House Democrats are urging Gov. Jan Brewer to apply for the full share of the discretionary federal stimulus money available to Arizona, saying at a press conference on March 16 it could be used to restore funding to a state program that pays for medical treatment for about 1,200 severely disabled children.

The call for the governor to act is the latest in a series of public requests the Democratic lawmakers have made for Brewer to file notice with the federal government that Arizona will meet the requirements to qualify for federal aid. She must do so by April 3 if the state is to receive the money.

House Minority Leader David Lujan, a Phoenix Democrat, said applying for the funding is "a very simple process" that requires little more than a letter from the governor to Congress. He and other Democrats called for a portion of the $185 million of general aid Arizona would receive to pay for cuts to Children's Rehabilitative Services.

"It comes down to what we value as a state," he said.

About $771,000 was cut from the CRS program earlier this year when lawmakers approved a $30 million budget cut to the Department of Health Services, which runs the program. The cuts mean that parents of about 1,200 children that have received subsidized medication and surgeries for illnesses such as cerebral palsy, cleft palette and congenital heart anomalies now must pay for the treatments themselves.

About 20,000 other children enrolled in the program will still receive treatment under AHCCCS, the state's public health care system.

Janna Murrell said most of those parents would not be able to pay for the expensive treatments out of their own pockets. Her 13-year-old son has cerebral palsy and is enrolled in the program. A recent surgery on his leg would not have been possible if he didn't receive CRS benefits, she said.

"We would be bankrupt if we had to pay for all of that out of our pockets," she said.