Volume 14, Issue 9
March 2, 2009
Action Alerts
Ongoing: March 3 is National Call in Day to Make Sure Long-Term Supports and Services Are Included in Health Care Reform.
Action Alerts are messages for you to send to elected officials and need your immediate response. Click on the link(s) above to take action on current DPC action alerts.
Major Events Last Week
Fiscal Year 2009 Appropriations
The U. S. House of Representatives passed the FY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations bill by a vote of 245-178 on February 25. The bill now shifts over to the Senate for action by that body. With almost one half of FY 2009 almost completed, human services advocates are pressing for the Congress to complete action on the bill. The Omnibus bill funds nine appropriations bills that were not completed last year due to veto threats from former President Bush. This includes the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and the Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development.
The Omnibus Appropriations measure adds $31 billion (8%) to human services spending which would total $410 billion. The DPC will publish a News and Information Bulletin later this week with specific program by program funding changes in key disability programs
Fiscal Year 2010 Obama Administration Budget Request
President Obama released the core of his Fiscal Year 2010 budget request on Thursday. Most of the specific program by program budget requests will not be released until April since the Administration has had little time to prepare its first budget. The $3.6 trillion budget request contains numerous bold shifts in tax policy and continues to add huge sums to the federal budget deficit. The Administration will also seek to require that PAYGO principles will apply to all new spending, meaning that new spending would need to be offset by revenue increases or curtailed spending.
The President seeks to establish a $634 billion reserve fund to launch his health care reform initiative. The reserve fund would be financed principally from lower tax deductions for the highest income earners and from lowered Medicare reimbursements. All federal departments would receive increases over the anticipated FY 2009 levels. The Administration's budget request has drawn sharp criticism from fiscal conservatives. The next step in the budget process will be numerous hearings held by Congressional committees as Cabinet members travel to Capitol Hill to defend the Administration's budget priorities and tactics.
Federal Spending Oversight
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) set a deadline (March 13) for all House committees to set a timeline for House oversight hearings on how federal agencies under their jurisdiction are spending funds made available through the various spending mechanisms (Appropriations, Stimulus Packages, etc.). This procedure is expected to shed more transparency and accountability on federal spending.
Obama Administration
Hilda L. Solis was confirmed by the Senate as the Secretary of Labor. Secretary Solis resigned her seat in the U.S. House of Representatives upon confirmation.
Seth Harris was nominated for Deputy Secretary of the Department of Labor. Harris was most recently the Obama Transition Project's Agency Working Group Leader for the labor, education, and transportation agencies. He is a Professor and the Director of Labor & Employment Law Programs at New York Law School. He is also a Senior Fellow of the Life Without Limits Project of United Cerebral Palsy.
President Obama also announced that Jeffrey S. Crowley will join the Domestic Policy Council as Top Advisor on HIV/AIDS issues and Senior Advisor on Disability Policy. A nationally recognized expert on health and disability issues, Crowley most recently was the Senior Research Scholar at Georgetown University's Health Policy Institute. In that position Crowley has provided invaluable policy analysis and technical assistance to the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities and the DPC.
Marty Ford, Director of Legal Advocacy for the Disability Policy Collaboration (DPC) and Chairperson of the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD), participated in President Obama's "Fiscal Responsibility Summit." President Obama delivered remarks to the participants in the East Room of the White House before work sessions on Healthcare, Tax Reform and other issues commenced. Ford participated in the Social Security breakout group which was moderated by the Chair of the National Economic Council Larry Summers and Gene Sperling of the Treasury Department. Approximately 130 national leaders, including Cabinet officials, leaders in the Congress, and nonprofit groups, joined to address long term approaches to the unsustainable growth of entitlement spending, tax reform and other federal budget challenges.
Disability Savings Accounts
The bipartisan Achieving a Better Life Experience Act of 2009 (ABLE Act), H.R.1205/S. 493, was introduced in both the House and Senate on February 26. The bills would allow individuals and families to establish special accounts for meeting the future needs of children and adults with disabilities. Funds in the accounts and expenditures which meet the requirements of the bills would not affect the individuals' eligibility for federal benefits. Using these accounts, parents would be able to save funds for a child's future in a manner similar to the special "529 accounts" currently used to save for a child's future educational expenses. The House bill was introduced by Rep. Ander Crenshaw (R-FL) along with Representatives Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), and Kendrick Meek (D-FL). The Senate bill was introduced by Senator Robert Casey, Jr. (D-PA) along with Senators Sam Brownback (R-KS), Richard Burr (R-NC), Christopher Dodd (D-CT), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), and Edward Kennedy (D-MA). The bills were referred to the House Ways and Means and the Energy and Commerce Committees and to the Senate Finance Committee. The Arc and UCP worked with the sponsors and with other supporting organizations on development of the bills.
