LIGHTLY EDITED CART FILE Tuesdays at the Capitol via Zoom May 19th, 2020 10:00 a.m. - 11:03 a.m. * * * * * This file is being provided in a lightly edited format and is the work product of the CART captioner. CART is provided in order to facilitate communication accessibility and may not be a totally verbatim record of the proceedings, nor should it be considered in any way as a certified document. Due to the live nature of the event, some names and/or terms may be misspelled, and the text may also contain environmental sounds that occurred during the event. * * * * * CART provided by Lisa Richardson, CRR, CBC, CCP Paradigm Reporting & Captioning Inc. 612.339.0545 Caption@paradigmreporting.com >> Good morning, everybody. I think we'll wait a couple more minutes to see if anyone else wants to join. We'll get started soon. >> Bridget: All right, well, good morning, everyone. I think we can go ahead and get started. Welcome to our session wrap-up. So obviously this session was a little different than ones in the past so thank you for joining us virtually this year. I'm just going to cover a few things before we get started with our wrap-up. So for Zoom, there is a couple things at the bottom of your screen, if you're on a laptop, there is a chat available that you can use throughout, if you have any questions or comments that you want to share with everyone. Feel free. And then we ask that you mute yourself so we can hear everyone. I think most people have this down after doing Zoom for so long. And then the last thing is that we have captioning available so at the bottom of your screen, as well, if you click the "Closed caption" button, you can start those to have on the bottom of your screen. So with that, I think I'll introduce Bill and Mitch, if they want to start, and give us an overview of what happened this legislative session and what's to come with the special session and just a little check-in with them. So, Bill, Mitch, whoever wants to go first. >> Sure. Mitch here. Good morning, everybody. Well, I think we can all agree, we didn't think we would look like this when we started session on February 11th. >> No, we did not. >> Kind of the big thing is we obviously all know we live in a different world now. The biggest note in that would be the $1.5 billion surplus is now a projected $2.4 billion deficit. $4 billion swing. That changed a lot, obviously. The shutdown changed a lot but we did get some things done. As far as tier one proposals for MNCCD, the guardianship bill was signed into law. That was a huge effort, well over two years of work by over 18 stakeholder groups and just really fantastic that we were able to get that one across the finish line. The other key piece that was there right to the very end was the emergency temporary PCA rate increase and that was in multiple places, and the biggest problem with that is the same problem that every other bill that spent general fund money had is they don't have the money, they're reluctant to spend it and then find out it's not covered under COVID CARES Federal funding for reimbursement. So that bill is still out there. They're still waiting for guidance. Senate File 3322, the Moran-Abeler policy bill, was a victim of time and I think everybody believes that Patrick Murphy in the House deserves sainthood for reading their names off as often as they had to. So that bill -- I would see that as a very high potential for a special session. Prior authorization got finished and they did a small HHS budget bill at the end. So those are kind of the highlights of things that moved and still will be potential topics of conversation in the special session that we all know is coming either before or on June 12th. And with that, I guess I would just turn it over to Bill to see if he had stuff to add. Because I'm sure he does. >> Well, I think one of the big missing pieces of the session, this is, you know, a policy bonding year, not a budget year but, you know, as Mitch pointed out, this is a year like no other. Bonding bill seemed to be coming to maybe that final negotiation but they ran out of time. The House Democrats had a $2 billion bonding bill, the Senate Republicans were just under 1 billion. Seemed that there was a general compromise between the speaker and the senate majority leader but as I said, they just ran out of time Sunday night so I think that's going to be one of the items that should be able to get done on the June 12th or thereabouts special session. I think we might have more than just this one special session as we move along during this pandemic, but we'll see. You know, the state's opened up quite a bit now and I'm sure you saw in the news, a lot of people were out circulating in ways that they haven't. I just noticed that my house here in St. Paul, when my wife and I were out for a walk late afternoon, you could hear the din of cars on Interstate 94 which we haven't heard in a couple of months so hopefully things will go well and people will be smart and we won't get a lot more spread, but if we get a real uptick, I could see them coming back in for potentially additional emergency legislation. But we'll see. Who knows. >> Does anyone have any questions? >> Yeah, I have a question for Mitch. This is Jeff, hi, Mitch. Do you see anything in 3322 that besides -- I know it was a victim of time, went one, two, three, four, nine, when they were doing the calendar, that bill was number 5 but it always makes me nervous when politicians have time to read bills and look for places to cause trouble. Is there anything in there that you see as you know, fodder for any disputes between the Dems and the Repubs or the Governor or anything, or is it all pretty -- just pretty general? I don't just mean necessarily our stuff but anything that could make that bill more political than we would want it to be? >> You know, that's a great question, Jeff, and what I can tell you is that if you watched, if you were a nerd like me and was on a Zoom call all day long with people for the last two days, when they could pop in and out, the big thing about everything in HHS revolved around if -- what they were going to do with those pod amendments that Garofalo was throwing up there because that was the political play that caused all the HHS stuff to slow down. That's why 3650 was laid on the table in the house. That's why