AUCDigest
June 29, 2007 • Volume 7, Number 6
Current and past editions of AUCD Legislative News In Brief are posted on the AUCD Website. These weekly 1–2 page updates are intended to keep Association members informed about federal legislative and regulatory issues affecting people with disabilities, their families, and the network of AUCD programs.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of Labor for Office of Disability Employment Policy Roy Grizzard to Leave Post. (June 22) Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao announced that Dr. W. Roy Grizzard, Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), will leave his post at the end of June. Grizzard has led the office since its inception in 2002.
Cindy Daniel Named FEMA's Disability Coordinator. (June 21) Ms. Daniel assumes the role of providing guidance and coordination on emergency planning requirements and relief efforts for individuals with disabilities. As someone with a disability, she has worked to empower people with disabilities for more than 19 years. Most recently, Ms. Daniel served as an emergency preparedness specialist at the National Organization on Disabilities, where she conducted research on the effects Hurricane Katrina had on people with disabilities.
Health and Human Services Developing a National Biodefense Science Board. (June 19) HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt has announced the establishment of a public health advisory panel concerned with chemical, biological, nuclear, or radiological agents. The National Biodefense Science Board will give the Secretary guidance on preventing, preparing for, and responding to release of such agents, whether they are naturally occurring, accidental, or deliberate. Board members are yet to be selected. There will be 13 members, appointed by the Secretary, from among leading experts in science, public health and medicine. Four will be from the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and device industries. Four will be from academic institutions. Of the remaining five, one must be from an organization representing health care consumers and one must be a practicing health care professional. The Secretary also will appoint federal officials to support the board's functions. To submit a resume or curriculum vitae for consideration to be a board member or for further information, contact Dr. Susan Cibulsky at (202) 260-7000.
New EEOC Guidance on Caregiver Discrimination. How agency-enforced antidiscrimination laws can apply to workers who care for children, elderly parents and individuals with disabilities is the subject of a new guidance document issued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The document, Unlawful Disparate Treatment of Workers with Caregiving Responsibilities, provides examples of discrimination against caregivers that may constitute illegal disparate treatment under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The EEOC has also issued a Companion Question and Answer Fact Sheet. The guidance presents a wide range of circumstances that could implicate disparate treatment.
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