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Congressional Schedule
Congress is on recess until after the mid-term elections.
Health Reform
Last week, AUCD signed on to a letter to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius regarding the development of a National Health Care Quality Strategy and Plan as mandated in the Affordable Care Act. Specifically, the letter urges HHS and AHRQ (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) to include in the plan improvement of the health of people with disabilities and those with chronic health conditions, recognition that people with disabilities are major stakeholders in all quality initiatives, and to ensure that people with disabilities are included in healthy people/community health initiatives.
Social Security
President Obama signed into law last week the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance program and the Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security Program Act, known as the WIPA and PABSS Extension Act of 2010. This legislation will extend authorization for funding of the WIPA and PABSS programs through fiscal year 2011 and help beneficiaries, including those with disabilities, return to the workforce.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) issued a news release Friday announcing that inflation is too low for an automatic cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, for those receiving Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. As a result, more than 58 million Americans, including people with disabilities, will not see an increase in their monthly SSI benefits in 2011. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) released a statement that the House will vote during the upcoming lame duck session to provide all SSI beneficiaries a one-time $250 payment to help make ends meet as a result of SSA's announcement to not provide a COLA. Without the COLA increase, the maximum monthly payment an individual on SSI will be able to receive will remain at $674 per month, while couples will be eligible for up to $1,011.
Legislative Affairs at the AUCD Annual Meeting
Mark your calendars for legislative affairs activities at the upcoming Annual Meeting! The Legislative Affairs Committee will meet on Sunday, October 31. All AUCD members are welcome. Immediately thereafter, legislative affairs staff will brief the network on the latest federal legislative activities from 4:45 - 6:00. On Tuesday, November 2, don't miss the Federal Plenary entitled "Meet the Administration". This is your opportunity to have a conversation with members of the Obama Administration. Confirmed panelists include: Kareem Dale, the White House; Sharon Lewis, ADD/HHS; Alexa Posny and Lynnae Ruttledge, ED; and Samuel Bagenstos, DOJ.
Don't forget to vote!
If you are coming to AUCD's annual meeting, please don't forget to vote early by absentee ballot or on site in early voting states. For information about absentee voting and voting dates in your state, visit AUCD's Action Center, scroll down to Election and Candidates, then select your state. Those who represent us in Congress can have a huge impact on the issues we care about. Use our Action Center to find out how your elected officials voted on AUCD's legislative priorities by simply typing in your zip code.
For copies of this and previous issues of Legislative News In Brief please visit the Public Policy Page of the AUCD website: http://www.aucd.org/template/page.cfm?id=164
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