AUCDigest
November 2, 2007 • Volume 7, Number 10
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 and centers.
Secretary Elaine L. Chao Celebrates Fifth Anniversary of DisabilityInfo.gov. October 29: U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao celebrated the fifth anniversary of DisabilityInfo.gov, which is a collaborative effort among 22 federal agencies that provides a one-stop federal source for disability-related information. The website is managed by the Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP).
U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao Recognizes Seven Businesses, Organizations and Individuals for Exemplary Disability Employment Practices. October 24: The Secretary of Labor's sixth annual New Freedom Initiative Award for exemplary and innovative efforts in furthering the employment and workplace environment for people with disabilities.
U.S. Department of Labor Forms Alliance with CVS Caremark to Promote Employment of Workers with Disabilities Nationwide. October 23: "This alliance will mutually benefit CVS Caremark, the company's workforce and customers, the Labor Department's Office of Disability Employment Policy and the general public," said Karen M. Czarnecki, acting assistant secretary of labor for ODEP. "Hiring, retaining and advancing employees with disabilities is just good business. ODEP and CVS Caremark will share information, guidance and resources that will help to develop model programs for other employers, particularly in the retail and pharmacy services industries."
Social Security Announces 2.3 Percent Benefit Increase for 2008. October 17: Monthly Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits for more than 54 million Americans will increase 2.3 percent in 2008, the Social Security Administration announced. The 2.3 percent Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) will begin with benefits that nearly 50 million Social Security beneficiaries receive in January 2008. Increased payments to more than 7 million Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries will begin on December 31.
HUD Awards more than $18 Million in Grants to Fight Housing Discrimination. October 10: The Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded 88 grants totaling $17.1 million to recipients in 37 states and the District of Columbia to help fight housing discrimination. "Last year there were a record 10,328 housing discrimination complaints filed with HUD and its state and local partners," said Kim Kendrick, HUD's Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. "These grants will allow us to continue with efforts to educate the public and the housing industry about their rights and responsibilities under the Fair Housing Act.”
Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid Account for Half of Federal Spending. October 9: Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid accounted for more than $1 trillion of the $2.3 trillion the federal government spent in 2005, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, which publishes the only consolidated source of data on the geographic distribution of federal expenditures. The Consolidated Federal Funds Report for Fiscal Year 2005 is a presentation of data on most domestic spending by the federal government for state and county areas of the United States, including the District of Columbia and U.S. outlying areas. The data include expenditures for the Defense Department and the Department of Homeland Security. A companion report, Federal Aid to States for Fiscal Year 2005, contains federal agency and program-level data on grants to state and local governments.
NIH Public Trust Initiative Launches the "Partners in Research” Program. The Public Trust Initiative (PTI), an initiative of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announces the release of a new Request for Applications for the Partners in Research program. The purpose of this program is to support studies of innovative programs designed to improve public understanding of health care research and promote collaboration between scientists and community organizations. In turn, these studies should help in the development of strategies to increase the public awareness and trust in both the role of NIH and the importance of new directions of research for advancing the public health.
Disability-related Cases from the Department of Justice
- October 25: Justice Department Settles Housing Discrimination Case with Iowa Landlord.
- October 16: Former Tennessee Mental Health Aide Sentenced for Federal Civil Rights Violations.
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