Disability Policy News In Brief
October 7, 2019
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Autism CARES becomes Law! On Monday, September 30th, the Autism CARES Act of 2019 was signed by the President and became law! It is because of your advocacy and education that we increased the number of cosponsors and educated many members of Congress. The impact of your advocacy:
o 127 Democrats o 46 Republicans
o 24 Democrats o 18 Republicans o 1 independent This is HUGE growth over cosponsor levels for 2014 reauthorization (House had 86 and the Senate had 18).
Action Steps:
Congressional Recess Members of Congress are in their home districts until October 15th. Think about hosting a community event and inviting your members of Congress or invite them to visit your programs or centers. Action Steps:
Employment Happy National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM)! Join AUCD in highlighting the employment work across the network and educate others about the value of a workforce inclusive of workers with disabilities. The disability community in DC will be engaged this month with Congress through briefings, but it is also a chance for you to contact your members of Congress. Action Steps:
Medicaid AUCD signed on to a letter from the disability community to Congressional Leadership encouraging a long-term extension of Money Follows the Person and Spousal Impoverishment Protections. The EMPOWER Care Act (HR 1342, S 548) would reauthorize the federal MFP demonstration and Spousal Impoverishment Protections for five years. Action Step:
Public Charge The proposed changes to the public charge rule have been released in the Federal Register. The new regulations expand the definition of "public charge" to include non-cash benefits - such as nutrition assistance, housing vouchers and subsidized medical insurance. Members of the disability community including AUCD have filed amicus briefs in WA, CA, NY, and Cook County, IL. Amicus briefs are legal documents filed in court cases by non-litigants with a strong interest in the subject matter. The briefs advise the court of relevant, additional information or arguments that the court might wish to consider which can have significant impact on judicial decision-making. Action Steps:
Presidential Proclamation President Trump signed a proclamation on October 4, 2019, enacting a policy wherein the government will only accept immigrant visa petitions made abroad if the applicants demonstrate that they will have the ability to secure health insurance within a month of their arrival in the U.S. If that's not possible, then petitioners would need to prove they have the financial resources to pay "reasonably foreseeable medical costs" - a standard not defined in the order. The new requirement is set to go into effect November 3. Emergency Preparedness The Government Accountability Office recenty released a report on FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) and the difficulties of supporting disaster-impacted disabled individuals. Action Steps:
Congressional Openings There are three districts that have/will have vacancies:
Action Steps:
Campaign 2020 Next week, another round of the Democratic debates will be held in Westerville, Ohio, on Tuesday, October 15th. In honor of NDEAM, below is a chart of those who will be debating and their public stances on employment issues.
Action Steps:
Share your policy story! Share your policy story today! The AUCD policy team seeks to share policy ideas in innovative and accessible ways. AUCD will soon be launching a policy blog - AUCD Policy Talk. As someone interested in disability policy, we ask you to consider writing and submitting a blog post. Maybe you have a personal story impacted by a policy. Perhaps there is a local, state or federal level policy that your center is engaged in. The possibilities are endless! Action Steps:
Tuesdays with Liz: The ADA, Marca Bristo, and The Wheelchair Rule with Senator Duckworth Senator Tammy Duckworth, veteran and ADA advocate, talked with Liz about The Wheelchair Rule, which was passed into law in December 2018. This episode is in memory of Marca Bristo.
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