they ended up moving Senate File 13 for their HHS finance bill and that is why 3322 got hung up because Garofalo offered -- he filed the amendments. The question would have been if they were germane and the question was when was Garofalo going to make his play? Was he going to make his play on 3560 or on 3322? So that is the reason that 3322 ran out of time. I can't say that there was anything controversial in there and I know there was some language related to COVID-19 that has a sense of urgency but it didn't have enough of a sense of urgency to have 3322 come up before they tried to do education policy, which was the last bill they were able to take a vote on. Kind of a long answer but that's -- >> Oh, no, that's exactly right. That's exactly right. All the vehicle shenanigans that go on at the last minute. Your totally innocent bill can fall victim to a big huge political mess or something. >> Yeah. As I watched everything play out with the HHS stuff, that's kind of how it played out. It was all about vehicles. Which is why I think that's a prime candidate to come back in the special session as one of the bills they had -- no controversy other than the pod amendments and just got, you know, stuck in the meat grinder and didn't get out in time. >> Okay, thanks. We can probably leave for a different call or strategy on how to move it but I appreciate your insight on that, Mitch, thank you. >> This is Alicia. I would just say, though, I do think there was probably some remaining consternation about the fact that 4200 was put in there, as well, which was the language expanding the Department's authority to waive statutory regulation during the peacetime state of emergency so that's something that certainly I've been thinking about how to manage moving forward with, if there's going to be ongoing opposition from House Republicans on that specifically. I don't know if you've heard anything about that, Mitch? >> No, I haven't heard anything about that recently but they're not talking to anybody right now, anyways. They don't want to be on a Zoom call or answer a text, they don't want to look at their email, you know. Not right now. At least for another day or two. At least that was my recovery time when I was a staffer. >> Tuesday, May 19th, wrap-up. >> Bridget: Does anyone else have any questions for Bill or Mitch? If so, feel free to unmute yourself and just ask or type in the chat. >> This is Heidi, sorry for being late but we figured out Tuesday at the Capitol. >> So this is Alicia, I know that typically every year MNCCD does some kind of thank-yous or awards for legislators. I'm wondering if anybody has any ideas about if we're going to do that or who should receive that. I mean, certainly, I think Moller and Ingebrigtsen are going to be getting some thank-yous from coalition partners that worked on the guardianship reform proposal but just wondering what others have in mind for next steps for legislator recognition, especially given all the members that have been really critical allies and champions but who are not coming back to the legislature next session. >> Hi, Alicia, everyone, this is Erin from LSS. I have not been a part of that in the past but I would be happy to support that work. I think that recognition would be something well-received and well-appreciated during this, you know, really irregular session. I think that would be a great idea. >> Hi, this is Marnie, if folks want to volunteer to be on a group to work on this, that would be great. Thank you, Erin. We don't have a grass roots group that's meeting on a regular basis right now and this is typically something that would fall to a grass roots committee but if you have a particular interest and want to send Bridget an email, that would be great. Thank you. >> This is Jean, I can help with that, too, since I've been involved in the past. I just wasn't paying attention because I got an urgent text. Now that I figured out what you're talking about, I certainly can help with that. >> Thank you, Jean. >> Maybe within that and within the grass roots committee, we could also do like a Survey Monkey kind of -- as the entire group deciding who we would like to recognize, the grass roots could come up with a base list and then they could figure it out from there by popular vote. Remind us that we still live in a democracy in some sort of manner. >> Thanks, Jillian. I think we could figure that out. Good suggestion. >> I also realized my camera is off, that democracy joke was meant as a joke. I know it may have sounded a little dryer than it was meant to be. >> It was funny. We got it. >> I guess the question for Bill and Mitch, so with all the MNCCD priorities that didn't move forward this year, what are next steps for those and what will happen with those in the future? >> And with special session, do we have any hope of bringing any of them back up during special session? >> Mitch: As far as special session, I doubt that anything that wasn't in a bill that was left over, that they ran out of time for that was on the calendar in the house or the special order list that came out the last two days in the senate will be a topic of conversation. So if you weren't in a bill that was on special orders in the senate or on the calendar in the house, I don't think you will get a warm reception. >> Yeah, I agree with Mitch. >> So I guess the next part of that is the next steps, literally, is November. And you see who controls which body, and then it's the next session and you hope you still have the advocates that were your champions in their same places, if that was helpful, and you start from scratch with a brand-new bill. Because all the bills get wiped clean at sine die. >> Yep. >> So they all have to start from scratch again. >> Yep. So, a bill that was close and was on the calendar here when they ended, if there is a special session, it will be special session number one and it will be a special session, you know, for one of those bills, they need to be reintroduced. And obviously, in 2021, with the new legislature, all the bills will start back with House File one, House File 2, et cetera. So they have to be reintroduced. But the MNCCD process for preparing for the next regular legislative session is that we start taking ideas, including some that didn't quite make it this time and we start working out our