Members of Congress are already filling up their calendars for the August recess, which lasts through Labor Day. Now is a good time to request meetings with them. Think about hosting a community event and inviting your members of Congress or invite them to visit your programs or centers.
Action Steps:
Reach out to both the district office and DC office with your request and ask to be connected with a scheduler.
Autism CARES
The Autism CARES Act - which has expanded research and coordination, increased public awareness and surveillance, and expanded interdisciplinary health professional training, including LENDs, to identify and support children and youth with Autism and their families - will sunset (expire) on September 30, 2019, without a successful reauthorization.
HR. 1058, which reauthorizes CARES for five years, passed the House on Wednesday July 24, 2019. The Senate could act as early as this week.
Action Steps:
Thank the House members of your Congressional delegation. A thank you is a chance to build a relationship and to continue to educate them about what is important to you. Use the August Recess to your advantage and set up a meeting with your members who are not Co-Sponsors to talk about the importance of CARES in your state. Invite them to your offices.
Reach out to both of your Senators and urge them to support a vote on CARES this week, before they leave for the August recess.
Budget & Appropriations
The House passed the package, which boosts government spending by $320 billion over the next two years, by a 284-149 vote. Sixty-five House Republicans, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), voted for the bill, while 16 Democrats voted against it. The package would suspend the debt limit through July 2021 and increase spending caps for the next two years. The United States would be on track to add an estimated $1.7 Trillion to the annual deficit over the next decade when compared with the billions in automatic spending cuts that would have kicked in as a result of the 2011 Budget Control Act. The Senate is expected to consider this package this week before they leave for August.
Action Steps:
To understand the complexity of the budget process, refer back to our previous InBrief deep dive here.
Continue to educate your Congressional delegations about the importance of appropriations to the programs and services that impact you.
Healthcare
The Lifespan Respite Care Reauthorization Act of 2019 (HR 2035, S.995) passed the House last week. This bipartisan bill aims to strengthen coordinated respite services for family members who care for loved ones with disabilities and other chronic health conditions. The legislation, which Reps. Langevin (D-RI) and McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) introduced in April, authorizes $200 million in funding over the next five years for the Lifespan Respite Care Program. It now moves on to the Senate.
Action Item
Reach out to your Representatives, thanking them for passage, and contact your Senators asking for co-sponsorship and for continued movement in the Senate.
The Senate joined the House and has passed the Empowering Beneficiaries, Ensuring Access, and Strengthening Accountability Act of 2019 (H.R.3353). Notably this bill includes an extension of Money Follows the Person and Spousal Impoverishment protections through December 31, 2019, in addition to extending the Mental Health Excellence Act to September 13, 2019.
Action Item
Continue to educate your Congressional delegation about Money Follows the Person and Spousal Impoverishment protections and urge them to include long-term solutions in pending legislation. Members need to hear about how individuals and states are impacted by the lack of long-term certainty.
Administration
On July 18, President Trump announced his intention to nominate Eugene Scalia for Secretary of Labor. Scalia is currently a partner at the Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher law firm. He served as chief legal officer at the Department of Labor from 2002 to 2003. The Department of Labor is the agency responsible for the implementation of federal labor and employment laws, including those relating to wages and hours. Additionally, it includes the Office of Disability Employment Policy, which is a non-regulatory agency that promotes employment of people with disabilities.
Campaign 2020
This week is the second round of Democratic debates. The below charts include candidates' positions on disability issues.
The first debate on Tuesday, July 30th, in Detroit will include:
Candidate
Current Office
Autism CARES
Transformation to Competitive Employment
ABLE Age Adjustment
Disability Integration Act
Video Response to survey on disability by NH Disability Rights Center
Your voice is needed to ensure that disability policy is part of the campaign.
For candidates who are currently in office, share and elevate their position on key disability legislation as noted in the chart. Tip: You can and should ask them to support bills of importance.
Check out the campaign website of each candidate (links provided); use the sites to submit questions about disability policy. For example, "How will you be ensuring that your campaign fully includes people with disabilities and intentionally speaks to people with disabilities?"
Tuesdays with Liz: ABLE Act Policy Update
In this week's 'Tuesdays with Liz,' Liz gives an update about proposed changes to the ABLE (Achieving a Better Life Experience) Act that have recently come out of Congress and tells you how you can get involved in advocating!
A network of interdisciplinary centers advancing policy and practice for and with individuals with developmental and other disabilities, their families, and communities.
