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By Jordan Lindsey, Executive Director, The Arc & UCP California Collaboration
Several bills impacting Californians with developmental disabilities were passed by the Legislature during this year’s legislative session and sent to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk. Last week, the Governor acted on each bill by either signing it into law or vetoing it.
The developmental disability community achieved a major victory with the signing of AB 2423 (Mathis), which will require the state to update the rate models every other year that are used to determine payments to regional center service providers, and to fund those new rates subject to an appropriation by the Legislature. The bill, widely seen as a foundational step to achieving quality and accessible supports by families and individuals struggling to access regional center services, was pushed over the finish line with the help of 5,080 advocates across the state taking 20,890 actions advocating for the bill, including emails and social media posts to legislators and the Governor.
Other bills signed into law by the Governor that will impact the disability community include, prohibiting prone restraints in schools, subjecting regional centers to the Public Records Act, and requiring schools to include post-secondary and vocational goals in a student’s IEP no later than age 16.
Unfortunately, important bills were also vetoed by the Governor, including bills that would create a housing stability program and a bill that would lower the cost of medications for people with disabilities who require compounding (flavoring) to take the medicine.
A full list of bills tracked by The Arc of California and their outcomes can be found at https://thearcca.org/advocacy/state-bill-file/.
“When we say ‘California for ALL,’ we mean every single person in this state should be able to thrive – and that includes those with physical, intellectual, and developmental disabilities. I’m proud to continue our historic actions to protect vulnerable students, improve statewide supports, and strengthen future opportunities for the disabled community,” said Governor Newsom in a press release on September 28. Click HERE to read the full press release.