tiered agenda, as always, first tier, second tier, third tier, of bills that we're going to work on for the 2021 session. >> Hi, this is Melissa. Can I jump in for a minute? >> Yep. >> Melissa: First, it's really, really amazing that MNCCD has been able to pivot to this virtual format and Bridget and everybody who's worked on this, this is really impressive. And I think will be really helpful going forward, getting through this pandemic and still having lines of communication to get stories from people and hear what people are needing and what's working and what's not. Second, thank you, Mitch and Bill, for just making the pivot to complete pandemonium, right, or pandemic effortless this session. We really appreciate it. I think Bridget asked earlier what was happening with our legislative priorities or what are next steps and, you know, big picture is our themes were living our values in 2020 and and those are still our themes. It's going to look a little bit different than what we had at the start of this session but we will get to the other side of this. There will be opportunities and MNCCD will continue to be a strong voice at the table because we have strong member organizations who keep also pivoting and adapting and figuring out where we need to put pressure. When we -- when the policy committee pivoted, we focused on two topics, one was -- other topics but two main priorities for the immediate emergent term on COVID-19. One was the PCA rate reform and some other policy issues getting PPE, those types of things, and the other was an anti-discrimination focus, and there was a white paper that Bud Rosenfeld at the Disability Law Center and Alicia Munson at the ARC put together that is on the MNCCD website and is important for folks to disseminate as much as possible and continue to do that as we go forward. But on the PCA piece, that is -- we have had some success on the agency side with the executive order that gave the Department of Human Services some flexibility and so we've been having weekly meetings with the Department of Human Services folks and also now we've got somebody from the Department of Health on that call and the policy committee has been pivoting and trying to figure out what, if anything, can we continue to be doing in addition to planning for next year's strategies? What can we do now? We're still -- or still kind of in the near term with the special session coming up and I would anticipate we'll be talking about, is PCA still in the -- is there still something we can do on that? Sounds like maybe that would be viewed as Federal COVID funds and those type of things, so I just wanted to weigh in and recognize that Mitch and Bill and all the member organizations have been working so, so hard and it's really wonderful to see and even though it didn't end how we wanted yesterday, we will keep moving forward and continue living our values and get things done for the disability community. >> I think yesterday didn't necessarily end exactly how we wanted it. We do -- you're absolutely right, we should be proud of ourselves, we stepped up and we didn't get everything we wanted, we have made sure there has been a lot of protection and we have forced our hand into a lot of conversations that are really, really important. We've built relationships that have surpassed the relationships we've had previously and that are going to continue to expand how things are. The autism community has recently had like an outburst about, when they -- when DHS issues a new guidelines for expanded telehealth services, it triggered something that's actually stopped people from receiving music therapy under their waivers, each if it was, like, already approved, because of the relationships we've built, because of the meetings we've been having, I was able to make one single call and now Jean and I are on a call tonight with DHS to figure out how to fix this. That's something that prior to the work we did this session could have taken dozens of calls, like, knocking on doors, trying to get people to pay attention, and instead, it took one voice mail for me to get a call back and have that meeting scheduled. So even if we don't see the direct impact of all the work we've done, it's there and it's going to continue unfolding as we continue to move through this really interesting time. >> This is Heidi. I wanted to bring up something that we need to work on next year because it can't keep happening. I have literally set up Human Services social services to get a new ILS worker and I got 24-hour emergency help, you know. They're going to call me on a Saturday and talk to me. But to do this over the phone is ridiculous. It's very complicated, very hard to do. They sent the PDF stack of bunch of papers to read over and to sign, and I also wanted it emailed -- not -- yeah, they center it by email, the PDFs and then snail mail because I wanted to see if both forms are going to be exactly the same because this company has a lot of players and I don't know how they do stuff over there so I requested both. And, okay, now, you can only do three-way calls for your meetings so when we wanted to add a fourth person, someone decided, well, we can use Zoom and we did a call because that person who's advocating, she's advocating for me, she likes to be called an ally, is helping me set up that meeting. Now, there were many hours on a Saturday morning at 9:00 in the morning to go through all these papers because I don't read, write and do math very well, and tell time and, you know, this is a lot to take in, okay. So what happened was, is that we went over the papers and she read through it and then I was able to sign it. Okay, now I am my own guardian so I am capable with the type of disability I have to do some of this on my own, so I was able to follow along and do certain things but he really need the right people in the room to do this correctly. We cannot do it over the phone. And just so you know, my CADI waiver review is coming up and they want to do it all over the phone. Now, how do I sign papers? How do I ask certain questions correctly because I cannot see what they're doing and how they're doing it. So -- and who protects the person with the disability, you know, to make sure that they can be there, you know, in the room or on the phone, whatever. So I'm very concerned about the