Action Alerts

Ongoing: None.

Major Events Last Week

Federal Deficit

Just weeks after the Obama Administration unveiled its Fiscal Year 2010 budget request, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its own deficit estimates for Fiscal Years 2009 and 2010. The CBO estimate adds over $400 billion to the White House estimate. CBO has estimated that the current year (FY 2009) deficit will be $1.7 trillion while it sets the FY 2010 deficit at $1.1 trillion. These new estimates will complicate the development of the FY 2010 Budget Resolution soon to be crafted by the House and Senate Budget Committees. The Budget Resolution sets the blueprint for federal spending, including all disability programs.

Health Care

Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) reintroduced legislation to eliminate Medicare Part D co-payments for low-income residents of assisted living and residential care facilities and others receiving home and community-based services (HCBS) under Medicaid. The Medicare Part D Home and Community Services Copayment Equity Act of 2009 (H.R. 1407) would extend the same protection from Part D co-pays afforded to dual eligibles living in institutions to those residing in the community. Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE) has introduced a companion bill in the Senate (S. 534).

Health Care Reform

Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA), ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, stated that that there is bi-partisan support to pass healthcare reform legislation this year and that if it fails to pass this year it is likely not to pass until after the next presidential election. Democratic leaders in both Houses of Congress have also made passage of a healthcare reform bill a top priority for this year.

Housing

Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) introduced the Inclusive Home Design Act of 2009 (H.R. 1408) which requires all newly constructed, federally assisted single-family houses and town houses to meet minimum standards of visitability for persons with disabilities.

Employment

Kathy Martinez has been appointed by President Obama to be Assistant Secretary of the Office of Disability Employment Policy at the Department of Labor. In 2005 Martinez became the executive director of the World Institute on Disability and is a nationally recognized disability advocate.

Major Events Ahead

Long Term Services and Supports/ Health Care Reform

Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Representative Danny Davis (D-IL) will host an event on Tuesday to celebrate the reintroduction of the Community Choice Act for the 111th Congress. The Community Choice Act would mandate the provision of community based services in the states' Medicaid plans and go a long way toward responding to the needs of people on the waiting lists. DPC staff will participate in and speak at the event.

In anticipation of the reintroduction of the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act, The Arc and UCP have developed a web site - http://www.passtheclassact.org. The CLASS Act would create a national, voluntary disability insurance program under which: (1) all employees are automatically enrolled, but are allowed to waive enrollment; (2) payroll deductions pay monthly premiums; and (3) two-tiered benefits are provided, based on the level of disability, to purchase nonmedical services and supports that the beneficiary needs to maintain independence. The Arc and UCP will be working to ensure that this bill is passed as part of national health care reform legislation.

On Wednesday, the Senate Finance Committee's Health Care Subcommittee will hold a hearing on "The Role of Long-Term Care in Health Reform". Invited witnesses include speakers from the Center for American Progress Action Fund, the National Governors Association, and the Heritage Foundation. See:
http://finance.senate.gov/sitepages/hearing032509.htm

On Tuesday the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will hold a hearing titled "Addressing Insurance Market Reform in National Health Reform." See:
http://help.senate.gov/Hearings/2009_03_24/2009_03_24.html

On Tuesday the House Energy and Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Health will hold a hearing on "Making Health Care Work for American Families: Improving Access to Care." See:
http://energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1507&Itemid=106

On Thursday the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee will hold a hearing on "Part I: Deceptive Health Insurance Industry Practices -Are Consumers Getting What They Paid For? See:
http://commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_ID=4edbd03a-bf22-4783-87db-dfd57d980123

Social Security

The House Ways and Means Committee's Subcommittees on Social Security and on Income Security and Family Support will hold a Joint Hearing on Eliminating the Social Security Disability Backlog on Tuesday. A representative of the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities Social Security Task Force will testify. The Arc and UCP participate in the CCD Task Force. In announcing the hearing, Social Security Subcommittee Chairman Tanner (D-TN) commented on the thousands of Americans with severe disabilities who must wait months - and sometimes years - to receive benefits. He indicated commitment to ensuring that the Social Security Administration is on top of this problem and receives the resources it needs to eliminate the huge backlog in disability claims, as well as the necessary resources to handle increased workloads associated with the economic recession, perform program integrity reviews, and provide high-quality service. See: http://waysandmeans.house.gov/hearings.asp?formmode=detail&hearing=666

Employment

Today the Senate is expected to consider two bills to create and expand national service programs. The Senate will consider the motion to proceed with H.R. 1388, Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act, which was introduced by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) and passed the House of Representatives on March 18th. If the motion passes, the full Senate will then debate and vote on final passage later this week. The Serve America Act (S. 277) introduced by Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) will also be considered. The GIVE Act includes language to support participation of people with disabilities in the programs.

Today the House Education and Labor Committee will hold a hearing titled "New Innovations and Best Practices under the Workforce Investment act." See:
http://edlabor.house.gov/hearings/2009/03/new-innovations-and-best-pract-3.shtml

On Tuesday the House Education and Labor Committee will hold a hearing on "GAO's Undercover Investigation: Wage Theft of America's Vulnerable Workers." See:
http://edlabor.house.gov/hearings/2009/03/gaos-undercover-investigation.shtml

Transportation

DPC staff will participate in a roundtable discussion on transportation issues impacting individuals with disabilities hosted by Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Ranking Member John Mica (R-FL). The roundtable will be held on Thursday, March 26^th

Census

Today the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives will hold a hearing on "Census 2010: Assessing the Bureau's Strategy for Reducing the Undercount of Hard-to-Count Populations." See:
http://oversight.house.gov/documents/20090320124814.pdf

Disability Agenda Priorities

Staff from the Disability Policy Collaboration (DPC) will participate today in a Summit hosted by the National Council on Independent Living aimed at creating a more collaborative approach to set priorities for a national disability agenda.

Education Stimulus Spending

Staff of the DPC will meet with U. S. Department of Education officials on Friday to review new guidelines sent to states and local school systems on how best to use the billions of dollars targeted for education in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Announcements

None.

Please note that you can view previous issues of the Capitol Insider, at UCP.org anytime by choosing "Capitol Insider" under "Public Policy."

Read previous Capitol Insider issues now.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at acosta@thedpc.org.

Sincerely,

Annie Acosta
Director of Communications and Grassroots
Disability Policy Collaboration