Dear Policy Watchers:
Good Friday afternoon! Congress finally passed the supplemental emergency relief bill and the president signed it
yesterday. The $19 billion in aid to Puerto Rico, California, Florida, Georgia and Iowa, will go a long way to help with the recovery from last year’s hurricanes, flooding, fires and earthquakes. It’s important to remember that every penny spent from this
fund for rebuilding infrastructure must comply with the ADA and Rehab Act. DD Councils have an important role to play to ensure that federal dollars are spent effectively and for the specific purpose for which they were allocated in a way empowers community
living after disaster. Does your state emergency manager have a copy of NCD’s latest report Preserving Our Freedom: Ending Institutionalization of People with Disabilities During and After Disasters? You can download a copy here: https://ncd.gov/publications/2019/preserving-our-freedom and
send it to them!
Here are some more notes from DC:
Appropriations is on the move!
The House Appropriations Committee released a division-by-division summary of the first minibus of fiscal year 2020 appropriations bills. The House is expected to consider the legislation, H.R. 2740, beginning Wednesday, June 12.
The package includes five FY 2020 spending bills: Labor-Health and Human Services-Education, Legislative Branch, Defense, State-Foreign Operations, and Energy and Water Development. We are excited to see the Labor HHS bill move with the recommended funding
levels from the committee. And on the Senate side, NACDD submitted testimony in support of full funding for state DD Councils to the Senate Subcommittee on Labor, Health, Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Administration for Community Living.
See attached. We expect the bill will be marked-up soon and are hoping for a favorable outcome, similar to what we saw in the House.
Medicaid block grant fight brewing (again).
It's time once again to dust off the talking points about why block grants for Medicaid is a TERRIBLE idea. The White House Office of Management
and Budget has begun its review of a planned CMS guidance letter that stakeholders expect will allow states to convert their federal Medicaid funding into some form of a block grant. The letter was sent to OMB on Tuesday (June 4) for a regulatory review, according
to a notice on OMB’s website. According to Politico reports, CMS has been trying to figure out how to do this administratively without congressional approval. Only Congress can change Medicaid's underlying financing arrangement
that has the federal government and states jointly contribute funds to cover expenses. Stay tuned.
RISE Act reintroduced!
Senators Bob Casey (D-PA), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Todd Young (R-IN) introduced the
Respond, Innovate, Succeed, and Empower (RISE) Act (S.1585) this week. The RISE Act has bipartisan support in both chambers and NACDD is pleased to once again endorse the bill. The RISE Act does three important things for students with disabilities:
1) Requires that colleges accept a student’s IEP, 504 plan, or prior evaluation as sufficient proof
of their disability when seeking accommodations;
2) Authorizes more funding for a technical assistance center that provides students and families with information about available disability services and offers faculty
training and resources on best practices to support students with disabilities;
3) Requires colleges to report on the number of students with disabilities served, the accommodations provided, and the outcomes for these students.
“It is not enough to simply “open the doors” to post-secondary training and educational opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities without
putting in place supports to help these students succeed,” said Donna Meltzer, CEO, National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities. “I am grateful that the RISE Act requires institutions of higher education to provide the information and supports
necessary for these students to select the right program and continue to receive important educational supports they need to learn with their peers with and without disabilities.”
New Resource: Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, FEMA
Action Needed to Better Support Individuals Who are Older or Have Disabilities
This report shows significant gaps to FEMA’s services for older people and people with disabilities
immediately after Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria. “Emergency managers and others told us it was sometimes difficult to locate these survivors and
provide the help many needed to find food, medicine, and oxygen. Further, FEMA's application for assistance contained disability questions that were easily misinterpreted. This may have led to fewer people reporting their disabilities—making it more difficult
to help those in need.” Check out the report and recommendations here https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-19-318 .
Save the date! 2019 Quarterly Meeting, June 11, 2-3pm Eastern.
Please mark your calendars to join me for our quarterly policy call on June 11. We’ll cover federal issues and have a special state spotlight on the crisis of caregiving. I’m excited to announce that Joseph M. Macbeth, Executive
Director, NADSP will be our guest speaker. The call-in number is 800-832-0736 and the passcode is 6261788.
Remember, these are my “unofficial” notes. That’s why they are full of types and occasional snark. If you do not want to receive them, just send me an email and I’ll
remove you from the list. And remember to please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Have a great weekend!
Erin Prangley
Director, Public Policy
National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities
1825 K Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20006
202.506.5813 Ext. 104 (Phone) | 202.506.5846 (Fax)