future of how we do things because we cannot, right now, do any videos at all. It's all over the phone, so if you have a team of more than three people, you have to figure out -- you have good internet connection to do a Zoom phone call and make that work, that's how I ended up getting the fourth person. So -- and I did two different types of services, one is I.L.S. worker. I set that up like you normally would instead of going down to the office and having meetings and filling out paperwork. And then I did the 24-hour emergency and did it over the phone instead of having the meeting in the room and filling out paper. But it was more hours than most people want to do. And my friend said I want to go back to being a friend. I do not want to keep doing this. This is -- and she made a joke but I think she was serious, is she wants to pay Human Services and get reimbursed for all her time and I should, as an advocate, the person who actually has the services, should get reimbursed some of that money back. I should get paid for -- I've been doing a lot of work keeping this together. And so I finally got my I.L.S. worker and he's been helping me with all the technology, to hook up -- an adapter to my phone so I can download PDFs off of it with a flash drive and I'm learning to use my computer. I'm learning technology so I can actually do this. But a lot of people with disabilities don't have the kind of help that I have or the knowledge or maybe their disability won't allow them to do that and it's not a bad thing but how do we work on this, or someone else is doing it all and they're really confused, you know, because I got creative and started thinking A goes with B and one goes with two and this is how we set it up, do three-way calls, send PDF and mail. I'm lucky I have an adapter before the sickness came about so I can take it off my phone and tablet. I was being creative and thinking but not everyone has those sources when a crisis happens so -- and internet connection because I have to get approval from my social worker and get social workers to care about you when this is happening, because she called me, like, oh, my god, now you're talking to me? And how long have we been in this sickness? So when we go back to next year, we need to start talking about this and I want to go in and talk to the legislators. I want people to get on board. I want Human Services to -- I want to be in front of their faces. I'm sick of reporting crap and they never get back to me and hear me out. I do mean the reporting process correctly like you're supposed to, through the different channels, through Human Services. So I just wanted to bring that up. We can't keep doing this like this. We need a new way to do it. If the legislators can do it over cameras and then put it on YouTube, why can't we have meetings -- secured meeting over video? And then see each other and then figure out how to do some of this because it needs to be face-to-face. So that's what I wanted to say. >> Thanks, Heidi, thanks for sharing that and I think you're definitely talking to the right group of people about that. And we'll keep that in mind as we move forward. >> Thank you. >> And look to next year. Yeah. >> Because I'm having -- I'm losing people and one thing that was brought up to my friend, an ally, she likes to be called an ally but she's advocating for me, she said, you are more than qualified for paid support in this area and you should be getting it. It shouldn't be coming out of Heidi Myers' pocket, it shouldn't come out of like tons of hours, it should be an automatic thing because certain disabilities need it in order to go forward. You tell me I have to be pay part of this world and my disability doesn't 100% know how to do that and I'm willing to do it if I have the right kind of help to do that. I want kind of like when I go to Gillette and I ask Gillette for certain help, you know, and then you figure out how to do that. The same thing when I go to the family doctor. Why is it so complicated through Human Services to do something simple? So I wanted to bring that to you guys's attention. >> Thanks, Heidi. So I would like to open it up to some of our member organizations to see what their next steps are going to look like as we move forward and as session has come to an end, I don't know if anyone wants to comment on that and see what they're planning to do, as well. >> This is the Autism Society of Minnesota. Going forward, we're going to keep monitoring everything that's happening to make sure that, as things are unfolding throughout the rest of this pandemics, that our community is supported and protected, continue working on things like the discrimination pieces, make sure that as we're opening up the state, it's being done in a way that's very thoughtful for protecting those with significant concerns, or that may not be prepared. And also continuing to plan for next session. It's really disappointing that we weren't able to get the law enforcement bill through this session and I think we're really going to need to push that up on priority next session because coming out of a pandemic, with the heightened anxiety that our community is going to face, this is going to become an even bigger priority. It's going to become an even larger safety concern. I mean, even through this pandemic, we already saw an increase of people with autism people being incarcerated because of meltdowns and we need to make sure that that trauma is not continuing to happen. And that people are being treated appropriately during those situations, when law enforcement is involved. I think mostly we're going to be making sure our community is protected. We don't know what's coming next in regards to the virus or in regards to federal or state legislation so just staying very, very vigilant and making sure that we're prepared to step in and advocate for our community at every turn, at any moment, at the drop of a hat, if necessary. As well as, like, just natural day-to-day supports that help our community field heard and understood. >> Thanks, Jillian. Anyone else? >> Sure, I can go. This is Jeff. From the Brain Injury Alliance. I mean, I think -- for organizations that have been doing, you know, grass roots organizing historically or for people that are old like me that have been doing this kind of stuff for a long