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In the next two weeks the California Senate and Assembly budget committees will hear and discuss issues that will have tremendous impact on Californians with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), their families, and their service providers.
HOW CAN YOU HELP? Can you travel to the State Capitol in Sacramento to be present at the hearings? A large showing by our community is always important, and your presence and your voice in support of the issues will help to make sure that our elected officials are listening. Below are the dates and times of the hearings:
Wednesday, March 7th, 2:30PM, room 437
Assembly Budget Subcommittee #1 on Health & Human Services
Thursday, March 15th, 9:30AM, room 4203
Senate Budget Subcommittee #3 on Health & Human Services
If you can’t make it to Sacramento then be on the lookout for Email Action Alerts from The Arc & UCP in the coming week asking you to send letters to your state legislators on the issues.
WHAT ARE THE ISSUES? Below are the four top priorities The Arc & UCP California Collaborative will be pushing forward in the hearings:
1) Increase Affordable Housing for People with I/DD in the Community. It is becoming nearly impossible for Californians with I/DD to afford housing that is integrated in the community. The State of California should fund the development of new housing units for regional center clients and should make available emergency subsidies for individuals at risk of losing their independence due to the loss of their housing.
2) Fund Minimum Wage Rates for Service Providers. The incredible work that direct support professionals do to provide support and increase independence for people with I/DD should be respected and valued. Unfortunately, our service provider system has been so underfunded that we are now at the point of fighting to even get reimbursed at minimum wage rates. In several regions of the state, the local minimum wage rate is higher than the state minimum wage rate, yet the state of California will only reimburse at the lower state rate. This is causing incredible financial burdens on programs and providers throughout the state.
3) Restore Social Recreation and Camp as Regional Center Funded Services. In the recession these important services were “temporarily” unfunded; however they still have not been restored. See more information in the article below.
4) Reject the Governor’s Proposal for 14 Mandated Holidays for Regional Center Services. Instead of allowing regional centers to set their own holiday schedules and to accommodate the needs of families and the community, the Governor has proposed a mandate of 14 holidays for certain services, including day programs and transportation. This would create a hardship for many individuals with I/DD who rely on certain services to maintain active in the community, including employment. It would also create a hardship for families who might be forced to take time off of work as a result of the additional days programs would be closed. It also will be a cut in funding to service providers and staff, who will lose their reimbursement from the state as a result of 14 mandated holidays as opposed to the usual 10 days.
Jordan Lindsey,
Executive Director,
The Arc CA