Action Alerts

Ongoing: None.

Major Events Last Week

FY 2010 Appropriations

The U.S. Congress officially launched the FY 2010 appropriations process when the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science marked up its version of the FY 2010 appropriations bill. That bill is scheduled to be marked up by the full Appropriations Committee this week. Meanwhile, House Republicans released their own version of the FY 2010 budget. Their proposal would cut $375 billion from discretionary spending, mostly by capping non-defense appropriations to no more than the annual rate of inflation over the next five years. President Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) have also sent signals that future spending needs to be curtailed to stem rising federal deficits.

Long Term Services and Supports

Representatives Frank Palllone (D-NJ) and Diana DeGette (D-CO) introduced the Empowered at Home Act, H.R 2688. This bill would remove barriers to providing home and community-based services (HCBS) under the Medicaid State plan amendment option for individuals in need by 1) increasing the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP); 2) revising the income eligibility to up to 300% of the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefit rate; and 3) giving states the option to provide HCBS waiver services to prevent, delay, or decrease the likelihood of institutionalized care.

Education

Congressmen Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Pete Sessions (R-TX) introduced H.R. 2740, the IDEA Fairness Restoration Act. This bill would overturn a 2006 Supreme Court decision that prohibits the payment of fees to expert witnesses representing parents in IDEA due process. The fees would only be paid by school systems which are found by the courts to have wrongfully denied an appropriate education to students with disabilities under IDEA.

International Rights

On June 5th, DPC staff, along directors of disability and human rights advocacy organizations, met to determine further strategies in the United States' consideration of joining the international Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The United States International Council on Disabilities (USICD) is in the process of organizing a task force comprised of several disability organizations to develop a unified messaging campaign on the CRPD. The USICD will announce strategies to provide disability organizations a comprehensive yet user friendly understanding of the CRPD. The DPC will work closely with the USICD and provide further updates as they become available.

Employment

Attorney General Eric Holder sent a memorandum to his department heads expressing his commitment to making the Department of Justice (DOJ) a model employer with a diverse workforce that includes people with disabilities. He called upon his staff to meet a two percent hiring goal of people with disabilities.

Major Events Today

Long Term Services and Supports

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, chaired by Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA), will hold an open press briefing this afternoon regarding current efforts to include long term services and supports in health care reform. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) will be joined by senior Congressional staff and guests from the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging and Independent Living Centers. The HELP Committee's draft legislation is expected to be released soon.

Employment

President Obama promised today to deliver more than 600,000 jobs through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds passed earlier this year. Federal agencies will release billions of stimulus funds to states in the coming months including education and health funding. The summer is expected to be peak time for stimulus spending because public works projects gear up, teachers and other school personnel are hired and summer youth programs begin. The Administration claims that 150,000 jobs have been saved or created by stimulus funding even though government reports have shown the economy has lost more than 1.6 million jobs since February.

Major Events Ahead

Fiscal Year 2010 Appropriations

The House Appropriations Committee and some of its subcommittees will mark up several of their FY 2010 appropriations bills this week. Rumors are already circulating that a hectic agenda will likely push enactment of many FY 2010 appropriations bills beyond the October 1 start of the fiscal year.

On Tuesday, the Senate Committee on Appropriations' Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies will hold a hearing on the "Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Request for the Department of Health and Human Services." See:
http://appropriations.senate.gov/News/
2009_06_05_Senate_Appropriations_Schedule_for_the_Week_of_June_8.pdf

On Thursday, Shaun Donovan, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, will testify on the Obama Administration's FY 2010 budget proposal before the Senate Transportation and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee, chaired by Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA).

Health Care Reform

Legislation developed by majority members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, chaired by Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA), is expected to be introduced this week. The bill is anticipated to be modeled on Massachusetts law which requires all state residents to obtain health coverage or incur a tax penalty. Other House and Senate bills are also expected to include a similar universal mandate (known as "shared responsibility") for coverage. The most controversial element of the HELP Committee bill will likely be inclusion of a public plan, which would be run by the federal government and would compete with private health insurance plans. House and Senate Republicans, a few conservative Senate Democrats, and many in the conservative House "Blue Dog" coalition are opposed to a public plan. In a recent letter to Chairman Kennedy and Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) President Obama voiced support for a public plan. The President's letter also stressed that health care reform should not only focus on expanding coverage of the uninsured but must address cost controls.

Seclusion and Restraints

DPC staff will meet with staff of the House Education and Labor Committee to strategize on approaches to curtail the use of seclusion and restraints on students with disabilities in school.

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