Civil Rights
The Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) announced the notice of proposed rule making (NPRM) for the Genetic Information Non-discrimination Act (GINA) which was signed into law at the end of the last Congress. GINA will protect Americans against discrimination based on their genetic information when it comes to health insurance and employment. Once the NPRM formally appears in the Federal Register, advocates and organizations will have 60 days to comment.
Environmental Health
The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection held a hearing titled, "Revisiting the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976" (TSCA). TSCA is meant to provide data on public health and environmental risks of chemical exposure in the United States as well as provide the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with adequate regulatory tools to protect the public from unreasonable risk. Despite these extensive mandates, Title I of the statute has never been reauthorized, reformed or reviewed for effectiveness. Members for environmental community as well as the Learning Disabilities Association of America offered compelling testimony to update the statute related to prevention of primary disability as well as secondary disabilities of existing conditions. Congressman Rush (D-IL) and Chairman Waxman (D-CA) each pointed to TSCA reform as both good for business and the general public.
Major Events Ahead
Fiscal Year 2009 Appropriations
The Senate is expected to spend most of this week debating and amending the FY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations bill. Many Senators object to high spending ($5 billion) for earmarks while others are concerned that many programs are receiving increases over and above the recently enacted American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) is expected to offer an amendment that would keep all FY 2009 spending at FY 2008 levels by extending the existing Continuing Resolution through the remainder of the fiscal year. Sixty votes are needed to pass the bill so the Democratic leadership will need to find at least several Republican Senators to vote in favor of the bill. If the Senate adopts any amendments, the bill will need to be resent to the House for further action.
The current Continuing Resolution (CR) expires on March 6. Another CR will be necessary if the Congress has not sent the Omnibus Appropriations bill to the White House for a signature by the President by that date.
Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Request
The Congress begins to hear from key Administration officials who will try to defend the Administration's FY 2010 budget request. Peter Orszag, the White House Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will testify before the House (Tuesday) and Senate (Wednesday) Budget Committees. Treasury Secretary Geither will testify before the House Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday and the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday.
Obama Administration
Later today, President Obama is scheduled to introduce Governor Kathleen Sebelius (D), two-term Governor of Kansas, as his nominee to head the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). As HHS Secretary, Sebelius would take charge of an agency with 65,000 employees responsible for public health, food safety, scientific research, and the administration of the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Senator Baucus (D-MT), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, who has set a goal of swiftly overhauling health care, stated "Passing comprehensive health-care reform is an absolute imperative this year, and as a former insurance commissioner, Governor Sebelius really gets what needs to be done."
On Thursday President Obama will host a White House Summit on health care reform. The meeting is expected to include Members of Congress, representatives from the insurance and pharmaceutival industries, medical providers and advocacy groups.
Long Term Services and Supports
The Senate Select Committee on Aging is expected to hold a hearing on March 3. Information is expected to be posted soon at:
http://aging.senate.gov/hearings_111/index.cfm
Announcements
2009 Disability Policy Seminar
As of today, 80% of the hotel rooms at the Hyatt Regency have been booked. Seminar participants from 27 states as well as China and Canada have registered to date. Persons interested in attending this year's Seminar to be held on April 27-29th are strongly encouraged to make their hotel reservations and register for the Seminar as soon as possible at:
http://www.ucp.org/ucp_generalsub.cfm/1/8/12477
National Leadership Institute
The National Leadership Institute at the University of Delaware is now accepting applications for its July 12-17, 2009 training session. This week-long, intensive leadership development program is designed for current executive-level leaders and emerging leaders. Participants may work in areas of management or program leadership in organizations that provide, advocate for, or fund supports for people with developmental disabilities and their families. The focus of the Leadership Institute is on assessing and strengthening leadership skills, setting organizational direction, and understanding the future of the developmental disabilities field. Applications are due by April 24, 2009. For Questions e-mail Nancy Weiss at: nweiss@udel.edu, or call Mary Thomas: 302-831-2940. Apply online at:
http://www.nlcdd.org/week-long-institute.html
Ticket to Work Program Calendar
The Department of Labor has made available a calendar of events for the Ticket to Work Program. It is intended to provide an opportunity to meet people engaged in disability and work-related activities. Persons with disabilities who are receiving Social Security and interested in returning to work may wish to attend a local Work Incentives Seminar Event event. See:
http://www.cessi.net/WISE/
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
