Action Alerts

Ongoing: Make the Most Out of the Independence Day Congressional Recess - Help Get Long Term Services and Supports in Health Care Reform

Major Events Last Week

Obama Administration

Kathleen Martinez was confirmed to be an Assistant Secretary of Labor at the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP). Since 2005 she has served as the Executive Director of the World Institute on Disability (WID) and worked on employment, asset building, independent living, international development, diversity, and gender issues.

Jane Oates was confirmed as the Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training at the Labor Department. Oates has served as executive director of the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education, senior policy advisor to Governor Jon Corzine, and senior policy advisor to Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) for the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee.

Howard K. Koh was confirmed as the Assistant Secretary for Health at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Koh is a former professor and associate dean at the Harvard School of Public Health and he also served as a Massachusetts commissioner of public health.

Martha Kanter was confirmed as the Undersecretary of Education. Kanter has been chancellor of the Foothill-DeAnza Community College District in California. She also worked at San Jose City College as vice president of instruction.

Sandra Brooks Henriquez joined the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Public and Indian Housing. Henriquez previously served as administrator and chief executive officer of the Boston Housing Authority.

Olmstead/Health/Housing

On the tenth anniversary of the Supreme Court's landmark decision in Olmstead v. L.C., President Obama launched "The Year of the Community" for HHS and HUD to work together to improve opportunities for people with disabilities to live in the community. Following-up on the White House announcement HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the formation of an HHS Coordinating Council, to be led by the Office on Disability, to address policies that prevent people with disabilities from living in the community. See:
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2009pres/06/20090622a.html

HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan announced that HUD will fund 4,000 Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers targeted to non-elderly persons with disabilities, 1,000 of which will be reserved for individuals transitioning from ICF/MRs, nursing homes, and other institutions. See:
http://www.hud.gov/news/release.cfm?content=pr09-095.cfm

Secretary Donovan's statement was accompanied by a Proposed Notice of Funding Availability. See:
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/pdf/E9-14651.pdf

Health Care Reform

The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee continued its mark-up of the Affordable Health Choices Act throughout the week, completing the proposal's prevention, quality, and delivery systems provisions. The mark-up will continue on July 7 when the Committee is expected to mark up the proposal's provisions on long term services and supports.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) continued to negotiate with Ranking Member Charles Grassley (R-IA), and Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Mike Enzi (R-WY) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) on a comprehensive health care reform bill that is fully paid for. The negotiators are reportedly close to decreasing the bill's estimated cost from $1.6 trillion over 10 years to slightly under $1 trillion over 10 years.

In the House of Representatives, the Ways and Means and Education and Labor Committees and the Health Subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee held lengthy hearings on their Tri-Committee discussion draft health reform proposal.

Card Check Bill

Key Senators continue to meet to find a compromise or alternatives to the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) of 2009 (commonly called the card check bill). The bill has failed to receive the support of the 60 Senators needed for passage in the face of a likely filibuster. The bill would make it easier to unionize the workforce and is a high priority for labor unions.

Transportation

The U.S. House of Representatives Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit considered and reported to the full committee the draft Surface Transportation Authorization Act (STAA). This bill would authorize and fund surface transportation programs for the next six years. Although the committee has yet to formally introduce the 775 page bill, it went ahead and reported a preliminary draft "Committee Print" to the full committee. Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN), Chairman of the full committee, hopes to work out differences on the bill and have a full Committee act by the end of July. The DPC will be working with staff to ensure that the disability programs in this bill provide for the expansion of services.

The Justice Department announced that is was intervening in a lawsuit filed in federal court in Jackson, Mississippi challenging inaccessibility in the city's public transit program. The complaint alleges a number of ADA violations including failure to maintain, promptly repair and keep in operative condition the wheelchair lifts of the city's fixed route bus system and problems with the para-transit service.

Major Events Ahead

U. S. Congress

The Congress began its week-long Independence Day recess today. Health care reform is expected to take center stage during the June 29 - July 3 Independence Day district work period. Congress reconvenes on Monday, July 6.

Announcements

Employment

The Department of Labor today announced "Expectation + Opportunity = Full Participation" as the official theme for October's National Disability Employment Awareness Month. This theme is intended to urge employers, as they seek to fill positions, to embrace the richness of America's diversity by considering the talents of all workers, including workers with disabilities. For more information or to receive a poster about National Disability Employment Awareness Month, see:
http://www.dol.gov/odep/index.htm

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