time, Mitch already angled on this a little bit but the Minnesota politics works in a two-year cycle and, you know, elections are kind of like the happy new year, they occur every two years, sometimes we get the senate, sometimes you get the Governor but a pretty big election coming in, we're going to have to kind of start over. And as we looked at our ability to sort of pivot in these last couple of months, get me thinking about what -- my brain always goes straight to strategy, tactics, how do we organize and get this done. So, you know, what are the next 20-some months -- we're not going to go back to normal. What are we going to do for elections? Are we going to do forums, are we going to do -- work with all of our grass roots advocates to get them online registered and get them absentee ballots and obviously we're not going to tell them who to vote for but help them through that process. So that's just an example. How are we going to do our training? I'm not bringing 25 people into a conference room at the brain alliance this last summer like I normally would so how do we use the -- anyway, sorry, I'm throwing a bunch of questions out there. That's what I'm thinking about, how do we, I guess, you know, kind of overviews the word "Pivot" but how do we change the way we're doing our grass roots organizing in our capacity building to be ready for the next budget fight that is going to be huge in a legislature with a bunch of -- a lot of new legislators that we have no idea who they are. So, yeah, we got this immediate future to get through and make sure we get through the special session. I'm sure the legislators are thinking about their campaigns and how the heck they're going to get reelected and some of the primaries that are coming up but, anyway, sorry, I'm just rambling so Brain Injury really is committed to grass-roots organizing and working with other members of MNCCD and how we figure this out and keep our advocates changed and part of the political process I really think is going to be the challenge of the next few months as we build the capacity to be able to have an impact on the next budget fight. So sorry for my soap-boxing but that's where the Brain Injury Alliance is at and that's the kind of things we're trying to think through and figure out. >> Yeah, this is Heidi, I don't think you're rambling or doing the soap-box thing, I think you're making a really, really good point and taking into context what I was talking about earlier, because they're demanding us to do advocacy. Not demanding but we would like us to be out there and then Human Services is demanding to have their stuff in place so we can keep our services but it's very difficult to do if we're tied down to our houses and we can't see them face to face because it's not set up. So, on both ends, we need to look at the advocacy part is how do we keep fighting and getting what we truly need. Not everyone is going to agree with each other but we come to the table and work on it and then how do we get human services to start doing things -- I can't even do my transportation meetings because Ap -- [Overlapping Conversation] >> Cameras. >> Yeah, thanks, Heidi, how do we do in-house forums, candidate forums? Candidates, are they going to be knocking on doors or -- how the heck are we -- how are we going to keep this thing rolling, so -- anyways, thanks. >> Thanks, Jeff. >> -- everyone has the internet so how do we keep in contact, you know? >> Bridget, this is Alicia, I was just -- thanks. I was going to build on a couple of things that Jeff and Heidi touched on. I mean, certainly, voter engagement, get out the vote is going to be a critical priority for the ARC Minnesota over these next few months. We're also having those same conversations and considering those questions internally, Jeff. I think one of the things that I'm feeling optimistic about is that we've seen such great participation in virtual town hall forums over these past couple of months and so I think we're going to move a lot of our G.O.-TV efforts to go web-based so virtual candidate forums and kind of virtual home visits, if you will. I think there will be some interest in that. I think candidates will also find that very attractive as a way to connect with stakeholders whom they may not be able to knock on doors for. So, you know, MNCCD, BIA, ARC have traditionally partnered very closely on voter engagement stuff, would love to figure out if there are opportunities to do that again moving forward. I think also moving forward, one of our biggest priorities is thinking about and figuring out developing action steps and strategies for envisioning a future of disability services, right? We know that we're going to head into this next session with a really massive budget deficit, and I think these kind of situations in the past have put the disability community on the defense rather than us kind of leverage it as an opportunity to play offense. >> What's that? I'm not sure if that comment was directed to me or not, but I -- I guess I would also just say that we -- we're really excited about those policy statements that were included in 3322, or the Abeler-Moran omnibus bill around employment first, independent living first, self-direction first and want to figure out how we can put those into action, even now, identifying cost-effective ways to provide services and support more efficiently is to provide services and supports while making sure that our system really is truly individualized, honors people's self determination and self direction and I think we have an opportunity now to be focused on that and to, like I said, put some strategies together so we're being proactive rather than reactive heading into 2021. >> Hi, this is Marnie and I'm already building been what Alicia and Jeff already said and just recognize that we as MNCCD have this opportunity to really be engaged, and that's not something that we've done as much of recently, the grass roots side, especially going into an election year and we've done so much over the last few years to build up our policy committee which has been doing such amazing work and I think now is the time for us to shift and continues to do that policy work but also to really focus on that grass roots component, and as I've mentioned a little bit earlier, we don't have a grass roots committee that's