be asking....what for?  Texas is large and, for that reason, it takes a great deal of collective effort to create social change. With addiction numbers rising and the death toll with it, we must act! We must act now! Not only is the legislative session an incredibly important one because of their new focus on addiction, we also know the country has started paying attention to our message. WE CAN AND DO RECOVER! I'm so grateful to have been involved in several national activist efforts as a person fighting for better access to prevention, treatment, and recovery. It is now time to bring our collective voices and message to our state and share the hope we represent. ARE YOU READY TO GET LOUD + PROUD ABOUT RECOVERY IN TEXAS?! There is truly no time better than now!  Our voice must be heard! We can and do recover! While it's important that we stay focused on the broad message of RECOVERY, as activists and people personally impacted by addiction in Texas, it is also important that we stay informed and educated on policy matters. To that note, I'd like to share a few key dates with you. Each of these dates will have expressed intent and more details to follow. My primary purpose is to establish a base from which we can grow. Want to get in on the ground floor of what’s surely to be our biggest year yet? Join me at the capitol, take part in our call-in days, and let your voice be heard. Not available to join us this time? Please don’t worry. We are at the beginning and there will be plenty of opportunities. I’m working with multiple agencies to create opportunity in YOUR community. More details on that soon! Our first gathering at the state capitol of Texas (AUSTIN) will take place on Thursday, March 8th. We will be meeting in the morning to review documents and provide you a brief but helpful overview of our purpose that day! Following the morning meeting, we will distribute our recovery agenda and talking points to the policy maker’s offices inside the capitol. Not sure you know how to do this? Please don’t worry we will have team captains and will walk with you in this journey. Though, we know many of you are experienced advocates! If you plan to come to the capitol building with us on Thursday, March 8th: please send me an email to Kimber@spreadhopelkefire.com ASAP. We will need to get the best headcount possible in advance. Again, there will be many more opportunities for large group gatherings, rallies, and policy maker meetings further down the road. This day is truly built for those of you who want to learn, lead, and take the information home to help us spread this movement in YOUR community! Another important aspect of the effort is the “agenda” I mentioned. Please take a moment to complete this survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9FTN9MM which will help us define importance of priorities for those of you rallying around recovery supports in Texas! We will be sharing the collective message of increasing funds and access to prevention, treatment, and recovery but we also must deliver points of interest for our groups. Your voice matters and by completing the survey, I’ll get a better sense of what matters to you! IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES We will provide more details for these dates after our gathering in Austin! While committee hearings are scheduled, details and needs remain in flux. Stay tuned: Thursday, March 8th: Activists Meet at Texas Capitol (initial meeting) Thursday, March 22nd: Senate Health & Human Services Interim Committee Hearing Tuesday, March 27th (tentative): House Select Interim Committee on Opioids and SUD Hearing Here are your “to-do’s” for now: #1: If you plan to attend our capitol gathering on March 8th, send me an email ASAP to Kimber@spreadhopelikefire.com #2: Complete this survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9FTN9MM. As always, I’m grateful and excited with so many of us working hard as we move into this next year! Stay tuned for details always changing like our West Texas wind when it comes to legislative efforts! Sincerely, Kimber