Legislative News InBrief
January 16, 2007
Congressional Schedule
The House will consider several bills this
week while wrapping up their first "100 hours" agenda, including legislation
that would temporarily waive the cap on federal insured reverse mortgages (HR
391), which allow homeowners to use the equity in their houses for long term
care. The House also takes up a bill to lower interest rates for school loans by
half and to increase the amount available under the Pell Grant program. The
Senate continues to debate S. 1 regarding congressional ethics and lobbying
rules.
FY 2007 Appropriations
House appropriators are working to finalize
a continuing resolution (CR) that will provide funds for all the FY 07
appropriations bills that were not passed before the end of the fiscal year,
including the Labor, Health and Human Services spending bill that funds the
University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD),
Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND), and
many other programs important to people with disabilities. The current stop gap
CR expires on Feb. 15. Appropriators expect to fund programs in the L-HHS-ED
bill at the FY 06 level with some exceptions. Level funding would result in a
cut to UCEDDs. Because the DD Act stipulates that each UCEDD must receive equal
funding, the 64 existing centers will receive a pro rata reduction of
approximately $14,000 each in order to fund the three new centers at the same
level. AUCD is working with congressional staff in the hopes of getting a slight
increase to prevent this anticipated cut.
Health/Medicare
The House passed a bill (HR 4) Jan. 12 to require
the HHS secretary to negotiate prices on behalf of Medicare's private drug
coverage plans. Sen. Baucus (D-MT), Chairman of the Finance Committee, plans to
introduce a similar bill that would eliminate the prohibition to negotiate drug
prices contained in the current Medicare law. Sens. Wyden (D-OR) and Snowe
(R-ME) have also introduced a bill (S. 250) that would require the government to
negotiate prices only for "single-source" drugs, which have no therapeutic
substitutes and are often the most expensive. Some say that even if Congress can
agree on and pass a bill to allow some sort of negotiations on prices, that the
President would veto it. AUCD supports efforts to reduce prices and increase
choices in the types of prescription drugs available for Medicare beneficiaries
with disabilities.
Employment/Minimum Wage
The House of Representatives passed the
Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 (H.R. 2) by a vote of 315 to 116. The bill raises
the minimum wage from $5.15 per hour to $7.25 per hour over the next two years
and two months. This would take place in three stages: to $5.85 an hour 60 days
after being signed into law by the president, to $6.55 a year later and then to
$7.25 the following year. According to a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader
Harry Reid (D-NV.), a vote in the Senate is not expected until the end of this
week.
During the minimum wage floor debate, Rep. English (R-PA) spoke about the need to address the monthly limits on the amount SSI beneficiaries can make. He pointed out that SSI beneficiaries are limited to making $900 per month without losing eligibility. He said, "If the wage-hike under consideration today goes into law without raising an earnings limit for people on SSI, Americans with disabilities engaged in full-time employment would either potentially lose their benefits or have to cut back on their hours. That is a decision they shouldn't have to make." Last year, English introduced H.R. 290, a bill intended to ensure that workers with disabilities would not lose their payments through raising the earnings limitation on SSI.
Voting Rights and Accessibility
Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-CA), chair
of the Rules and Administration Committee, stated Friday that her panel plans to
hold hearings on alleged electronic voting machine irregularities and other
issues brought to light in the still-contested House election in Florida's 13th
district. Feinstein said that she supports machines that provide for a "paper
trail" or receipt. House leaders also expressed interest in moving a bill to
address the issue. In the 109th Congress, Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) introduced a
bill that would require a "voter-verified permanent record or hard copy" of
votes made on electronic voting machines. AUCD's Legislative Affairs Committee
is currently reviewing this issue but has not taken a position on any
legislation.
Money Follows the Person Grants
The Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid (CMS) announced the award of the Money Follows the Person grants to 17
states. The Initial 17 States are: Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Iowa,
Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio,
Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin. The next step is for
these states to develop and submit to CMS for approval a "Demonstration
Operational Protocol" which requires the input of all stakeholders. States that
submitted a grant proposal but did not get the initial award, will have 30 days
to revise and resubmit a proposal. University Centers are encouraged to contact
the state Medicaid Director to offer assistance to make the needed revisions.
Disability Policy Seminar: Why Attend?
With so many programs
important to AUCD being considered before Congress this year, every
University Center is encouraged to support sending at least one individual to
this year's Disability Policy Seminar co-sponsored by AUCD along with The
Arc, UCP, NACDD, and AAIDD (March 4-6). Issues that will be addressed include
the Higher Education Act, Rehab Act, DD Act, Family Support, and appropriations
for all disability programs. This year, a special panel is being planned to
address autism legislation, including the Combating Autism Act that was passed
last year and new legislation currently in development. Online registration is
available with special rates for trainees, self-advocates, and family members:
https://www.aucd.org/meetings/gaseminar.cfm.
A preliminary program and agenda are available on the AUCD website (http://www.aucd.org/aucd_events.htm).