meeting on a regular basis but we do have a small communications subgroup that's been meeting and we've been discussing merging the communications committee with the grass roots committee and I think there is a lot of really good work that could be done over the summer and fall with, you know, town hall for resumption, interacting with legislators as we prepare for the election and get ready for next session on that grass roots front. So if you have an interest in serving on the grass roots committee as we revamp this and get this up and running again in a really important election year, send me an email and we'll get that group together and meet, too. Thank you. >> And this is Erin from Lutheran Social Service and just building off, again, all these things that have been shared. We're very much interested in continuing to engage with lawmakers over the summer, whether that's a virtual site visits or just virtual visits to ensure that they're hearing the stories of those who are, you know, accessing our services as well as our staff, to know what it's been like and what it continues to be like, living during this time and how we can continue to just really stabilize and strengthening our workforce but also assure that services are person-centered. So we'll be working on that, as well, as well as gearing up on what our voter engagement work will be. But something else that we'll be doing is continuing to follow what our Federal lawmakers are doing and how Congress can really educating about the importance of including home and community-based services in our upcoming COVID-19 relief legislation, so we're also, you know, really staying engaged in that work, as well, so that we can see some financial relief and investment in those services from our Federal government. >> Thanks, Erin and everyone who shared. That's really helpful to get updates about what everyone is working on and what everyone's plan is for the future. I just want to take this time to thank everyone for being a part of these virtual Tuesdays. I think we didn't know what we expected when we started them and they became a big success. And so something we normally do during session wrap-up is, like, share the numbers of how many people were able to attend and between our in-person and virtual ones, we've had over 1,000 people attend, which is pretty impressive for kind of throwing this together in the middle of the year but I -- thanks again to everyone who was able to participate and host and make these really successful. >> So, this is Heidi. So I hear those numbers, so how can we -- when we're actually at the capitol make it bigger because I've been at the capitol when we have Tuesdays at the capitol and I know by doing it by Zoom over the internet, we can reach everybody in Minnesota more realistically, but how do we get bigger numbers at the capitol and going to the different sessions and learning and -- we have really good topics because I've seen it where it's been pretty dead, you know, so how do we take that back to next year, you know, because Zoom is bringing people but it's not bringing them to the capitol when we really need them, or are they coming and we don't know it. I just had to bring that up because this is different than what I've seen at the capitol, you know, at the transportation building. So I'm a little concerned about that. [Overlapping Conversation] >> Can I respond -- >> One thing we're finding out, Heidi, with this pandemic is it has actually given access to people that haven't had access before, so some of the people that aren't coming to the capitol but are participating via Zoom might not need staff present with them and they would need staff to bring them or they don't have transportation or there are other barriers, maybe they're uncomfortable with leaving their home, so I think that it's given access to some of those participants and I would hope going forward, even when we can meet in person, that we continue some kind of virtual accessibility for those who can't get there. >> No, I -- Jean, this is Heidi again. I was thinking of that. That same thing, the very last thing you said about doing a virtual kind of thing but I was just wondering because -- and I get what you're saying, I truly do and I respect that completely. It's just that I want our capitol part not to get lost with the video pardon because we need them at the capitol sometimes filling those rooms, showing that we're making a difference. >> I think we need to not discount those, it doesn't -- to make an impact and to have an impact on the votes and on the legislators, you don't necessarily have to be in that room. And just one thing that I've talked about a lot in all the years I've been a part of CCD is how do we advocate and how do we talk to our legislators and make an impact on what's happening at the capitol, even if we can't be at the capitol because it's not always accessible, and we can't always measure that progress or that success by the number of bodies in a room. We can make just as much an impact with phone calls, with letters, with other options that are more accessible and I think it is also really, really important for us to teach our legislators, as we are asking for changes to policy and procedures, that accessibility does not look the same for everyone. So for some people, yes, they can walk in and meet with them in their office. For other people, that's not a possibility and we need our legislators to understand that accessibility and disability services are not a one-size-fits-all and that while some of us will stand right in front of them, some of us are going to appear in their peripheral vision, through letters or phone calls but that everyone deserves the same attention and the same consideration to what we're saying about our lives and the changes we want. But I think it is going -- it's going to be a learning curve to teach them that those voices matter even if they're not feet on the ground voices. >> Yeah, and I thought of that, too, so I'm not denying all your guys' ideas. I've been thinking about all of that right now including my issue about how do we do meetings because it can't be over the phone, it's got to be by video so we can actually see and see the paperwork and they can Zoom on it, you know, and we can be a part of it, we could save so much time and headaches