DOJ’s Ferguson Report was issued exactly 10 years ago today. It not only highlighted injustice in Ferguson, it raised the consciousness of the nation to the devastating impacts of fines and fees, and sparked a movement for reform.

“These reductions, no matter the amount, threaten the very services that have prevented overdose deaths and provided critical support to communities across the Commonwealth."

🚨Emergency webinar tomorrow at 3🚨 Learn how cuts to Medicaid and SNAP would harm Kentucky and how you can advocate against the plan to shrink these vital programs in order to cut taxes for the wealthiest Americans. Register: events.teams.microsoft.com/event/918ef935…

It’s been nearly 50 years since the disability rights movement began in the U.S. and we’re still fighting. Today in D.C., protesters were arrested defending Medicaid and the right to live at home, not in institutions. #DisabilityRights #HCBS #SaveMedicaid

New: Medicaid covers 47% of people with opioid use disorder and 64% of people receiving outpatient treatment for OUD. Heather Saunders

My partner Serena’s mom is dying from ALS. The NIH grant supporting the scientists in my lab working hard on a cure was just terminated. No words

Congress is rushing to pass the largest Medicaid cuts in history. It's a mix of massive funding reductions, cruel eligibility restrictions, and overwhelming red tape. Millions will lose coverage. Who are they? Here are some of their stories: bit.ly/42NrwHJ

Medicaid in Kentucky gets absolutely hammered in the House bill--loss of $1.7 billion, 2nd-worst proportionally of all states, and lost coverage of 207,000-345,000 Kentuckians, 5th-worst among states

The work reporting requirement being proposed in Congress requires people work at least a month prior to applying for coverage, or get a doctor's note showing they're disabled. But how does someone get a doctor's note proving they're disabled unless they have insurance first?

The Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure should reject the harmful parts of proposed buprenorphine regulations and consider adopting guidelines similar to those at the federal level to promote low-barrier access to buprenorphine, which will save more lives.

Our new report reveals the astonishing reach of criminal legal system fines and fees in Kentucky. Thousands of provisions in state law, and many local ordinances, make up a vast web of fines and fees that trap people in a cycle of debt and incarceration. 1/

NEW: Nearly one year after House Bill 5 went into effect, Kentucky has seen 425 "unlawful camping" charges across 30 counties. That’s an average of more than one unhoused person cited or arrested for unlawful camping each day.

35 years ago today the #AmericansWithDisabilitiesAct was signed into law. This historic legislation made progress in many aspects of life, but (perhaps unsurprisingly) the criminal legal system continues to fail people with disabilities every day.🧵

Kentucky is a minefield of #FinesAndFees that can lead to harsh consequences – including jail time – for people who can’t pay. A new KyPolicy report exposes how this convoluted system drains vital resources from the communities that need them most.

Read Mental Health America’s full statement on the executive order “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets” mhanational.org/news/statement…

People with disabilities are failed by the criminal legal system time & time again. After disproportionate contact with law enforcement, unaccommodating courts, and unequipped jails, thousands with disabilities are locked up in state prisons on a given day.

NEW: As Kentucky students head back to school, state funding for K-12 education continues to fall well below past efforts, preventing overdue investments to shrink class size, increase student supports and hire more teachers and bus drivers.

Opinion: Medicaid change for KY Appalachians with substance use disorder will cost us all | Opinion courier-journal.com/story/opinion/…

IMPORTANT NOTICE: SNAP UPDATE