and frustration. So I get all you guys' ideas, I was just noticing that our numbers were down at Tuesdays at the capitol in the transportation building when we go there to do it, you know. So I was just bringing that up. But I respect all of you guys' ideas and you are correct and right. Y'all have definitely good ideas. >> Thanks, Jillian and Heidi and Jean. I think it did provide us with a unique opportunity to reach people that we don't normally reach. For example, we were able to have a Federal town hall and talk with people in D.C. as well as having a kids' advocacy day because normally kids aren't able to come to our normal Tuesdays in the Department of Transportation cafeteria at 10:00 a.m., so this definitely provided us with an opportunity to look where we wouldn't normally look and so thanks to everyone who was a part of that. We also were able to record all of these virtual Tuesdays and they are all on MNCCD website, so if you weren't able to join for any of those, you can look back and watch those, as well. So thank you for all of that. >> Able to get Federal outreach going this year, Bridget. >> Yeah, that was definitely a new thing and we hope to continue that in the future, as well. >> This is Heidi. I wanted to bring up something interesting. It seems like the second it was brought out because I finally got an ILS worker in the middle of a big giant sickness and the most hardest way to get it but I thought that was interesting and then we [indiscernible] Tuesdays at the Capitol through sickness so what is the difference when we do have a sickness and we don't have a sickness. We should still be able to get what we need and accomplish what we do and get it going forward. It shouldn't be so complicated. It really made me think when the sickness came and all of a sudden going I don't have this and this, well, you need it. Let's get on it and then for some weird reason, or weird way, it worked out but I couldn't do it before that and Tuesdays at the capitol was a little bit different so I just think it was really interesting how we're talking about it and looking at it. Just had to bring that to your guys' attention. >> A lot higher numbers, though, because of accessibility, it's a lot easier to sit down at your kitchen table and log on to Zoom or take four, five buses to get down to the transportation building or pay for parking. This is accessible. One thing I've noticed is we've seen higher numbers of participation in other organizations in these meetings. It really does come down to accessibility. I've said it before in relation to other things, I get through so many more meetings in a single day now because I don't have to drive, I don't have to fight traffic, I don't have to find parking. I just click from one meeting to the next. So as frustrating as all of this is, there definitely are some sweet sides into this level of -- this type of accessibility so -- although I'm not going to lie, I do kind of miss my midday car karoake sessions as I drive between meetings. There is a lot less singing at the top of my lungs these days. >> And this is Heidi, I miss seeing actual faces because we sometimes need human reactions because in the beginning of Tuesday at the capitol when this was first going on, there were a few sessions where we had a Tuesday where some of the advocates I haven't seen in years and one of them came up and put his hand around me and gave me a hug and knew me from the past, so I miss those kind of interactions because Zoom can't give you that shake the hands or, you know, or face-to-face, you know, like I'm so glad to see you but I am glad to see you guys over Zoom but it is a different kind of feeling because when that advocate remembered me from way back and then acknowledged me across the room, it was really cool feeling and I told everybody that day and everyone was just proud of me. That's a cool experience. You can't always get that on Zoom, so -- but, at the same time, I'm so happy to see all of you guys. >> Thanks Heidi. Are there any other questions for our lobbyists or our policy cochairs or any other comments -- >> -- Sheldon was trying to say something, she just texted me. So I don't know if she's muted and can be unmuted from there but she texted me she wanted to say something. >> Do you know if she's on the phone? >> I think so. She just -- she said I'm trying to say something but no one can hear me. I'm on the call. I can't see anyone. This -- >> This is Heidi, she's been trying -- she even asked me and she got frustrated so I don't know how she Zoomed in in the meeting. >> I saw her earlier but I don't see her anymore. >> Oh, maybe she -- yeah, I had -- >> -- give up. Because she was very frustrated as you guys because she was trying to figure out how to get connected. >> All right. Does anyone have any last-minute comments or questions before we finish? >> Can we make a top priority that we talk about Human Services and how to set up services or sign papers because what I said earlier cannot keep happening over and over and over. No one's going to like me no more and I want people to still work with me and advocate with me and help me get the appropriate services and I won't feel like I'm in a bad spot and want to get angry and cry and feel frustrated with a million feelings because I want to make sure I'm setting up my services correctly. I know how to do it up to a certain point but the sickness has really stopped it so can we make a priority that we come up with a different plan instead of everything being over the phone? >> This is something we are regularly advocating for, Heidi, with DHS, because there are some guidelines that they have to follow in regards to Medicaid and other places. Some of the video sites, even if they say they're secure, they're not as secure as they require them because it is something we are regularly discussing with entities as we understand it can be a challenge. >> Yeah, I've thought of that and I'm on the same page as you are with all that thinking. We just have to come up with a new plan because some of these people with disabilities, there's no way -- I don't know what kind of support they get but some of it is not very good, so this is not the way to do it in the future. We got to come up with a better idea where everyone's comfortable and, you know, it's -- if they're getting when they're supposed to realistically, I don't know how to explain it without being mad or frustrated because it's hard to do over the phone. >> I think be creative. >> Thank you very much. >> I think Carrie is back on, she's the 0878 number. If there is a way to unmute her. >> It's Mitch here, I have to take off really quick for another call but thanks, everybody. >> Thanks, Mitch. >> Thank you. >> Thank you, Mitch. >> Thanks, Mitch. >> I also have to bounce off for another call but it was good to see everyone. >> Thanks, Jillian. >> Nice seeing you, Jillian. >> Carrie, are you there? >> I'm here. >> Okay. We can hear you. >> You can hear me talk. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Well, I'm concerned about people who want to be a part of this but can't or are not willing to be on a phone call because they're not -- they're concerned about security issues regarding their phones. Hello? >> Are you referring to this call specifically or calls in general? >> In general. >> Regarding our services. >> Well, this particular session, Tuesdays at the Capitol, in general. Not just today's. >> Yeah, I know that on our part, from MNCCD, we've taken into consideration and we've been trying to keep that as private as we can while we couldn't reach as many people as we could at the same time, and so I think this is -- this was a compromise that we are able to do that so people would have a safe space and be able to keep things private but also have many people participate in it, as well. >> And this is Heidi. The other part is on your end, Carrie, or all of you guys, where you have to step up to the plate and make sure your end is secure, too, so CCD can only do so much and we have to do the rest. Just like advocating, CCD can only do so much advocating but we have to do our part, too, you know, to take it on, you know, to fix it or to make it better. So if you're advocating for more security, it goes on both ends. So CCD does their part to, you know, making sure they're up to date with all their Zoom stuff and then we do our stuff to make sure our zoom stuff is all up to date and our phones. So it goes both ways. Just like when you advocate for services, it goes both ways. >> I agree with that, Heidi, but how do we do that? How do we help people understand? >> In the beginning of each Zoom meeting that Tuesdays at the capitol does, they could do a little bit, like a short thing saying, please make sure you're up to date with your Zoom and your security settings, you know, as part of being Tuesdays the he capitol so you are safe. There are ways we can work on it. We do it for ourselves advocacy meetings at the ARC so it's not like it can't be done. >> So how do we convince people that this was going to have to be the way that it is and have them continue to be a part of things? Because -- >> That's where you use social media. Remember how you found Zoom on Facebook? >> Because this wasn't the only meeting that I'm a part of. >> It definitely has been a learning experience for everyone and so -- and I think it will continue to be. And so as long as you can pass the word along to other people that you know who would want to be interested, I think doing it in a safe way, as well, would provide some reassurance to one -- >> Tuesdays at the capitol, CCD could put it on their Facebook page or their website or wherever they do their, you know, advertising for Tuesdays at the capitol, just a little blurb saying just keep your Zoom up to date and your security things up to date and you should be off and running. Can't be all Tuesdays at the Capitol or CCD's doing. We have to play a part in this, too. >> Absolutely. Well, it is 11:00 and so I think we're going to go ahead and wrap up. But thanks you to everyone who participated throughout the throughout the sex, whether it was in person when we started or virtually with these, but thank you for all your hard work, as well. >> I did both. I did both. >> It wasn't a regular session but we also have our special session coming up and so follow MNCCD on social media and we'll continue to provide updates as they become available. >> Are we going to do -- if this is the way of the future before you go because which always had an ending where we celebrated, you know, and gave out awards or did something. Are we going to do something special next time if this is the -- [Overlapping Conversation] >> This is kind of our wrap-up for this session. Things obviously looked a little different so this was kind of our way to celebrate being able to see each other but hopefully throughout the summer we can provide check-in calls like this, as well, to see where people are at and what's happening with the special session. >> Awesome, okay. And then, just wrap-up session was also to talk about what worked and what didn't work so then we can go into the next year and move forward, right? >> Yep. And we'll continue to update everyone as things happen. >> So, would that be through email, Facebook and whatever platform you have? >> Yeah, through everything, social media, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and then our email list, as well. >> Can I make a suggestion? >> I'll make sure I'm on all that. >> Can I make a suggestion? >> Yep. >> This is Carrie. >> Go ahead. >> I suggest instead of putting our information directly on their web page, put it as an event. Then people know where to go to get the Zoom link. >> That's really good recommendation. We'll definitely look into that, as well. Well, thank you, everyone. I think this is time to end, but thanks for joining us. Stay safe. >> Thank you. DISCLAIMER "This text is being provided in a lightly edited draft format and is the work product of the CART captioner. Any reproduction, publication, or other use of this CART file without the express written consent of the captioner is strictly prohibited. Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) is provided in order to facilitate communication accessibility, and this lightly edited CART file may not be a totally verbatim record of the proceedings, nor should it be considered in any way as a certified document. Due to the live nature of the event, some names and/or terms may be misspelled. This text may also contain phonetic attempts at sounds and words that were spoken, and environmental sounds that occurred during the event.